Assuming you ride somewhere outside the borders of Antarctica, you have likely already heard about the injustice being imposed on our friend and fellow Velominatus, Dan Richter who goes around these parts as @Dan_R.
I’ve been riding Dan’s wheels for a bit over a year, and they are the best I’ve ever had. After hearing about the suit a few months back, I was proud to help him brainstorm some ways he might be able to salvage his brand or come up with a new one while admitting the court battle was out of reach.
But when the article broke in the Calgary Herald this weekend, all hell broke loose. It goes without saying the pride I feel whenever our community here at Velominati comes together for a good cause, but what went on over the last 48 hours was an unbelievable coming-together of not just us, but the Cycling community as a whole. Regardless of the final result, this past weekend made me proud to call myself a Cyclist more than ever, for we proved we not only love riding our bikes, but that we as a worldwide community have each other’s collective backs.
I had an article planned for today, one taking the piss out of ourselves and everyone else as we usually do. But it just didn’t feel right. Instead, I thought we’d post the Packfiller podcast from Bulger Media. This is my fourth time on the show, but this time Patrick (@packfiller) was able to get Dan on the call with us. It was fantastic to hear Dan still has his sense of humor and it was a pleasure share a good laugh with him.
Here’s hoping Specialized comes to their senses, observes Rule #43, and drops the suit. If not, we’ll stand in solidarity, never buying another Specialized product again. The good news is that either way, Dan will rebuild his brand and his shop will live on, stronger than ever. (Insert Shakespeare quote about names here.)
Its a long listen, but we cover the important Café Roubaix stuff early on. Enjoy. And Vive La Vie Velominatus.
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I refuse to buy Specialized product.
Except for their saddles. Sigh. Can't live without my Toupe, regrettably.
So I started working at a bike shop back in the late '80s and we sold the usual, Trek, Specialized, etc. When I found out that Specialized didn't really "make" anything that it was all just subbed out and branded for them I thought "Well what the hell kind of company is that?" Since then I've never really been a big Specialized fan. But I have the problem that it seems that Specialized shoes are the only ones that don't give my feet issues so I own some S-Works road shoes, Defrosters for the CX season, Stumpys for the podium and a couple other pairs that fall in-between those. I own an S-works helmet too. It seems that my feet have conspired against me to force my hand as far as my dislike for the Big S goes. However, when it came to buying a new bike a couple of years ago I drew a line in the sand. As much as my LBS (which sponsored the team I raced for) tried to jam an S-Works Tarmac SL4 down my throat I held firm. I was not going to ride around on the same bike that everybody in southeast Idaho and northeast Utah was on and I purchased a LOOK 586.
I know a few things about how Specialized works (as compared to others like Trek). The guy that got me my first jog at a bike shop in Portland now works for Trek in Waterloo. He says that it is a great family company to work for and that they are all about the bike. Likewise, I have a friend that while he doesn't work for Specialized he has attended their training classes and stuff and he said that a Specialized employee told him (when queried about the palpable workplace stress down at Morgan Hill) "Around here we operate on the '3M' principle - Make Mike Money".
So all that is to say that regardless of whether or not they sort things out with Dan they will never get another dime from me.
Keep up the faith, Dan. The cycling community does, indeed, have your back.
I guess I need to get a Cafe Roubaix jersey before they start going for $10k on ebay.
Thanks for the post, Frank, and thanks for the listen everyone. Things just seemed to work out right after finding out about Dan's situation from this very site. Hope the attention changes some minds, and puts some more LBS' in the right light.
There are some thoughts on the interwebz about whether this thing is some sort of an advertising campaign of Specialized. Seems legit, but Specialized has also gained many enemies and lost many friends, including hardcore Specialized fanboys.
The best case now is Specialized wins in court and gets some compensation money(will they?), and maybe a few tens of people who have coincidentally read about the story and leaving with the big S flashing in their mind. In return, they lost a huge chunk of reputation and united many cyclists against themselves.
I can't see how Specialized is going to benefit in any way from this.
You just kicked your own butt, Spesh.
@Cyclops I've been meaning to buy one for a few months now, just never got around to it. I just visited Dan's online store, and I'll be damned that they're sold out.
Agree with @Teocalli - we registered our TM for the shop name although Fuji already had the name Absolute registered for bicycle components. The IPO questioned it but accepted that ours was retail and not manufacture. We just can't use the TM on bikes/accessories
@Teocalli Like yours, my LBS carries Specialized as their primary brand plus Pinarello. After the events of this weekend and your endorsment, I'm liking my new Pinarello even more today.
Too much other stuff available to need to buy Specialized ever again.
Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. They've only gone and ripped of the Molteni team colours. They'll be done around here now.
I think the next Deacon Bikes model will be call the Epically Hard Stump Humper