costs of north american volume manufacturing,……the strong canadian dollar,
It's called the "race to the bottom".
It's why Rockys are now "Made in China".
Freedom of contract. We sell them guns that kill them; they sell us drugs that kill us.
Race Face shuts its doors
I haven't posted on NSMB in I don't know how long. but Cam's post of this article on FB saddened me. I still have my first gen Diabolus cranks. And i'd bet they're good for a bit more thrashing.
I remember the cleverness that was the old XY stem. And how one would find race face parts in unusual applications sometimes.
I knew a BMX rider who had a Race face bashring mounted to his sprocket. A lot of little memories associated with the brand, such that they were sort of the defining brand of the whole freeride 'thing'. mmm remember green? oh great now i'm thinking about Doublewides hahahha
They've got the guns but we've got the numbers! Gonna win ya we're takin over.
dude, that's weak.
He did say he was feeling weak in another thread. Norwalk man…
I remember I really wanted some Turbine cranks. They had the LP, and the IB or something? And then the Next LB?, with carbon insert windows! Those were killer.
I spent 700 on some NS splined cranks in 2002 I think. Yikes! From Braun's in Kitchener, ON. I think I got ripped off.
Speaking of… no mention of them in the RF downfall story.
Yeah…I'd be interested to find out if walm….i mean mec caused the demise of raceface.
Pastor of Muppets
Is there something different about race face being sold in mec as opposed to shimano, maxxis, and many other brands that can be found there? Was it something about the particular deal that was involved or what? Why the discrepancy?
Mec is the evil of the North.
the high cost of manufacturing components in Canada versus Asia, the overall effect of the recession on the bike business (people buy necessities rather than luxury items when the economy is tight), the cost of athlete sponsorships for high-profile riders, operational or cashflow management problems, the strong Canadian dollar versus the US dollar and even losing a large share of its OEM business when Giant drastically cut back on Race Face parts in favor of its own house brand and Shimano parts. Who knows - maybe it was a little bit of everything.
I think that's all BS look at the NAHBS most of those guys are charging major $$$ and have a year wait list. I don't know and wont pretend, but I'm sure it has nothing to do with the actual product and I'm willing to bet RACE FACE will live on! Long live RACE FACE that name wont die.
BTW I'm drunk at the moment!
dude, that's weak. if you actually are a business owner (which it sounds like you are) you should be able to reconcile the pressures that a company like Raceface must deal with. As mentioned in the article: costs of north american volume manufacturing, overall recession impacting luxury goods, oem sales and how some big players are spec'ing their own stuff, the strong canadian dollar, etc. Not to mention the R[HTML_REMOVED]D we consumers demand for "fresh product" every season.
That all makes sense until you consider Hope Technology. Far tougher economic environment in the UK but they're doing very well.
In the case of Raceface it surely has to be mismanagement at some level.
"I do like how you generally bring an open-minded and positive vibe to the threads you participate in"
- Morgman
there's a slight difference between a dude, some machines, a jig and a tig welder in a shed or a single warehouse unit and an operation like race face.
not if you're drunk…..all the same shit when you are.
Hope Technology.
"We employ 85 people to run over 50 CNC machines, 24 hours a day. The whole range of components are produced in house. The design team use their extensive knowledge and skills on the latest computer aided design software to create drawings, 3D printed models and prototypes that are then turned into the finished parts."
Edit: That right there is how to run a bicycle component company.
"I do like how you generally bring an open-minded and positive vibe to the threads you participate in"
- Morgman
From another forum…
"
From what I've heard.
"Business owner got a huge loan from the bank based on fraudulent inventory valuation statements. With the money, he paid himself a ridiculous wage: [HTML_REMOVED]$30k/mo. Bank auditors finally figured out what was up and shut the place down. He's facing a civil suit for the loan (over $3MM) as well as likely facing criminal charges."
"
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