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Nothing to say that Madison are in the poo, but I keep seeing mental discount emails from them.
There was the buy a Saracen trail bike & get a DJ bike free, now 30% off some models and huge savings on some of the Elite turbo trainers - currently Qubo Power Mag Smart B Plus Trainer reduced to £49.99 from £274.99, and I snagged the TUO for £99 from £475 previously.
Is this just clearing overstock or is there more to it?
After the race to the bottom of online sales in recent years, this is now the race to the bottom of the bottom - everyone is trying to shift stock against everyone else trying to shift stock against competition with artificially low prices - e.g. Chiggle.
On the turbo trainers specifically, I think wheel-on ones will be cluttering up warehouses with no hope of ever selling at full price again, industry collapse or not.
Those are huge deals on the turbos, but otherwise nothing too alarming.
They (via Freewheel) have had huge discounts in previous years. Esp on clothes.
Remember they are the distro so will be paying less for stuff than most other shops.
They (via Freewheel) have had huge discounts in previous years. Esp on clothes.
I've got loads of Madison riding gear as its really good kit. I've bought it all stupidly cheap in their regular sales. They have them all the time. I bought a pair of really nice Madison Freewheel trail trousers a few weeks ago (from Freewheel) for 22 quid. Bonkers cheap!
lol no Madison are widely regarded within the UK bike industry as one of if not the best-run company who have navigated the challenges of the last 20 years or so better than anyone. They have managed to strike the balance of supporting small shops, supplying to massive online retailers and running their own stores and most importantly made a large profit where many others have failed.
There will be a targetted purpose to clearing out these items and it will have been done thoughtfully and with a eye on the long term, not because they need to raise cash to stay afloat.
The buy a trail bike get a DJ bike still didn't sway me.there spec is so so but the bikes are just a bit bland .
On the turbo trainers specifically, I think wheel-on ones will be cluttering up warehouses with no hope of ever selling at full price again, industry collapse or not.
+1
Zwift had effectively killed the dumb and wheel-on turbo market. Anyone buying a turbo is probably getting it to use Zwift (or it's competitors) and want's at least reasonable accuracy / simulation.
That and the turbo trainer market has been dead post covid. There was growth in the market upto 2020 then suddenly everyone who would ever want one, bought a wheel on trainer. Now there's no new growth and just a trickle of replacements/upgrades.
There was a kicker v5 + climb + headwind bundle for sale locally on marketplace for most of 2023 for less than the RRP of a kickr snap. I put my older B-kool smart trainer (that works just fine with zwift, it's just a bit pessimistic on the power output) on the club forum for free, no one wanted it.
Madison are deeper into the fabric of uk cycling than CRC
Their brands, from memory, are Saracen, Genesis and Ridgeback and they bring in Shimano
Here is a list of 70 brands I forgot they distributed
https://www.madison.co.uk/brands
They need to get a wiggle on with the warranty on my Grx shifter. That’s for sure!
I would say that is a reality of modern businesses trading in branded commodities rather than Madison fleecing anyone. If Madison disappeared or if Shimano were to become available elsewhere I don't think there would be any upside for small shops. The problem is the disparity between the prices an official distributor needs to charge and the prices charged by someone who got a job lot from the excess off an oem order.
Madison are deeper into the fabric of uk cycling than CRC
Weren't Madison originally called Windwave ? So have really been in the wholesale supply game since day one
I hear a rumour that Raleigh are stopping making parts(That was a couple of months ago from a very reputable source)
Weren’t Madison originally called Windwave ?
Nope, Windwave are still a different company. They were the Marzocchi importers for many years before they went under (can't remember that exact story now - went under and Fox just bought the name?)
As has been said their riding kit is decent quality always seems to fly under the radar ? I know someone who thinks their kit is low rent but he's a fan of 7 Mesh so a different market ? I took bought some trousers for £23 excellent I've got a few of their DTE line as well more consistent quality than Endura 👍
Windwave are still trading so not sure why people are saying they’ve gone pop.
No chance of Madison going bust. The money behind them is from the guy who owns the Magic Tree air fresheners! Now that’s big bucks!
They meant Marz going pop. Distributing that brand was what Windwave were best known for… before it became a Fox brand.
Madison will be fine until Shimano pull the rug from under their feet (which could happen, it has happened in other countries already that Shimano have gone direct)... Which doesn't look likely for the forseeable with the commitment Madison have to Shimano re stock, warranty, service centre etc... Especially not considering Madison are expanding in to Ireland at the moment mostly to look after the Irish Shimano market.
But as and when Shimano do go direct, Madison would lose the golden goose and have to re-evaluate their business model overnight, that much is for sure...
Sram are no different. Charge bike companies peanuts to corner the OEM market then charge consumers a fortune for spares. Merlin are selling GX AXS mechs at over £100 off retail. Mine arrived in bubble wrap, so definitely OEM stock. Would love to support locally owned shops but how can they compete? My LBS would do a 10% discount but at Merlin prices I got mech and shifter for less than mech on it's own.
More like selling to small shops for prices more expensive than online and having the monopoly on Shimano so small shops are stuck having to pay Madison prices
Scarily true
The few cheap Shimano bits I bought from CRC and Merlin in recent years were in OEM packaging, not UK aftermarket from Madison.
I do wonder if speculation like this helps undermine some businesses. Madison is too big to be affected by that, but we had the other thread bandying around the names of smaller bike manufacturers and if I was struggling but OK threads like this would piss me off.
ref above of Madison trade price being higher online sellers.
This shop posted this:
Fox selling direct to the public for $109.50 (here if interested) https://shop.ridefox.com/products/transfer-seatpost?variant=40941946372155
But still listing dealer trader higher. Even worse if that shop has recent taken stock as who will they sell of the manufacture is closing out at a lower than trade price.
I happened to be chatting to somebody in the cycle business yesterday, and they were saying the big issue is some manufacturers dumped cancelled orders directly to major retailers, bypassing their own distributors. And some stock was even sold below what the distributors pay.
I think manufacturers are simply taking the approach of dumping excess/old stock at whatever price they can get, just to clear the warehouses, with the hope it'll return things to more normal levels quicker.
Windwave are still trading so not sure why people are saying they’ve gone pop.
If memory serves me it is because a lot of years ago (15 or so) the legal entity that was the original WindWave did go through an Insolvency of some sort and the business/name was purchased by another party. I can't find a reference on a quick Google as it's that long ago (IF my memory is correct).
Iirc it wasn't just bike stuff back then it was watersports gear as well - hence the not very bikey name.
Business names often survive company failures because someone buys the right to use it (e.g. current Chiggle situation).
I do wonder if speculation like this helps undermine some businesses. Madison is too big to be affected by that, but we had the other thread bandying around the names of smaller bike manufacturers and if I was struggling but OK threads like this would piss me off.
It can be very damaging. Suppliers should be sophisticated enough to see past social media rumour mills but unsettling for staff and potential customers especially on stuff with long lead times (custom stuff) and the story becomes the outcome as people hold back waiting for a failure.