[Closed] Ed Oxley on new Heckler

I thought he was a fan of the codeine?

If your in position to get a new bike that often then why not 🙂

Though I assume he noted in STW fashion that the TT is too short and the angles are soooo outdated 😉

Worth mentioning he got the bike for free.

Did he pay for the Codeine?

Doesn't everyone?

Isn't he paid to 'like' it? Like he was paid to like On-Ones.

I'd heartily recommend anything I was given for free/paid to do so.

He does also ride a certain amount. 😉

People ask me how I can be independent when I review a bike that I’ve been given. Well I can’t claim to be can I? However I’m not going to say that I like something if I don’t, in fact you won’t see me riding something that I don’t like. Basically I don’t do anything that I don’t like doing if I can at all help it! You will just have to decide if you believe me or not. Chin up!

His last paragraph

if I can at all help it!

Depends on how much money someone is bunging him I guess 😉

Isn't he paid to 'like' it? Like he was paid to like On-Ones.

I'd heartily recommend anything I was given for free/paid to do so.

Hes not paid enough (i,e a pro-rider) to lose his own taste/morals so hes probably being honest TBH.

actually if he didnt pay for it im more inclined to believe him

how many people pay $$$$ for a shiny new bike and then come on here and tell everyone how crap it is?
no one wants to admit (to themselves or anyone else) that they spent their hard earned on a duffer

The Heckler has been around a fair few years. I had 2004 and 2007 ones that I absolutely loved.
I can't see why this will be any worse.It will only be better.
I'm not a pro rider and have not been paid to say this.

Of course 27.5" is perfect.

Brings the tail alive, innit 😉

how many people pay $$$$ for a shiny new bike and then come on here and tell everyone how crap it is?
no one wants to admit (to themselves or anyone else) that they spent their hard earned on a duffer

Exactly - if it was free, you HAVE to praise it. If you paid for it, you wouldn't give it a crap review either...

Frame only £1349...

On that thinking why does Top Gear slate so many cars?
I'm sure them free fools who present it don't do it for free.

[quote=WackoAK ]Frame only £1349...

you'll pick one up in the classifieds for less than half that in 12 months.

WackoAK - Member
Frame only £1349...

So [i]still[/i] cheaper than a 5? 😉

you'll pick one up in the classifieds for less than half that in 12 months.

No doubt. Look how many Bronsons have appeared already.
Plus other 3 month bikes.
Usually bikes bought in wrong size/skint/wife finds out/whatever.

WackoAK - Member
Frame only £1349...

So still cheaper than a 5?

and?
£150 cheaper than a 5, £250 cheaper than an alpine?

It's like shooting fish in a barrel 😉

you'll pick one up in the classifieds for less than half that in 12 months.

It's like shooting fish in a barrel

Frame only £1349...

And $1299 in the US (about 770 quid). Stif's pricing is pretty ridiculous.

Though I assume he noted in STW fashion that the TT is too short and the angles are soooo outdated

Looks like they fixed both those things... which is what the Heckler really needed. The wheels are incidental, no?

And $1299 in the US (about 770 quid). Stif's pricing is pretty ridiculous.

True. Even if they bought them in shops in the US at US RRP and carried them over in suitcases they'd still make profit on their UK retail...

$1299 US comes to about £1000 imported with Duty and Taxes without any shipping. Add in distribution, advertising demo and support then it's a lot closer.

US prices always look much better as they don't include [b]20% VAT or any other sales tax[/b]

Good price for a nice bit of kit I reckon.

American's normally pay local sales tax as well, they just tend not to include this in the quoted price, hence all the comparisons being up the spout.

[i][edit - that was in reply to a, now edited/deleted, post blaming the EU for us paying VAT, implying 'Mercans don't][/i]

True, 5%?

$1299 US comes to about £1000 imported with Duty and Taxes without any shipping. Add in distribution, advertising demo and support then it's a lot closer.

I'd assume as importer that Stif were getting them for about half that price. It's still a huge margin when you compare to frames imported by other distributors (e.g. Yeti SB95C, $2999 to £2599.) Was looking at Niner frames not so long ago and was amazed by how much Stif were charging for them compared to US prices. Basically, change the dollar to a pound, then add on a couple of hundred quid.

Having said that frames do seem to be increasingly priced to match similar products in the marketplace. E.g. the heckler slightly under cutting the Five.

5%? Varies state to state and is added on at the till.
On the suitcase idea you would still be liable for 5% Import Duty and then 20% on top for VAT. Yuu would also need to cover the cost of flights and bikes up front, carry enough stock to meet supply and deal with any issues in the UK.

I'm sure though most people here could do a much better job for a much tighter margin 🙂

True, 5%?

Or more... confusing as hell when you're over there... it even seems to vary from shop to shop in the same state sometimes, as it's often wholly or partly optional to pass the tax onto the customer in the final price paid:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sales_taxes_in_the_United_States#By_jurisdiction

I'm sure though most people here could do a much better job for a much tighter margin

Or professor farnsworth could use his shrinking machine then you could sneak them onboard in your pocket?... 😉

I'm sure though most people here could do a much better job for a much tighter margin

If I was the importer then I'd sell them at a price the market dictates. People seem more than willing to fork out the cash for what they perceive to be a boutique brand.

Now where's the 650B Chameleon, I'm getting impatient 😉

Isn't he paid to 'like' it? Like he was paid to like On-Ones.

I'd heartily recommend anything I was given for free/paid to do so.

He wasn't paid to like on-ones 🙂

So he bought the bikes from you then Brant?

Thought so... 🙄

Wouldn't fancy taking a swig from that bottle 😛

I expect he is paid to like it [b]but[/b]my riding buddy has one & he loves it & I'm annoyed Coz it's a size bigger than my super light, has 50mm mire travel and is lighter!

He would like it, it's free! It was only a few years ago that the Heckler was £899 or something?

The old single pivot 26" heckler was indeed £900 with the less posh shock just 2 years ago, iirc the upgrade to rp23 was £70 so think of it as £970 if you want to make a better comparison. Although tbf, heckler, bullit and SL had all dropped in price a little when they started making more pivotey ones, and when they stopped making them in america so it had previously been a bit more expensive.

Otherwise, i think most reviewers will offer a company not to publish a bad review, and then just write something good about someone elses bike that actually is good. Perhaps Ed Oxley has been on and/or been offered a load of crap bikes and just elected not to tell us about them.

Almost same setup as my "mini" Heckler
[img] [/img]

Same forks+wheels (although mine are a little older), 32th nw. Good choices Mr Oxley 8) - even got the same tyres as that now!
Would like to try that as a comparison.

There doesn't have to be any conspiracy for the contradiction between liking the codeine and then not liking 29ers, sometimes people just change their minds, no idea why it's the cue for an attack.

I was riding with Ed on his new heckler just the other week. He certainly seemed to be loving it! His Codine seemed nice as well to be fair. We get loads of free kit doing what we do, Ed is cooler than me so gets more. You can tell the stuff we like because we use it. We both spend way more time in riding kit than in normal clothes and on our bikes than on any other form of seating! Trust me when I tell you that life is way too short to suffer rubbish kit! Ask other people in "the business" or who get stuff like that, I'm sure they will tell you the same! I've turned down stuff I didn't fancy before, even when it was a free bike. I once said no to Osprey because I wasn't sure about their packs, they sent me one anyway and now I wouldn't use anything else! Ed could get a free bike from loads of companies, perhaps the biggest review is that he has gone for the Heckler at all! I've also been on the other side, reviewing bikes, and it's very hard to write a bad review of someone's bike or kit. I have a few sitting on my hard drive unpublished. That kit just goes back or goes in the bin!

I'm not jealous at all of your jobs.........merrr 😛