You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
Two SRAM Eagle equipped bikes in this household, both with two wheelsets. All will need a change of chain and cassette soon. And one fancies a derailleur upgrade to GX so it can run a 52 tooth cassette. Everywhere seems to be showing late autumn or later for chains and mid 2022 for cassette and autumn ‘22 for a derailleur. Maybe earlier if ordered from an EU website, but then with import duty added. Not confident that something won’t break completely in the meantime = no bike. Anyone found a way of cracking this? Is there actually any stock, anywhere, at any price?
2024 will bring normality....hopefully. 2022 will be sporadic, there are a LOT of bike companies in the queue before you
I have this conversation arounf 3 times a week currently
customer: where are all the bikes/componets/spares I need
me: there's been a global pandemic
customer: but we have a vaccine
me: the third world/asia doesn't really and that's where the raw materials and factories are, they are battling Covid
customer: but i need a new cassette
Bird appear to have some eagle chains. Although I did just buy the last GX one, sorry.
Mate of mine works for Mearsk. Currently there is something like a 3 month queue for container ships getting into LA port, so they rock up and drop anchor for 3 months before docking. The global cargo market just can't cope with demand and there are bottlenecks and queues all over the world. And the Evergreen incident didn't help things much either. Good and very lucrative business to be in right now though.
My LBS says part delays are getting longer. Early 2023 if you want a GX eagle cassette according to them.
Good and very lucrative business to be in right now though.
Which business is that?
Which business is that?
Piracy by the sounds of it.
Every time I'm in work and check something for a customer, I tell them a date, they laugh and don't believe me until I show them the screen with a lead time of July next year for a cassette..
It's not going to be any better for a long time. Ordering from the EU won't help that much either, they're in a similar supply issue to us (driver shortages aside).
FWIW, there is plenty of available stock of brand new Deore 10 speed stuff. It works fine, it's cheap (probably do a whole drivetrain for the cost of an SRAM cassette) and you can actually get it delivered tomorrow.
Why are Shimano components available in comparison to Sram?
Just wondering.
High end SRAM and Shimano both are pretty hard to get hold of. We've had a few bits of SRAM GX come through and some 9 speed Shimano but that's it.
I wouldn't say one brand is easier or in more supply. It's likely down to whatever container has arrived in port lately.
Where are you seeing 10speed Deore stuff? I tend to only order from a couple of larger places and both have been bereft of everything 10spd for as long as I can recall.
I'm quite happy on 10spd and 42t out back for my soft Southern riding.
I was in a bike shop recently and they had Eagle 12spd chains in stock but refused to sell me one. Junior staff member had to ask someone if he could sell so was very obvious. I'm guessing they were keeping them for full groupset sales or something.
I've been trying to get a 12 speed NX cassette and powerspline BB for ages.
BB keeps getting delayed and no idea when/where to get a cassette.
no idea when/where to get a cassette.
Alltricks in France have Sram 12 speed cassetes in stock.
My mate has a bike shop. He's been struggling since the start of spring to get hold of basic components.
And it's not just the bike industry.
Went into Würth (the screw and tool place) to pick up some screws last week.
It looked like a scene from east Germany. The shelves were present, but they were empty.
Just a few packs of screws in odd sizes. Asked the guy whether they had any 3,5x45 screws. Nothing and no idea when they'll be back in stock.
They haven't even got the raw materials to produce anything.
My LBS is closing down (a branch of a larger chain). Apparently one reason is that they can't get the parts to do repairs, so the repair side of the business is no longer viable.
Is it nothing to do with Brexit? I just did a search for my local Australian online supplier and there's over 50 types of SRAM cassette in stock and 60 Shimano flavour.
It seems like the supply of bike bits in the UK worked around the fact that a sizeable proportion of bits are ordered online, and a great proportion of those were supplied from EU.
Now so many people trying to avoid buying from EU retailers have helped to make the UK supply arm break.
Every shop I have visited recently in Switzerland and Italy has had stock of Sram drivetrain stuff. Online it's a bit harder to find, but can be bought.
I should add, my examples are of stores in Munich, not Manchester.
Everywhere has supply issues currently, not just Brexitland.
True, but UK consumers suddenly switching to UK supply routes is a factor which has made the situation worse in the UK.
Sounds like a perfect storm, then. I guess the stuff that is being manufactured has been snapped up by the bike companies and there’s little left for the aftermarket. And what is has been held up at sea, blocked by Brexit or stockpiled by bike shops. There’s gonna be a hell of a lot of blingy bikes laid-up by end of the year.
My LBS has been quoted 2024 for some SRAM parts. The whole supply chainnis goose. Daughters ballet school require specific leotards, it's school uniform, the manufacturer can't even get the fabric to make them yet alone have finished garments ready for the start of the school year.
Covid
Brexit
Evergiven
I can see a lot to of people rediscovering single speed over the next year!
I've actually just written a magazine article about this. There was also the Shimano factory fire in 2018 - some of the supply chain was still recovering from that. Covid impacts component manufacturing (closures, limited staff), raw materials and transport. We also saw a massive uptick in demand. It's estimated that the miles travelled by bike tripled last year over 2019.
Shimano are building a new factory and extending two others but that will take time to come through. Probably late 2023.
It's possible we will see a glut of second hand stuff when a number of recent converts realise they're not into it after all. I expect a large proportion of that will be at the utility end of the market as commuters return to their cars and to public transport.
Main messages are to look after what you have, learn a bit of preventative maintenance, keep friendly with your LBS as they will be aware of what's coming in when.
It seems my self restricting finances might help a bit here, not having the latest kit might be a benefit for a while. Gravel bike runs 3x9, MTB is 1x11 (don’t ride it much though) and wife’s bikes are 3x8 and 2x10. All Shimano - good thing about Shimano is there is loads of companies making compatible stuff so we may be ok.
Why are Shimano components available in comparison to Sram?
Just a guess, but perhaps they are prioritising the OEM side of their business - which is bigger than aftermarket?
Tweed Valley Cycles in Inners seemed pretty well stocked when I needed an XT cassette at short notice a couple of weeks ago. They even had 4 or 5 GX AXS upgrade kits in stock.
Someone on another forum mentioned that they work for one of the big bike manufacturing plants in Shenzen in China and they've just started a third shift on the production line. I'd imagine Shimano and Sram might be aiming to supply an extra X thousand groupsets to there rather than the consumer market.
Shimano really need to open a European manufacturing base.
It would be another incentive for the recycling industry.
I have a build that I am collecting parts for and struggling also. I elected to go Shimano 1 x 11sp to give myself a chance of finding parts with it not being the latest and greatest.
https://www.bike-discount.de/ have been good for some parts. Managed to find a XTR shifter at half price, got XT cassette also. They do have a minimum spend of €175 to make orders to the UK worth their while but you can't blame them.
Shimano really need to open a European manufacturing base.
It would be another incentive for the recycling industry.
Dead easy that, what with a global shortage on pretty much everything from plywood to microchips, I'm sure they'd be up and running in oooh, 5 years
I had this conversation in my LBS last week as was interested in a Kinesis road bike.
He logged into his dealer portal which was showing summer '22 but he said he had no confidence in that even if i put a deposit down now.
He reckons mid 2023 before any sense of normality returns.
He logged into his dealer portal which was showing summer ’22 but he said he had no confidence in that even if i put a deposit down now.
My mate ordered a Ribble CGR Ti with Ultegra mechanical in July, he was initially told end of December for delivery, last week that was put back to end of March '22. I very much doubt he'll see it before mid to end of summer '22 if he's lucky.
I'm selling, whole or in bits, a 3 month old mid range HT as soon as my new one arrives.....hopefully this month ! ..... we'll see.... (incoming Giant Fathom 29, outgoing Sensa Merano Evo Race 29)
Sounds like a perfect storm
Yes, a 'convergence of circumstances' as we say in work, or 'bit of a mess' if no one important is listening.
It's the same in the IT industry, supply chains from Asia are long, slow and not very dynamic.
The Pandemic closes factories for months.
Ever Given closed the Suez Canal for a week, but took the ship out of commission for months.
Brexit screwed up supply chains and meant we don't have enough lorry drivers so keep basic food stuffs on the shelves.
And of course, to top it all off, the Shimano Factory caught fire.
Ive been looking for a wide range xd cassette for a while to replace my knackered e13. I ended up only finding half of it (they split into 2) in the USA. So had to order from there via ebay 🙁
The Sram DUB BB I fitted last week had a manufacting date only 6 weeks old. 6 weeks from factory in Taiwan to consumer via a German retailer is pretty nuts
Where are you seeing 10speed Deore stuff? I tend to only order from a couple of larger places and both have been bereft of everything 10spd for as long as I can recall.
I’m quite happy on 10spd and 42t out back for my soft Southern riding.
Have a look on Bikester.
stock has definately arrived in the last few weeks, chain reaction / wiggle have had xt / xtr sgs rear mechs, and deore/slx chains,
I'm guessing the new 12s dura ace DI2 will be popular.
ps sram 12s NX cassettes are on amazon
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sram-Cassette-1230-Black-50T/dp/B07DQP71JS/ref=sr_1_10?dchild=1&keywords=GX+cassette&qid=1630494789&sr=8-10
There are a lot of empty shipping containers stuck in the wrong places at the moment, hence some of the huge price rises in shipping (the company my missus works for is an importer of goods).
I'm ebay trawling for some parts - but this is on a 2015 2 x 10 bike and a 30 year old MTB. The road bikes are old 8 speeds and are fine, but the wear and tear parts are difficult.
I've sourced a spare large chainring and replacement Shimano 1 1/8 cartridge headset bearings off ebay - these will stay in the spares until needed.
The newer FS is being only used for proper MTB'ing and not any XC, that's where the old one is used - wear parts getting scarce for the FS.
it can be a bit of a lottery, but I have had good luck finding what I need on eBay. Seems to eb just about everything available from the usual drivetrain consumables, and also shifters mechs.
yes, there is a mark up, and they are most often not received in retail packaging (same as CRC I guess), and you may struggle with returns, but... needs must and all that.
I'm sure I used to pay something like 20 or less for an XT chain, now thats 40 quid. mental.
It'll be interesting to see how retail prices settle down again as stock improves and there's less of a seller's market.
I think a large part of this is people like us who saw it (or brexit) coming and are sitting on a cupboard full of 5 complete replacement drivetrains and 10 years worth of brake pads.
Hopefully they wont be buying for a while and will start to deplete their reserves once they see stock hitting the virtual shelves. And then the demand won't be there, so we might see prices at less than RRP once more.
I think a large part of this is people like us who saw it (or brexit) coming and are sitting on a cupboard full of 5 complete replacement drivetrains and 10 years worth of brake pads.
I doubt there's enough of us to have made a major difference.
Having basically standardised my quiver to 11 speed Shimano, I'm hoping I'll make it through the Great Shortage, even if it means cannibalising one bike for another.
It's also making me think about what I'm riding and taking even fewer risks than normal lest I break a bike part (as opposed to myself).
I often wonder how much of the “when will the component shortages end” questions paraphrase as “when will I be able to buy stuff at 25% discount like before the pandemic?”
I paid £75 for my first NX cassette and £99 for my second. I wasn’t exactly happy about paying full price, but I was ecstatic that my bike was rideable again.
I often wonder how much of the “when will the component shortages end” questions paraphrase as “when will I be able to buy stuff at 25% discount like before the pandemic?”
So true. If you used to buy from EU, but now choose not to, then the shortage is of your own making.
I often wonder how much of the “when will the component shortages end” questions paraphrase as “when will I be able to buy stuff at 25% discount like before the pandemic?”
There are key components you will not be able to buy at all this year, from both the big S component companies.
but now choose not to
Er... where did choice come into it? Some of the biggest holders of aftermarket components in Europe do not ship spares to the UK now. Something something Brexit.
Thank heavens I'm (relatively) stocked up. Nothing crazy but I've got pretty much a whole bike-year worth of most bits at least. I could also 'Christmas Tree' my full susser for my more ridden hardtail if things get really tight.
I feel a teensy bit guilty about it, but that's the reality of Brexit Britain. I didn't vote for this shit.
🤷♂️
I have replaced a few bits this year with no real hassle but I have fallen back on Bikester a couple of times. Running 10 speed so as a few have said less stress, I just got a Deore 11-46 cassette for under £42 delivered which is not far off pre brexit prices
I understand there is a difference between me wanting to buy a single SLX cassette in a blue and grey cardboard box, and a bike manufacturer buying a crate of 1000 full SLX drivetrains; even though the cassette is the same lump of steel and aluminium.
What I don't get, is quite how shimano and the distributors sort this out, or rather how the last 18 months has changed things, possibly to the detriment of us folk that are repairing an existing bike.
What question are you asking that hasn't already been answered in this thread?
Its not so much been answered as had a variety of conflicting opinions at it.
In the past my understanding that half the point of getting the OEM contract with a bike brand - by offerening them bulk buy drivetrains, brakes, suspension at basically cost price - was that you were getting your foot in the door for the customer that is going to spend the next few years buying your cassettes, and your chains and your brake pads at a much higher markup.
I understand there is a difference between me wanting to buy a single SLX cassette in a blue and grey cardboard box, and a bike manufacturer buying a crate of 1000 full SLX drivetrains; even though the cassette is the same lump of steel and aluminium.
Bike manufacturers are also chasing these parts. That's why dates for new bikes keep moving. Supply problems have hit OEM hard, not just aftermarket spares.
My LBS is closing down (a branch of a larger chain). Apparently one reason is that they can’t get the parts to do repairs, so the repair side of the business is no longer viable.
I don't know if this has happened to a shop up in Sunderland (Darke Cycles) too, it was closed on Saturday morning when we rode past it :/
What I don’t get, is quite how shimano and the distributors sort this out, or rather how the last 18 months has changed things, possibly to the detriment of us folk that are repairing an existing bike.
See the second post in this thread
Or...
Customer: vaccine/need cassette/first world
Me:no vaccine/no raw materials/not first world
See the second post in this thread
Or…
Customer: vaccine/need cassette/first world
Me:no vaccine/no raw materials/not first world
Are restrictions still an barrier to manufacture in Asia? Aren't most things made in China?
They're currently reporting less than 50 cases a day (mostly people arriving in China) against a population of 1.4 Billion, they've also administered over 2 billion vaccines.
Word we're getting in IT is that the factories are going flat out, but they were all very efficient / lean, they're designed and built for normal demand, they can't just offer OT to increase supply because they already run 24/7 so it took a long time for supply to catch up with latent demand.
Supply of most things (basically anything that isn't a GPU or come with one) is starting to normalise again and prices are coming down from the stupid peaks of last year.
Obviously the Cycle industry enjoyed a boom in the UK (and I assume elsewhere) thanks to lockdowns etc, but so did the IT industry, millions of people don't just switch to WFH without millions of laptops being bought.
China [is] currently reporting less than 50 cases a day (mostly people arriving in China) against a population of 1.4 Billion,
This is one for the covid thread really but Chinny Reck-on! 🤔 if that's the true infection rate or even a tenth of it I'll eat my crankset
China [is] currently reporting
I doubt what they report bears any relation to what is happening eg they still insist their vaccine is one of the best even though its come last in just about every study looking at it.
Back on topic I just ordered another couple of SRAM Force chains to stock up with to keep the road bike going next year...
Are restrictions still an barrier to manufacture in Asia? Aren’t most things made in China?
Shimanos main component factory is in Malaysia and is locked down/shut and has been for a while iirc
Yep - see my link above
I ordered a cassette today with an expected delivery of April 2023!
so glad i went to a rohloff at xmas.
rOcKeTdOg
Full MemberShimanos main component factory is in Malaysia and is locked down/shut and has been for a while iirc
Shimano Malaysia mostly makes lower end parts.
But, they do make some small parts that get used in higher end components so that's having a knockon effect too. Jockey wheels for much of the range, some bolts and springs and suchlike. Apparently something they're changing, to make their manufacturing more durable, but that takes time too.
My Ribble CGR AL-e ordered June 12th with Aug 20th deliver - "It looks like the main delay is with the delivery of the electronic components from Ebikemotion"
Maybe end of November now.