MEC = Dangerous

^good on you. maybe if they reply link up the 2 mec threads that have been created in the past month on here

No - and I keep looking for the "beer equivalent" pricing. always disappointing that people won't go for my new economic system…oh well - one day you will be able to buy anything with either beer or canadian tire money!!!

Shows how many times you've been in my store. Luckys are a currency there.

While I absolutely despise the Sierra Clubs stand on mountain biking, scanning through MEC's grants it's true the Sierra Club were recipients however none appear direct to any form of biking… there are many other grants (aside from Sierra Club) that I'm sure have made a positive impact so it's not just all negative…

Oh and quite interesting to find a $4500 grant to NSMBA in 1999 for trail signage… hehe

While I absolutely despise the Sierra Clubs stand on mountain biking, scanning through MEC's grants it's true the Sierra Club were recipients however none appear direct to any form of biking… there are many other grants (aside from Sierra Club) that I'm sure have made a positive impact so it's not just all negative…

Oh and quite interesting to find a $4500 grant to NSMBA in 1999 for trail signage… hehe

Might be good to pressure MEC to take a public positive stand on MTBing.

I had the opportunity to talk with an old friend who worked in the cycling dept. at MEC for many, many years about their foray into the biking industry.

He had spoken with the director who said that their motivations for entering the industry were strictly financial.

Just food for thought.

I had the opportunity to talk with an old friend who worked in the cycling dept. at MEC for many, many years about their foray into the biking industry.

He had spoken with the director who said that their motivations for entering the industry were strictly financial.

Just food for thought.

Perhaps but who knows what the current board/director thinks? Would be good to get that opinion out in the open.

While I absolutely despise the Sierra Clubs stand on mountain biking, scanning through MEC's grants it's true the Sierra Club were recipients however none appear direct to any form of biking… there are many other grants (aside from Sierra Club) that I'm sure have made a positive impact so it's not just all negative…

Oh and quite interesting to find a $4500 grant to NSMBA in 1999 for trail signage… hehe

Yes… advertising in memorium as a donation… brilliant

exactly how much dough does Mec give to the sierra club anyway. what percentage is it of thier other donations?

It is not as simple as what [HTML_REMOVED]#37; of funding the Sierra Club, or the Sierra Legal Defence Fund (Ecojustice), or the Western Canada Wilderness Committee receives.

The point is that these groups are linked just like IMBA, NSMBA, BMBA, FVMBA, SIMBS, SORCA, WORCA, CVMTB, SOBC etc etc etc (apologies to everyone I did not list).

And if you compare the total $$$ in grants, lunches, tools, schwag given to the above MTB trail maintenance and advocacy groups (most of which have some degree of overlapping membership) to the Sierra Legal Defence Fund et. al. (who also have some membership overlap) we lose. Big time.

As a small example… play cross reference the lists:

http://www.mec.ca/Apps/GrantRecipients/enviroFund.jsp
http://www.ecojustice.ca/about-ecojustice/clients-and-coalitions

Might be good to pressure MEC to take a public positive stand on MTBing.

Maybe we need to do a MTB take-over of MEC - elect some people to the executive/board of directors and change their attitude for them.

I find myself wondering. If you eliminated the apathetic masses does MEC have more pro-mountain biking members or anti-mountain biking members?

I am going to guess anti by a mile.

I am suprised that they do not have a revolt on their hands from the other side of the field for selling anything other then commuter tires, waxed-cotton rain wear and bamboo fenders.

-D

This thread is going well finally. Boycot MEC. :lol:

If I can save money on an item that a bike store wants me to pay through nose for I'll shop at MEC. It's not my first choice, but at the end of the day I have to keep track of what I spend.

When I lived in Victoria I never had a need to shop at MEC as I was always able to get the "bro deals" at any of the local shops… Since I moved here it's not the case.

If I can save money on an item that a bike store wants me to pay through nose for I'll shop at MEC. It's not my first choice, but at the end of the day I have to keep track of what I spend.

When I lived in Victoria I never had a need to shop at MEC as I was always able to get the "bro deals" at any of the local shops… Since I moved here it's not the case.

Some bike shops are good some are TERRIBLE. I've had better customer service at MEC compared to two bike shops on the island. Specifically Black's Cycles in Comox and Arrowsmith Mountain Bikes here in the Nam. Would never step foot into either shops again. They are the kind of shop that gives you major attitude as you are about to drop a couple grand with them. I've seen some shops that just downright put down customers for being newish to the sport. I can understand not supporting such business owners.

In the case of Arrowsmith Bikes they tried to rape me on my crash replacement by overcharging me 2k. Needless to say I went with Mountain City Cycle in Courtenay instead. Not only that I got a HUGE lecture on how they don't believe in "warranties"…I wonder what Giant thinks of that since they offer a FIVE YEAR WARRANTY. Just thinking of this makes me want to punch Mark in the face. After treating me like shit I took my bike back from them. His response, "I guess I just lost a really good customer." He was practically crying. He's lucky I never pushed the issue with Giant or his boss. ASSHOLE!!!

If I can save money on an item that a bike store wants me to pay through nose for I'll shop at MEC. It's not my first choice, but at the end of the day I have to keep track of what I spend.

When I lived in Victoria I never had a need to shop at MEC as I was always able to get the "bro deals" at any of the local shops… Since I moved here it's not the case.

Think locally…

-D

You live in Burnaby?

You ride SFU/Burnaby Mountain?

A portion of your expenditures goes to grants for the Streamkeepers.

Lets talk about the closure of Upper Snake. BMBA vs. the Streamkeepers. Ha.

Never mind all the salt and de-icer SFU puts on its roads and walks or the fact it just doubled its footprint and those houses dump tonnes of chemicals etc. into any waterways on Burnaby Mountain which then travel through numerous other residential and industrial areas in Burnaby.

What we really have to fight is silt and erosion from a mountain bike trail.

Like any of the following trails on Fromme? The Streamkeepers don't:

Bitches
Executioner
Boundary
Lower Crippler
Digger

I will always pay a little more to buy at a shop, and I'm a cheap mofo. Although, I get great deals so there's no need for me to go anywhere other my LBS. ;)

Right on Drew!

Seems to me that the guys in this thread who are speaking the loudest against MEC either in the industry or already getting great deals?

Average consumer - price is king. Complain all you want about MEC, but the only way to pull business from them is to compete on price.