Originally Posted by
Eluder
I will echo this, I am still receiving parts from Shimano orders that were due in June.... I have brakes that were due in October that they think they can get to me by June this year if I am lucky... Getting 90% of a kit doesn't do much for bike brands other than make your bills due 6 months before you can actually sell your product. I'm not complaining about the increase in demand, but swimming in the money we are not. The hardest part of the equation is cash flow, its proven to be a real challenge with up to 400 day lead times on forged parts.
This summer I payed retail on derailleurs, brakes and bottom brackets so bikes could get out the door to dealers and consumers. I also had to purchase 150mm travel forks then ripped them down and installed 120mm air pistons as it was literally the only way we were going to sell a bike in the month of July. Stoked we could find solutions but the margin we make took a HUGE hit. Shipping, Freight and Duty fees all went up at least 10% after pricing was set for the year as well.
At the end of the day its all fucked... I'm sure some in the industry are raking it in but many are not. I am not looking for sympathy here but GL is a good example of what is actually going down.