Spurcycle vs. the world. Bell thread part 2.

[Jacobell]

@bward1028

backordering them to sell retail

This. Bummer that amazon has them before industry wholesalers.

[Andrew_Squirrel]

Not a very ringing endorsement:

Spotlight: Granite Design Cricket Bell review - CyclingTips

[Shiny_squid_green]

I really like my Timberbell for the mtb. All of my local trails are mixed use with a lot of blind corners and it makes life much better to have that easy heads up, and be able to turn it off.

[b-roll]

@Andrew_Squirrel

Not a very ringing endorsement:

[dfl]

Yeah my Timber bell has been really useful. I don’t find it too heavy and generally I think it does its job well. I’ve actually had a lot of other trail users comment how much they appreciated me using it, which was not an outcome I was expecting.

[Petr5]

My crane bell does this on its own. Kind of perfect as it only rings itself through the rough stuff when I can’t spare a finger.

[Rusty_Piton]

I took delivery of my third spur frankenbell and this is the first one with any visible cosmetic flaws. On this one, the finish is inconsistent on the dinger thumb lever.

[VT_regularbike]

I got two and they both look perfect.

[Rusty_Piton]

Yeah, the other ones I’ve got are flawless.
Of course I don’t care that this one isn’t, it’s just interesting.

[scrub]

@VT_regularbike

I got two and they both look perfect.

I just got one, I should have bought two.

[jimmythefly]

Previously in small-MUSA-company copies design (previously legally copied by overseas manufacturers) from other small-MUSA-company:

Spurcycle vs. the world. Bell thread part 2.

Tarckive’d thread here: Looks like Ottolock is full of bullshit. OTTO was founded in 2016 by a small group of bicycle lovers and product innovators set out with a focused mission to create clever products for cycling and outdoor markets, and the outcome was the OTTOLOCK brand and it’s full line of lightweight, portable locks and accessories. The OTTO team values innoivation, customer service, and commitment and is excited about growing together with customers. Oh wait, we also steal desig…

Back in the day, I got a response from one Jake V. (president, CEO, founder, etc.):

@jimmythefly

@Rent-to-own-Faxmachine

I think OTTO is desperate to remain afloat after several lock nerds skewered them on YouTube. And without an outside PR firm to keep them in the public eye, they’re grasping at anything that’ll sell.

This is exactly it. I got a friendly, long, candid email back from the guy with some background.

Backstory is that the folks that mfr the U-lock they brand as an Ottolock accessory approached them with the bell, and they decided to add the bell on Amazon (not in LBS) to get them some hits and cover costs and hopefully eventually sell more locks. Adding the bell to Amazon was not necessarily a decision they wanted to make, but it was a low-capital thing they could do to try to leverage the brand name asap for some cashflow.

He described it as being in no-mans land. Better to be in the break or be back with the pack, but the company size as it is now is not ideal.

He also tried the “lots of bells out there, nothing is really a new idea” but I called that out as we know damn well it is a dead-ringer copy (and in Rockbros case including the packaging!).

Then just today I got an email from a Ben V.

Subject: OTTOLOCK X SPURCYCLE
Hey Jimmy,
Ben V. the Sales & Marketing manager over here at OTTOLOCK! I wanted to reach out and introduce myself as well as open communication with you about possible future collaboration between our companies.

It’s no secret that the bike industry has seen better days… But I do find that products in the “accessories” category seem to be moving more steadily than others in the market. Given that SPURCYLE & OTTOLOCK are both Oregon based cycling accessory brands who don’t compete with one another… I believe there is some serious potential to drive sales toward one another via CO-OP Promo , Collab Marketing, Social media giveaway’s/ contests etc…

I don’t want to put the cart before the horse… But I am beyond excited about what I believe we could grow together! I’ll be in Bend this weekend racing the Cascade Cycling Classic Crit… which is likely too short of notice for you to set up a meeting BUT maybe we set up a call next week if your schedule allows?
Let me know!
Thank you!
Ben V.
Sales & Marketing Manager

[jimmythefly]

lololololol.

Based on last name being the same and a quick google, it’s virtually certain that Ben V. is related to the founder Jake V. Ben seems of the age to be a son or nephew or similar. This is possibly their first job out of college, or maybe an internship while still in college. Not sure.

I was very tempted to do something silly, but elected to just respond with a basic “yo I don’t work for Spurcycle and you only have my email because I complained about a knockoff bell you used to sell”.

No reason to be mean.
At least they’re not selling the knockoff anymore.

[Dr_Shart_Attack_PhD]

@jimmythefly

yo I don’t work for Spurcycle

Okay I felt for a minute there that I had missed some bigger tarck news lol

[karl_dandleton]

ME TOO