But that’s my point, that IS the function of those products, it’s sole purpose in existing is to be different to the next thing which is the same,
Not sure that it's sole purpose, the MAIN purpose is still to be and work as a bike, phone whatever but it has other value to the buyer e.g they think it looks nice, they like Ethel's instagram feed of her fillets or they care about other people think of it and think of them as a result. I'd still maintain that those are all subjective and not a result of how the thing actually interacts with the physical world.
Right, off to ride my mass produced but artisanally assembled cycle type object home and ponder if it sufficiently represents my personal values within my influence sphere.
QBP do it very well.
I always took it as a sort of record label imprint- totally owned by CRC/Hotlines but with its own character. But I don’t think you could really miss how tied it was to CRC, with all the mad discounting alienating shops and that. And I think a lot of us had some sort of contact with the warranty people too because of bent frames, bad seat tubes etc and that was all clearly CRC’s own. (I had a lovely conversaiton with CRC- “This is within our spec” “I spoke to Brant and he says it’s not, get a new one” “Oh. Here, have a new one”)
Hmmmm, not sure for the first batch as my local lbs stocked them and my mates went to Chevin for the (repeated) warranty work and eventual refund. CRC seemed to get flooded with them around the time Brant left from memory. In the early days they certainly traded on a one man in a shed type vibe.
Nah - any LBS with a Hotlines account could sell them. I think we had the first Ti Ragley in the country (well, apart from the one that brant arrived on)
In the early days they certainly traded on a one man in a shed type vibe.
They talked about the designer in that manner yes but it was clear who was behind them.
Not to my mate it wasn’t, the marketing worked. There was defo a shift at some point to virtually exclusive crc sales.
My C2W 26" mmmBop is still being ridden & enjoyed in Newfoundland. It was a bargain really...
So, are they dead? Was told last year that there would be new bikes launching in March '18. No signs of life so far. Have they been wound into Vitus?
Rip Ragley?
Sounds like a chisel-jawed hero from Eagle comic!
Dammit, it was a nice piglet!
Can't post a picture, can't edit a post!
Dammit, it was a nice pogket
Yep, I had the lesser known ragley pogket
I followed the story of the launch of Ragley, always fancied an original blue pig but a new house and 2 young kids prevented it. Eventually got a mk2 and absolutely loved it, was an amazing ride and it's the only frame I've ever regretted selling.
Then Brant left, shortly followed by the Burberry/Chav colour scheme on the mk3 and it all went tits-up from there.
Isn't the Bigwig post-Brant? The mk2 certainly is and it's really very good.
TBF, I think it was always fairly tits up- I had 3 Mmmbops, the first was a small because Brant told me to get a small. The second was a medium because I'm obviously a bloody medium. But then that one had to go back because it was properly bent. The third one was straight, but looked like it was painted in the dark and needed the seat tube reamed out as it was scratchy, but that was OK because I got it resprayed anyway. But of the 3 only one should have ever got past factory QC.
Of the many we sold I think it was only one mmmBop that got sent back.
Well, then there were the Lynskey ones..
The recent 2016+ ones have been great, really nice quality. I heard a rumour new ones were designed but the correct sacrifices have not been made to the wiggle shareholder gods.
Your bike brand does not offer correct level of return, goodbye.
**** wiggle
I hate big business.
The recent 2016+ ones have been great, really nice quality
Yeah, I still love mine. Always makes me smile. Thank you again.
trail_rat
rode my td-1 yesterday its certainly not dead.
And I rode mine today. Still one of the best bikes I have ridden*. All that's wrong with it is it needs a newer model owner. 🙂
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That or the Scandal.
Love my 2016/17 mmmbop. Just bought a Stanton Switchback, hoping I like it more, but it's a lot to live up to.
I pre-ordered one of the original mmbops - loved it too; great fun to ride bike. Unfortunately it got stolen and my riding had changed, so didn’t get a replacement.
i got myself a heavily reduced Ragley Cragvale not long after. Absolutely love it - perfect winter bike, and fits like a glove ... if only I could get a replacement mech hanger!!!!
I had an original mint green mmmmmbop. Fantastic bike, so thanks Brant for that one. Anyway one of the nicest videos of Ragley is this one. Enjoy peeps.....
I quite liked that Ragley was a transparently manufactured, 'gritty, northern', CRC sub-brand. It was almost like riding an in joke. The bit where the ti frame was made by Lynskey had a little bit of dissonance to it, like buying Rapha shorts from Aldi. Mostly though, they just ride really well.
I still have both the Ti and an original Mmmbop, but clearly the brand lost its carefully conceived authenticity after the mk1 line-up when Brant was transferred to West Bromwich Albion.
I still wish I'd bought a TD1.
I had a first gen MmmBop and loved it. For me it was the first 'longer,slacker, lower' bike I had and it rendered my 2008 Trek Fuel EX (which I loved) as an expensive airer in the shed - I just never rode it after I got that bike. Ended up getting an Orange Five a couple years later only because wanted some comfort at the back. Still kinda miss it, and keep thinking about getting a hardtail again.
Anyone remember the full-suss bikes Ragely showcased at the trade shows, then mysteriously dropped (around 2011 maybe)? Really lusted after the 140mm travel one so was disappointed when it didn't get released.
Never fancied them but couldn't quite put a finger on why? Maybe the styling/paint jobs, dunno, but I have the same ambivalence to Morf which seem to be a bit ragley-esque.
I think the thing is marketing wise, a sub-brand of a massive company doesn't have the year on year drive that a small rider owned company, ala Bird, Cotic, Stanton etc.. would have as the personal may come & go depending what that big company want to do with their money.
So a brand like Ragley (who I never realised until today have always been a CRC brand) Vitus will ebb & flow more.
Hi Folks,
We've been working away on a new range of bikes and frames. The new MY19 range will launch in January 2019.
Wasn't the mmbop the much unloved runt of the litter in comparison to the steel-is-real blue pig, at least until it was extremely heavily discounted, upon which people began to rave about the frame, it's feathery weight and it's space age construction material?
Or am I dreaming?
Absolutely, I got mine because it was £145. And a total dick move from CRC/Hotlines that was, considering some of their shops had stock that they'd basically paid that much for.
Big Al is relevant to my interests.
Even before the price drop we were selling more mmmBops than Blue Pigs.
Sonder called and they want their font back.
Decent value 29 hardtail would be great to see. Big wig always looks fun, aluminium version with modern angles would be ace.
This just confuses me. I really do not want any marketing guff from anyone. All advertising is blocked and the gdpr is great for me because I can now opt out of almost everything.
I don't aspire to a lifestyle. I have a lifestyle I am happy with. I don't buy things to affirm my place in society. I know what my place is ( skip diving 😉 )
This just confuses me
Imagine that..... 😁
Only new bike I have bought in 45 years was this winter - I bought a salsa beargrease. What l should I be aspiring to according to this "Of course people buy into brands because they like or identify with things that either the brand consciously promotes or they choose to assign to it – and I plead absolutely guilty on that front"
I am very unsure what things I am supposed to be identifying with. Rendering large ursine carcasses? I have no idea what image the brand promotes or what I should be identifying with probably because I have never seen any marketing material from them. should I sell it?
should I sell it?
Salsa are going to be stoked to know that they're now associated with the most prolific internet-argument-generator in the history of human consciousness. You should write to them, and ask them for a free hat. 😉
@tjagain nobody has said on this thread that you have to consume all the marketing or aspire to anything to choose a particular bike - but I think you know that.
However... You said you've seen no marketing whatsoever but you read this forum so you've probably read about Salsa bikes from time to time, maybe just a teeny bit aware that their focus is more on adventure bikes than neon gnar... maybe a little bit left field... not a corporate giant. that sort of thing.
Did you honestly read absolutely nothing about the bike before you bought it, at l least to check that Salsa were not a dodgy knock off company selling gaspipe rubbish?
Wasn’t the mmbop the much unloved runt of the litter in comparison to the steel-is-real blue pig, at least until it was extremely heavily discounted, upon which people began to rave about the frame, it’s feathery weight and it’s space age construction material?
Pretty much! I seem to remember the Blue Pig was much more popular, especially on here.
Certainly got mine when it was heavily discounted on CRC and fortunately it turned out to be a great bike for me at the time. Wasn't much of a looker admittedly with the big diameter tubes and 1.5" bean tin headtube!
Just found a photo I can link to from when I first built mine up on the cheap..
The beargrease is a fat bike, is it not?
Fat bikes have got to be the single most marketed/lifestyle driven type of frame that ever there was, as are Salsa for that matter.
From another side and as a serial Cotic owner, I find their emails and videos fun and at times informative but they don’t really inform my buying habits. I still ride things before making my mind up if buying new. If SH, well. Who knows, but as brands don’t make money from people buying SH frames that’s not really relevant...
joemmo
I know absolutely nothing about salsa and their image or what they deem to be their focus. Nothing at all. Before buying the bike I knew zero about them. I knew I wanted a fatbike after riding a couple of friends bikes mainly form the less damage it does to trails . It was advertised on facebook - last years model ex demo by a bike shop whose owners I know and trust and who know me and how I ride. I trusted them when they said it was a suitable bike for my needs and enjoyed the testride so bought it. I have never read or seen any salsa marketing.
I still know nothing about salsa as a company and don't care. I think its a us company - is that right?
I'm just not interested at all.
I knew I wanted a fatbike after riding a couple of friends bikes mainly form the less damage it does to trails
Oh, sweet baby Jesus and the orphans.... 😔
