Rosco Platypus Presale

[James Valiensi]

I remember when Rivendell used to be cool…
Now they seem greedy and sanctimonious.
I had some interest in getting a purple Rosco Platypus for my wife. I was on a job site all day yesterday and could get to the internet until this morning, and the bike is sold out.
Its false scarcity to make people rush to buy. Why they cannot order enough bikes? The factory can make more, they can have another shipment. No financial excuses, people are pre-paying.
I’ve was a customer since 1994 and always helped when Grant asked for money or sells. And he did. I have a Custom Rivendell and a Joe A. I’ve bought several other models. I’ve drive from LA to his shop to buy and visit many times.
But now I’m pissed and done with them.

[Eric Daume]

They’re marked sold out, but the presale doesn’t start until noon PST today. Marking them “sold out” is just a way to get the web site up for the pre sale. 

Regarding volume, I expect they have to balance cash flow vs expected demand vs factory allotment. 

Eric

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/5BA4AE37-206E-404B-91A4-EC4817C8959E%40gmail.com.

[Danny]

James, the pre-sale is today at noon pacific time.

https://www.rivbike.com/products/rosco-platypus-presale-eta-early-august

-Danny

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group.

To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bun...@googlegroups.com.

[Bill Lindsay]

James

The email I received from Rivendell indicated that the pre-sale begins on Thursday July 14th at noon Pacific.  That is about 5 hours from now (it is now 7AM Pacific on Thursday July 14th).  I think "Sold Out" is the expected status for a pre-sale opportunity that has not yet started.  

Bill Lindsay

El Cerrito, CA

[Bill Lindsay]

Should we email him off-list also?  In case he left in a huff?

BL in EC

[Joe Mullins]

James,

As everyone mentioned, sale is today and Riv has sent out many emails stating this. 

I know that the folks at Riv wish they could make everyone happy and get a bike to everyone who wants one. They’ve been very open about their increasing costs both with manufacturing and shipping as well as the challenge of making these bikes available to all who want them with the increased demand. They posted a photo of the BOL from one of the last shipments and I think the sea container cost over $15k or something crazy! Pre-pandemic a sea can was around $4k. I feel like they are doing their best to make everyone happy but that’s definitely hard to do these days. 

Joe

On Jul 14, 2022, at 7:03 AM, Bill Lindsay <tape...@gmail.com> wrote:

Should we email him off-list also?  In case he left in a huff?

--

You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bun...@googlegroups.com.

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/44d5ea9b-0145-41c5-b6d3-193d5cc4c323n%40googlegroups.com.

[Bill Lindsay]

The detail that we all SHOULD be pissed about is that they have made a R05C0 8U883 frame set with NO LIFT-A-TUBE!!!  It's gotta have a lift-a-tube!  That's an unforgiveable oversight.  

I'm kidding about being pissed

I'm not kidding that I loved the lift-a-tube on my two previous R05C0 8U883 frames.  If they had asked me I would have told them to include the lift-a-tube.

BL in EC

On Thursday, July 14, 2022 at 6:51:01 AM UTC-7 James Valiensi wrote:

[Brian Forsee]

'The factory can make more' is a huge assumption that is likely not true in the current manufacturing/supply chain climate.

[Bill Lindsay]

"The factory can make more" is objectively FALSE in the case of the R05C0 8U883.  The only reason these framesets exist is because the fork vendor screwed up.  If the fork vendor didn't screw up, there would be no frames.  The number of Roscos on offer is equal to the number of screwed up forks*.  To "make more" they'd have to ask the fork vendor to screw up some more forks

BL in EC

*the screw up was braze on placement, which is a tiny cosmetic error.  Those forks are awesome and Rosco owners will be happy with them

[Doug H.]

Rivendell does not mass produce frames, they build as many as they can afford to build without going into a lot of debt is my understanding. I've received several notifications by email and on Instagram about this presale so if I were planning to buy one I would be online today at 3:00 PM PST. I find their customer service to be very good. I like that they share during the design and manufacture of their frames details and thoughts about each particular model. I want what I want and I want it now isn't realistic with most things in life and I find that if I understand this and am appreciative of what I can get when I can get it my attitude drifts toward the positive end of the spectrum.

Cheers,

Doug

[Doug H.]

CORRECTION: The presale is scheduled for NOON Pacific.

Doug

[Joe Bernard]

James, how did you determine they were already sold out when the page you landed on announces when the presale begins? The title of this thread has presale in it so you knew the frame wasn't available yet. 

Joe Bernard 

On Thursday, July 14, 2022 at 6:51:01 AM UTC-7 James Valiensi wrote:

[James Valiensi]

I went to the page and it said sold out. How do you read that?

The pre-sale lottery sucks. Many other industries use it, to build excitement and make people want stuff. I don’t like it.

I want no part of this.

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bun...@googlegroups.com.

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/fd2ddef6-0058-4a30-88dc-5191abc1ee50n%40googlegroups.com.

[Garth]

Sheesh James, did you not read any replies here about the sale not happening until 1 hour and 20 minutes from now ?  Or, is that story of "whoa is me" so entertaining that you're gonna miss it for real this time !

[Joe Bernard]

A word about "pre-sale lottery", it's the same as if they quietly put the frames on the site and took orders until they sold out. This way everybody knows when to order instead of just checking a website and hoping they're there. I don't understand the verklemptitude here. 

[George Schick]

Another thing they said in the pre-sale email was that they're introducing a 10% re-stocking fee.  I don't blame them.  Other businesses have had re-stocking charges for their products for many years.  There's a good reason for that.  Also, I'm reading in the news lately that it costs businesses (especially big box retailers like Wal-Mart and Home Depot) more to refund a customer and place a product back into inventory than the profit they make on it in the first place - so they're simply going to stop taking back returned merchandise, refund or no.  No surprise there, either.  Many people have abused the "easy returns" policy that retailers have had for a long time.

[esoterica etc]

Also, using the term "lottery" for the sale of the Rosco-Platy is inaccurate. Riv has in the past done a lottery drawing for highly-anticipated frames (I think they did this on the last Clem-L run), where they knew that they had way more demand than they could supply. They tried what they thought would be the fairest, most egalitarian method of selling that frame, which was a lottery method. You put your name in the hat, and if your name was drawn you had a week (I think....) to pay for your frame. If you didn't, they contacted the next name drawn. Seems like a pretty fair way to ensure everyone had an equal opportunity to score one. 

And kudos to Joe for coining a new word- gonna have to try and work that in to my conversation sometime this week. Cheers!

~Mark

Raleigh, NC

On Jul 14, 2022, at 14:12, Joe Bernard <joer...@gmail.com> wrote:

A word about "pre-sale lottery", it's the same as if they quietly put the frames on the site and took orders until they sold out. This way everybody knows when to order instead of just checking a website and hoping they're there. I don't understand the verklemptitude here. 

On Thursday, July 14, 2022 at 10:43:42 AM UTC-7 Garth wrote:

Sheesh James, did you not read any replies here about the sale not happening until 1 hour and 20 minutes from now ?  Or, is that story of "whoa is me" so entertaining that you're gonna miss it for real this time !

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bun...@googlegroups.com.

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/962d3740-1857-4770-be21-fed6175b88cbn%40googlegroups.com.

[Bill Lindsay]

It's live right now.  It lets me add a 55 purple to my cart.  I'm going to leave it for you to buy though

BL in EC, hitting refresh

[Eric Daume]

Five minutes in, all sizes and colors still available. Some are down to 2-3 left though. 

To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/f7c27da0-286e-4f52-aa1b-755e377d66dfn%40googlegroups.com.

[Bill Lindsay]

six minutes in, and 55 Purple is showing sold out

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/f7c27da0-286e-4f52-aa1b-755e377d66dfn%40googlegroups.com.

[Will Ashe]

I bought a 60 purple. These are not going as fast as I expected. 

[James Valiensi]

Helm watches came up with the best way to fairly sell their watches. They cannot keep up with demand. 

They used to send an email announce when the pre-sale would begin. They even had a page telling their customers the best methods to use to successfully purchase a watch. 

I got one, once. I sat a my computer trying to add one to the cart a few minutes before the pre-sale. I finally got one. It was like the old days of calling into a radio station for tickets. 

The next time something went wrong with their computers and the sale never went live. A day later they sent an email blast telling everyone what happened and announcing the sale would start again, in an hour. I didn’t get the email to many hours later and missed it. I and many others were not happy. I complained and many others did too, because they found a better way.

Now, if you want a Helm watch, you go to the web site and add your name to the list. You will get a place in line and they will let you know when its your turn. There is plenty of notice, no penalty if you back out and a 48-hr window to make the purchase.

This is much better and shows that Helm cares about those that support them.

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/fc2ed9c2-2d68-45e1-9118-0ca4dc1f53c5n%40googlegroups.com.

[Bill Lindsay]

Since James Valiensi lauded the system of Helm watches, and said it costs me nothing, I signed up.  It works as he said.  

I'm now #5995 on a waiting list.  They provide no feedback on whether #5995 corresponds to 6 days or 6 years...

Meanwhile, all three sizes of a bike James claimed to want are available to pre-order right now...  

Bill Lindsay

El Cerrito, CA

[Joe Bernard]

I hope you bought a frame. As of 1:15pm pst only one size in one color is sold out. 

On Thursday, July 14, 2022 at 12:51:04 PM UTC-7 James Valiensi wrote:

[esoterica etc]

Well-played Bill, well-played. Can't argue with logic like that. 

~Mark 

Raleigh, NC

On Jul 14, 2022, at 16:03, Bill Lindsay <tape...@gmail.com> wrote:

Since James Valiensi lauded the system of Helm watches, and said it costs me nothing, I signed up.  It works as he said.  

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/788cfb96-bb68-4f98-bad0-6ed5690ab615n%40googlegroups.com.

[Bill Lindsay]

Now if I start getting a bunch of spam emails from Helm Watches, I'll make sure to find the Helm Watches Google Group and bash the company as sanctimonious and greedy.  

Bill "customer number five thousand nine hundred and ninety five" Lindsay

El Cerrito, CA

[David Person]

Just means one more frame will be available for someone who truly wants one and will appreciate it.

[Edwin W]

I like Rivendell a lot. I like that Helm system, too!

Edwin

[Bill Lindsay]

I read the full text of the Helm list page more closely.  There is an estimate of how long it will take to get to my spot (#5995) on the list.  They say their current burn rate through the list is an average of 150 per month.  So, in a mere 40 months (3-1/2 years) I will be given a 48-hour window in which I can elect to purchase a $300 watch.  If I was a sincere fanboy of Helm watches, I'm not certain I'd want to wait 3-1/2 years to purchase a watch.  In fact, maintaining a 3-1/2 year waiting list is a business activity I might call "false scarcity".  If I sincerely wanted to purchase a watch, I might even be pissed off about it.  The irony!

Raise your hand if you want to wait 3-1/2 years for your next off-the-peg bicycle frameset purchase....

Bill Lindsay

El Cerrito, CA

[Joe Bernard]

I remember when the wait list for a Riv Custom was 3 years or more and THAT was a long time. I sure wouldn't put myself on that list for a production frame, and as for the watch (briefly looks at upper left corner of watch I'm typing on) it's 2:37pm. 

[Bill Lindsay]

Joe, it's true... I haven't worn a watch in many years.  My company gives away a watch for 10-year service anniversary, and I didn't even bother trying it on.  It's in a drawer somewhere.  LOL. 

Bill "watch watcher" Lindsay

El Cerrito, CA

[Edwin W]

If there is a 3 year waiting list, the price is too low!

Give the people what they want!

Edwin

[amill...@gmail.com]

Phew, purple 55s sold out in 10 minutes. I love that purple!

On Jul 14, 2022, at 12:58, esoterica etc <esoter...@gmail.com> wrote:



To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/4ACF62BE-FD8E-48D0-B611-A5BA86500335%40gmail.com.