What's the difference? surely if the goods are the same it doesn't matter.

I only ask cos I just seen an ad claiming that retail was better.

oem is taken off of a bike which has been split/upgraded, sometimes warranties are non existent on oem.

OEM are also often manufactured to meet a price point, which can sometimes mean that cheaper materials are used.

eff all OEM are sent to large manufactures/distributors who dont need retail boxes as they will put the bits on bikes – hence cheaper.

Do you really think Shimano and SRAM make two of everything the reall thing and the OEM one?

http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Merlin-Cycles-Ltd/OEM-Explained.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Original_equipment_manufacturer

Bit of marketting to claim retail is better ..it works though as plenty will explain why it is better even though it is the same thing without a box.

Occasionaly there are sone onr off products I think Specialized has a Pike fork that was not available via retail or OEM for example so dont confuse the two.

OEM will explode and kill you.

Without fail.

cullen-bay – Member
oem is taken off of a bike which has been split/upgraded, sometimes warranties are non existent on oem.

Still has to comply with SoGA.

You mean like me discovering that the OEM Z1 DOs that I have have nylon internals rather than aluminum, to make them cheaper, but they eventually break (established in a conversation with TFT who sell the metal bits), or that some OEM forks have steel rather than aluminium steerers to make them cheaper…

Also

which can sometimes mean that cheaper materials are used.

Humph.

Some OE stuff really is different though. E.g. some 'Pike' forks on Speci bikes don't have the MoCo damper, and the 2011 Fox OE forks don't have the new Kashima coating.

FOr bits and bobs like rear mechs though, I can't imagine it makes any difference

recently bought some OEM slx brakes – the retail ones include the olives so you can shorten – not a big deal but a pain when it means you've got to order or go get the part before you can fit them

Do you really think Shimano and SRAM make two of everything the reall thing and the OEM one?

not sure as said above supplier may be asked to compromise a standard retail product in someway to get to a pricepoint – i guess if the customer is important enough and volume large enough then they may well do it
though if can put brain into gear should be able to think of plenty examples from other markets where an identical product is priced/possibly packed very differently to sell to different segments/thru different routes

So the consensus is that OEM and retail products are mostly the same with a few exceptions.

I'm sure someone said on here OEM sids where heavier than retail?

A mate's bike still has some OE Manitou forks – 2001 or so model. The service manual shows you a spring / elastomer setup in one leg, and a damper stack in the other.

The spring and damper stack is there, but the other leg is empty…

Big bike manufs buy so much that it is worth the suppliers making different stuff. Fox OEM forks were different IIRC – I think it was that the ones with only the rebound adjuster (Float R) were OEM, and the retail versions had rebound and compression.. but I could be wrong.

I believe there can be some differences with forks and tyres. But Shimano stuff is all the same. Last time I fitted a Shimano component, I didn't bother fitting the box so it made no difference to me.

My Recon Race fork was was OEM and because of that I couldn't extend it to 130mm as the AIR shaft is too short and had no travel adjust spacers. Otherwise it is the same product.

oem is taken off of a bike which has been split/upgraded

Nope. Very rarely. Usually supplied to people that build bikes, hence Merlin selling OEM 🙂

supplier may be asked to compromise a standard retail product in someway to get to a pricepoint

True, but sometimes they upgrade parts of it too, like the previously mentioned Specialized Pike forks. They are a basic model which on the Pitch Comp have no MoCo gubbins, and the Pro model Pikes came with MoCo but no floodgate adjust….. BUT they did have an alloy steerer to loose some weight! 🙂

OEM is the same as retail without the box. It is usually destined to go on a bike.

Don't confuse this with parts that have been stripped off a bike as these can often be made specifically for a bike brand. Such as forks mentioned in posts above.

This can sometimes be found in the market place as parts but is not what is meant by OEM. It's a subtle difference but a difference.

Some facts about OEM:

OEM is sometimes different from retail – eg for tyres, they often have lower TPI, forks often have different spec steerers and so on.

OEM is rarely stripped off bikes – as stated above it's just usually in the form that manufacturers get it to build their bikes (eg no fancy packaging).

Shimano is typically identical whether OEM or retail.

OEM is different from genuine inport product. Fact.
Anybody who says different is talking rubbish.

Pikes have been mentioned, and OEM Pikes have a steel steerer and a solid crown rather than the alloy steerer and hollow crown. Internals are different too.

Reason for this? Bike manufacturers want bikes to hit specific price points so approach parts manufacturers for a product to come in at a specific price. Hence lower spec product with the same name.

OEM, or grey import Fox forks do not have a warranty with Mojo apparently.

Not fact. Fact in that specific case. Not always.

In theory OEM shouldn't be for retail sale.