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I emailed 7 shops in my state of Michigan recently about a fat bike. All but one emailed me back with a sad face and said everyone is screwed until summer due t

I emailed 7 shops in my state of Michigan recently about a fat bike. All but one emailed me back with a sad face and said everyone is screwed until summer due to no supply. I got really lucky and found one a 2 hour drive away. Now it’s an appreciating asset in my garage if you can believe it. I ride it of course but ever have I seen this kind of demand for bikes in my entire life. I hope this is going to serve as a global correction on our need to be more self sufficient. I’ve been thinking a lot recently about how we took two steps forward with globalization and tech and we probably need to take one step back. Pretty much every bike and bike part is made in Taiwan or China. I’d love to have a made in the USA bike just as much as I’d imagine folks in the UK, South America, etc... feel the same.

busterarm 6y ago
You got emails back!? Here, in NYC of all places, I have 0 returned emails and even having cast a wider net. Of course there's plenty of cheap e-bikes with junky components.
- whalesalad 6y ago
  It took a while for some of them. I actually just got one reply yesterday and this all happened before Xmas.
  - busterarm 6y ago
    My problem is mainly with looking for specific components. I want a decent commuter with belt drive and higher end components. Disc brakes. I can get the cheap versions of this all day but not really the best stuff unless I possibly order it built by Maxx or get a Riese & Müller e-bike. Still looks like waiting until at least April though.
    - Filligree 6y ago
      I got the Riese & Müller, and I don't regret it. Just make sure you get the high-speed version. 25 km/h is not very fast.
      - busterarm 6y ago
        Trying to justify an $8k bike in the bike theft capital of the world is...difficult.
    - whalesalad 6y ago
      If you are comfortable/familiar with wrenching - it is often cheaper to build a bike yourself. It can be a pain - but in this situation I think it is the next best option. One of the bike shops I had contacted suggested it, since a lot of shops around the country have a good stock of parts and you can usually find a nice used frameset online.
      - petre 6y ago
        There's also a problem with component availability. If you just want a fixie or a frankenbike it's okay but for anything else be prepared to wait and compromise. I just managed to order the last components I need for the bike I'm building this year. I had to compromise a bit, mix hubs drivetrain components from several Shimano lineups, past and current. The frame was preordered and paid in full in June, it should have arrived in August, finally got it in October.
        busterarm 6y ago
        Yes, several of the things that I want are unobtainium at the moment, but do come in some completes.
      - busterarm 6y ago
        It is almost never cheaper to build a bike yourself. Labor cost is not a factor. Completes are 99% built by the time they get to a store for selling. Complete bikes are a highly competitive market whereas bike parts are mostly not. You will get much more mileage for your dollars buying completes that have exactly what you want or with some small delta of upgrades.
- jrockway 6y ago
  What sort of bike are you looking for? I had these folks build me a custom bike a few years ago: https://www.acmebicycleco.com/ https://www.acmebicycleco.com/ and I loved every part of dealing with them. They also did some custom work on my commuting bike (which involves quite a hodgepodge of fender/brake compromises) which was 10x better than I could do myself.
UI_at_80x24 6y ago
Look into the niche markets then. Like recumbents. http://longbikes.com http://longbikes.com located in Colorado https://www.terratrike.com https://www.terratrike.com located in Michigan There are atleast 3 others I can think of off the top of my head. If you are looking for "A Generic Bicycle at Walmart prices", then yes you are SOL.

busterarm 6y ago

You got emails back!? Here, in NYC of all places, I have 0 returned emails and even having cast a wider net. Of course there's plenty of cheap e-bikes with junky components.

whalesalad 6y ago
It took a while for some of them. I actually just got one reply yesterday and this all happened before Xmas.
- busterarm 6y ago
  My problem is mainly with looking for specific components. I want a decent commuter with belt drive and higher end components. Disc brakes. I can get the cheap versions of this all day but not really the best stuff unless I possibly order it built by Maxx or get a Riese & Müller e-bike. Still looks like waiting until at least April though.
  - Filligree 6y ago
    I got the Riese & Müller, and I don't regret it. Just make sure you get the high-speed version. 25 km/h is not very fast.
    - busterarm 6y ago
      Trying to justify an $8k bike in the bike theft capital of the world is...difficult.
  - whalesalad 6y ago
    If you are comfortable/familiar with wrenching - it is often cheaper to build a bike yourself. It can be a pain - but in this situation I think it is the next best option. One of the bike shops I had contacted suggested it, since a lot of shops around the country have a good stock of parts and you can usually find a nice used frameset online.
    - petre 6y ago
      There's also a problem with component availability. If you just want a fixie or a frankenbike it's okay but for anything else be prepared to wait and compromise. I just managed to order the last components I need for the bike I'm building this year. I had to compromise a bit, mix hubs drivetrain components from several Shimano lineups, past and current. The frame was preordered and paid in full in June, it should have arrived in August, finally got it in October.
      - busterarm 6y ago
        Yes, several of the things that I want are unobtainium at the moment, but do come in some completes.
    - busterarm 6y ago
      It is almost never cheaper to build a bike yourself. Labor cost is not a factor. Completes are 99% built by the time they get to a store for selling. Complete bikes are a highly competitive market whereas bike parts are mostly not. You will get much more mileage for your dollars buying completes that have exactly what you want or with some small delta of upgrades.
jrockway 6y ago
What sort of bike are you looking for? I had these folks build me a custom bike a few years ago: https://www.acmebicycleco.com/ https://www.acmebicycleco.com/ and I loved every part of dealing with them. They also did some custom work on my commuting bike (which involves quite a hodgepodge of fender/brake compromises) which was 10x better than I could do myself.

UI_at_80x24 6y ago

Look into the niche markets then. Like recumbents. http://longbikes.com http://longbikes.com located in Colorado https://www.terratrike.com https://www.terratrike.com located in Michigan There are atleast 3 others I can think of off the top of my head. If you are looking for "A Generic Bicycle at Walmart prices", then yes you are SOL.