Didn't expect that?

[FOX]

Crap.

I turn down shops quite offten for becoming a dealer, for various reasons, but today I didn't expect to turn down the buyer for Walmart, Sport Mart and Target!!!!!!!!!!

Crazy.

FOX

[Biking Fiend]

wow, thats a big descision ya made, you coula made loads of cash, but its not all about the money.

[Cheese]

I personally dont blame you.

[BuckChoklit]

"a jorb well done" -Coach Zee

[FOX]

Originally posted by Biking Fiend
wow, thats a big descision ya made, you coula made loads of cash, but its not all about the money.

Dude - I ain't here for the money at all, hell what was may income last year, 16 or 18 cents an hour???

I am here to deliver core riders the gear that I aways wanted, but no companies would make.

I am definately excited about the offer, however, to me, that would be 100% selling out!

FOX

[Lady Gravity]

jesus
the day i see .243 being sold at walmart, zellers, etc would be a sad day for me :(

good on ya eric :clap:

[Zedbra]

i could see that, sitting next to GT's and Schwinn's. eww

[Keefer]

Haha, wow... I guess you're a big-namer now then.

[freeeeeerider]

good job. thanks for not selling out:)

[Dom@nsmb.com]

Originally posted by FOX
Crap.

I turn down shops quite offten for becoming a dealer, for various reasons, but today I didn't expect to turn down the buyer for Walmart, Sport Mart and Target!!!!!!!!!!

Crazy.

FOX

Wise decision Eric!!!

Within a year they would have copied your creation and outsource it themself straight from Taiwan!!!!:lol:

[sAFETY]

You're a stronger man than I. I'd have sold out in a second.

[snortpickle]

Heh.. as long as you can keep the quality of your product up to the standards that made it sell so well in the first place, who cares where you sell your product? It would only make it more available non? But then again I suppose that would mean having to setup a more largescale operation and in the long run even outsourcing frame fabrication to keep up with demand. Hrmm..was the decision not to sell to big chains one that had to do with image or for a personal wish to keep it small and cozy? Or something else that I'm missing?

Speaking of large scale distribution. Do you guys have any plans for more European distributors lined up?

(Belgium/Netherlands/Germany ??? hehe..which comprises my main shopping arena)

[counterpoint]

do you know what that means? That those guys are just going to target other small bike companies. Some of them will say yes. Which means more IronHorse's in the big shops which means biking is going to get so much bigger but which also means that it hurts the guy who orginally said no. All I can hope for is that people understand price is not the issue with certain things while integrity, roots and pureness to the sport are far more important.

[Scarface]

Excellent decision Eric, holy tahts crazy all 3 of those big guns called..but what are they gonna do with just a frame any ways..but i gues theyre loaded so theyll equip it with "heavy duty suspension swing arm " (canadian tire refering to a HT with a double crown fork):lol:

those guys should not be allowed to sell bikes of this level.

[theoriginalhardcore]

so what all those places wanted to be dealers of .243

[manalogue]

Why couldn't you start a second company, and sell to the department stores under that brand under a modified design? This would keep the grass roots development of .243 while giving you a comfy seat.

Just a thought.

Oh, btw, I love my .243!

[Scarface]

Originally posted by manalogue
Why couldn't you start a second company, and sell to the department stores under that brand under a modified design? This would keep the grass roots development of .243 while giving you a comfy seat.

Just a thought.

Oh, btw, I love my .243!

that would mean bike shops would loose business. little kids instaed of going to their LBS and buying that .243 racing, why not go to the department store and get the same name bike?

[snortpickle]

Ah yes. Supporting the local shops and providing them with the sole dealership to a quality product ensuring good service and reaching the intended audience. I knew I was missing something obvious. My bad.

[manalogue]

Originally posted by Scarface
that would mean bike shops would loose business. little kids instaed of going to their LBS and buying that .243 racing, why not go to the department store and get the same name bike?

I didn't think of it that way at all. What I was implying though, is that the subsiduary company make a quality product, but perhaps one that is not truly intened for the abuses a .243 Racing frame can withstand. The vast majority of mountain bikers will not set foot in a department store for biking needs anyway. I don't think that would ever change.

[Neo]

lol, and here i was looking forward to seeing the 04 .243 lineup at walmart next to the hulk action figures and starwars lego.

[Cheese]

Originally posted by Dante Alighieri
lol, and here i was looking forward to seeing the 04 .243 lineup at walmart next to the hulk action figures and starwars lego.


I thought the bikes were by the huge dall houses and 3 wheeler kids bikes?

[Neo]

Originally posted by Cheese
I thought the bikes were by the huge dall houses and 3 wheeler kids bikes?

not at the walmart where i live. personally, i live toys'r us the best. hugo and i always go there and drive around in the go carts and moto bikes and then get kicked out.

[.243racer]

whooz keepin' it real? :woot: ERIC's KEEPIN IT REAL!!!! :woot:

[OCRONPORD]

Originally posted by Dante Alighieri
lol, and here i was looking forward to seeing the 04 .243 lineup at walmart next to the hulk action figures and starwars lego.

that would be cool fox could make hulk version bikes that would be all green with solid tubing lol

[Ipecac]

Dammit Eric, I wanted to buy a 2K4 frame with Club-Z points. What am I supposed to do with all those points now?

[Diligent_Nose]

Wow, I'm impressed, I woulda sold out, however my question is, .243 frames aren't 'walmart' quality, would they make you change your design our something? I know I wouldn't buy a $1000+ bike from walmart.

[Castle]

Thanks Eric, keep makin them bikes, I sure as hell appreciate mine. Thanks for not sellin out. I'm sure it was a good amount of money.

[Space Ace]

I think you may have been hoodwinked Fox. No offence, but there is no effin way that could have been a serious call. Those guys can't and won't sell a bike over $500. It's the reality of their retail. Now if Coast Mtn or Sportchek called you, that may be different, but come on!

[FOX]

Originally posted by Space Ace
I think you may have been hoodwinked Fox. No offence, but there is no effin way that could have been a serious call. Those guys can't and won't sell a bike over $500. It's the reality of their retail. Now if Coast Mtn or Sportchek called you, that may be different, but come on!

This was the US, not CND.
That whole group of corps, including Sprtcheck, etc. is going after the freeride market. They have all done so well with brands like rock shocks, maxxis, and race face, that they are looking for more.
Sorry if their marketing charges tirbs ya.

FOX

[Kevan]

I wish i could buy a .243 at candian tire. Atleast it would be a candian business....id buy like 5 frames, lol.

[IFO]

i'm curoius how selling your bikes at a given store versus a chain store is "selling out"...

that logic defies me... :(

if JH bikes decided to open a second location, would they still be a "core store" ???? if yes what if they opened a 3,4,5 store??

would they no longer be a core bike store anymore???

personaly i dotn care where i buy my bike gear as long at its the actual brand i wanna have...

im curious what u look for in a bike shop, in order to allow your .243 frames in there....

is there a certian size square footage max.???hahahah....j/king...

[Neo]

Originally posted by IFO
i'm curoius how selling your bikes at a given store versus a chain store is "selling out"...

that logic defies me... :(

if JH bikes decided to open a second location, would they still be a "core store" ???? if yes what if they opened a 3,4,5 store??

would they no longer be a core bike store anymore???

personaly i dotn care where i buy my bike gear as long at its the actual brand i wanna have...

im curious what u look for in a bike shop, in order to allow your .243 frames in there....

is there a certian size square footage max.???hahahah....j/king...

well just as long as bikeroom.com *cough*airbomb*cough* doesn't sell 'em ;)

[IFO]

Bikeroom was selling Banshee screams...

:D

[Neo]

ahahahahaa fuxor :fu:


actually thats sweet. :thepimp:

[pedalfile]

ya eric. you made a wise decision bro.

[MiKeY]

Originally posted by IFO


is there a certian size square footage max.???hahahah....j/king...

haha if there is, it must be a pretty low amount of square footage :lol: cause Cochrane cycle that deals them is like a hole in the wall. ahah.

[Scarface]

Originally posted by IFO
i'm curoius how selling your bikes at a given store versus a chain store is "selling out"...

that logic defies me... :(

if JH bikes decided to open a second location, would they still be a "core store" ???? if yes what if they opened a 3,4,5 store??

would they no longer be a core bike store anymore???

personaly i dotn care where i buy my bike gear as long at its the actual brand i wanna have...

im curious what u look for in a bike shop, in order to allow your .243 frames in there....

is there a certian size square footage max.???hahahah....j/king...

theyd still be core...the money is still staying int he mtn biking industry..where as if it was sold to wal mart, you can say the money some one may pay is "escaping" thr mtn bike industry.
for any frame all i look for in a bike shop is good service and an actual bike shop not adepartment store. just because Jh decides to open 5 more locations doesnt make them a department store.

[couch@nsmb.com]

If the agreement with the big box store made sense I would have sold. The only concern that I would have had if there was a clause saying that I couldn't work in the bike industry for the next *fill in the blank* of years as a competitor for my original brand.

I would take the money and create a new brand and have the money to R&D, build, produce, market and distribute my new brand and have some money left over to have some sort of life.

Couch

[ak_powder_monkey]

What if Wall Mart actully had good bikes?

[VPS RiDeR]

then people would buy them

[switch]

Originally posted by IFO
i'm curoius how selling your bikes at a given store versus a chain store is "selling out"...

that logic defies me... :(


Moi aussi.

First, it is not selling out. If you have product that appeals to the masses, and not only the select few, what is wrong with that? It will promote biking further, and that has to be one of the most important reasons for the creation of the product.

Second, does it really matter if both a small shop and a large retail store, sells the product? This type of business practise happens all the time for popular products.

Third, sitting back on the success of a single product is stifling. Take the money and move onto bigger and better ideas.

[preston]

selling a good bike to a store like wall mart is the quickest way to drag your companys name through the mud. think, they dont have properly trained bike techs at wallmart so that means that joe shmo stock boy is putting together the piece of equipment that you are going to later trust your life to, would you honestly buy a mountain bike from A Wallmart?, I wouldnt, stores like that try to kill local small buisness.
Good call Eric I am more proud to ride a .243 now than ever.

[FOX]

Originally posted by couch@nsmb.com
If the agreement with the big box store made sense I would have sold. The only concern that I would have had if there was a clause saying that I couldn't work in the bike industry for the next *fill in the blank* of years as a competitor for my original brand.

I would take the money and create a new brand and have the money to R&D, build, produce, market and distribute my new brand and have some money left over to have some sort of life.

Couch

Of course that went through the old noodle, but you'd still be a sell out.

FOX

[FOX]

First off a shop can't have more sqft than my 300sgft location - bahahahahha - joking.

Well, it has to be a bike shop for one (not a large money hungry corp.), and what I look for is location and quality of service.
I want a .243 customer to have a face and name, not a faceless bank account.

I have to think back of when I started .243. Part of why I started this was top help out my buddies with small shops that were not making much money, because there wasn't much out there to sell.

Reguardless of how such a business move would look to the public - I couldn't live with it....

FOX

[Monster Mike]

Deal direct to USA shops. Fuckin BTI is always out and dosent even carry all of the products, bastards.

[urban-rider]

fox is my hero now, hahahahaha guess how many bikes i've broken riding them in walmart hahaha 15!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i had to be band from the one in Lougheed mall ahhahahaha they suck you rule!!

.ride.flow.drop.jump

[looneyman]

I remember a year or so ago my local costco had cannondale bikes. They were hardtails, i dont remember what kind, but they were over $1000 US. I definately would not buy a $1000 bike from costco.... I never saw them again, now all costco has are motivs or something:rolleyes: . Did anyone else's costco ever have cannondales?

[drezy]

I've been thinking about buying a new HT for next year. Fox, this post has convinced me that it will be a .243. Nice to see not everyone is out for the big bucks.

[Diligent_Nose]

My costco had infinity, but I haven't been there for a year or so....

[speed metal]

Originally posted by looneyman
I remember a year or so ago my local costco had cannondale bikes. They were hardtails, i dont remember what kind, but they were over $1000 US. I definately would not buy a $1000 bike from costco.... I never saw them again, now all costco has are motivs or something:rolleyes: . Did anyone else's costco ever have cannondales?

What Costco will do is have someone in their company pose as an independant buyer and contact C'Dale and lie about their "store". Once the manufacturer thinks they are legit they will order a bunch on bikes and then flood their floor with them. Of course the bike company will freak out once their dealers start calling them to complain that Costco has their bikes and then they will have to go to Costco and grab their bikes back.

This happened years ago to Rocky Mountain when their bikes showed up in Richmond. Costco does does this in an attempt to lure customers in with product they would never be able to legitimately buy.

[FOX]

Originally posted by Monster Mike
Deal direct to USA shops. Fuckin BTI is always out and dosent even carry all of the products, bastards.

Direct to the US is to expensive for the shops, with all the shipping and brokerage charges.
BTI carries all our parts, and they are out of stock when we are out of stock - like right now...

FOX

[FOX]

Originally posted by speed metal
What Costco will do is have someone in their company pose as an independant buyer and contact C'Dale and lie about their "store". Once the manufacturer thinks they are legit they will order a bunch on bikes and then flood their floor with them. Of course the bike company will freak out once their dealers start calling them to complain that Costco has their bikes and then they will have to go to Costco and grab their bikes back.

This happened years ago to Rocky Mountain when their bikes showed up in Richmond. Costco does does this in an attempt to lure customers in with product they would never be able to legitimately buy.

I was actually aproached by this set up a long time ago.
Costco contracts out to these product tours. Basically, some dudes drop some cash on what ever they can get their mits on (like bikes), then they travle to all the costco's (about 1-2 weeks per location) sell off what ever they can, and costco gets a cut.
Wierd shit.

FOX

[Monster Mike]

Nah man they dont do backorders so they were out of frames and took a few weeks to get em in .They wait until theyre out of parts before getting more instead of getting more when they start to get low. Are they gonn have all the products for 2004? if not lmk and ill call the pricks up and raise hell.

[rcoope]

Eric, why not keep .243 as is but still smile and take the money by starting another brand? It could be all-show and no-go DJ bikes, and sidewalk freeride machines. Names? How about 0.1875" racing? Or how about HAZE bikes (Heat Affected Zone - where bad welds always fail) Or Cryofit bikes?

It's interesting that Wal-Mart wants to do business with a company like .243. did they want to sell regular .243 bikes, or have you make cheap versions? Anyway, good job on keeping it real. I'm sure you've made a big deposit in the business karma bank.

[HEYPIP]

Originally posted by IFO
Bikeroom was selling Banshee screams...

:D

canadian tire is next. ha ha ha


pip

[HEYPIP]

eric will do the right thing. can you imagine him doing anything other?
it's pretty flattering when you are recognised by the buyers of a $10 billion dollar company. props for that, dude.

pip

[::Liam::]

props for your decsion Eric... i think it most admirable and am not sure that i would have done that in that situation.. i might have been tempted by the cash... you made the right decsion. like otheres im interested to find out if they wanted to sell 243 the 13inch jump frame or were they to have you make another frame... also if you dont mind me asking were they paying exactly what other shops would wholesale even though their order would be bigger? (that is kinda personal so dont answer it)

huge respect and im sure you made the right decsion. 243owners should be proud...

[FOX]

Originally posted by Monster Mike
Nah man they dont do backorders so they were out of frames and took a few weeks to get em in .They wait until theyre out of parts before getting more instead of getting more when they start to get low. Are they gonn have all the products for 2004? if not lmk and ill call the pricks up and raise hell.

BTI hasn't seen the 2004 gear yet, but they plan to do all our product again.
I agree - they should do back orders - but I can understand why theu don't - they don't control over suplier stock, like us, and we run out all the time.

FOX