The recent success of our
Kickstarter
campaign for our
Bike
Shift Lever has kept me focused on product development. Because this shift
lever is designed for the needs of people who rely on their bicycle, my main
concern is durability and repairability even as we keep the cost low. Unlike the
bike industry, One Street Components must design our parts to last for many
years, not just one.
The bike industry’s obsession with yearly obsolescence of
bikes and parts has led to flimsy products that hardly last a year and cannot
be repaired. They’ve also managed to create gear, brake and wheel systems that
are not interchangeable with others so the entire system must be thrown away if
even one of its parts breaks. And you can bet they will. When I owned my bike
shop, this drove me crazy right along with my customers who had to pay the bill.
Now at least I have the opportunity to create alternatives.
I understand that companies must earn profits. Even One
Street Components must ensure that we price our shift lever and later products
to ensure we cover all costs as well as earn some profit in order to continue
production. And we’re a nonprofit organization.
What baffles me is the bike industry’s fixation on selling
to the same bike enthusiasts they’ve been selling to for the last thirty years.
They seem to believe that as long as they can convince these same cyclists to
replace their bike every year, the bike industry will thrive.
None of the large bicycle or parts manufacturers seem to
recognize the vast majority of people who are either stuck with department
store junk bikes or are not riding a bike yet. I look at the 80% of the world’s
population who are living in or near poverty and see customers who are longing
for an affordable, quality bike with parts they can repair themselves. The bike
industry doesn’t see them at all.
I could rant about this for pages, but since this is a blog
post, I’d better stop here and leave more for future posts. If you have something
to add to this, please leave a comment.
