That Sick Bicycle Co Pinion gearbox bike

The rule of thumb is we never shoot first.

If someone email and says
“Hey I didn’t get my product, can you check out what happened?”

We will without fail immediately investigate it and sort it out.

For clarity we’ve sold 500 pairs of bloody SOCKS since August let alone bikes and shirts. Things go missing, Royal Mail is donkey. We make mistakes with addresses and customs forms.

However. If someone sends us a shitty email, we give them a hard time. If someone is rude online, give them a hard time. Someone is sexist, racist, or a pig. Bad time. Welcome to the internet. We just do it in business and personal. People have become used to being rude and nasty to get what they want. Complaint culture is rife. Chances are if you see me being a dick to someone they started it.

I gotta ask, if you don’t like us, why are you concerned? You should be egging us on. Sooner we burn up and fail we can all go back to just riding bikes again.

C’mon guys, STW forum is hardly a joyful creative area is it? When was the last time you read something that didn’t make you want to throw your keyboard through the window?

However. If someone sends us a shitty email, we give them a hard time. If someone is rude online, give them a hard time. Someone is sexist, racist, or a pig. Bad time. Welcome to the internet. We just do it in business and personal.

And fair play too. Just because someone is a customer, there is never an excuse to be rude without any pushback. I’ll always come back to the old adage “never write something you wouldn’t say within punching distance”.

I’m liking what you guys do – but then I’ve worked in industries that have had big influxes of new, disruptive people that have done great things, and I like it when the status quo gets challenged. Equally, the world of “cycling” does seem to be full of a lot of pretty dull, not very exciting personalities, so it’s good to see some people I’d actually be interested in having a beer with.

But be realistic, you want things to grow as a company surely, you cant spend your time making videos whenever you get a bad review on facebook, can you?

The respose to that bad review should have been to shame the customer with politeness, especially if he had not contacted you first to allow you to put the situation right – all you did was make it look like you guys had screwed up and were basically saying “so what if you havnt had your stuff, your a dick anyway”

The STW forum is exactly that, a forum, not a representaton of a company, of course its full of crap and nobody can control that but you have full control over how you conduct yourselves online.

You cant preach about negativity and then dish it out in droves to any criticism and its especially ironic considering how negative you are about the bike industry. As others have said, grow a thicker skin and keep doing what you do best (which you seem to be doing a good job of)

Notice we don’t do flash sales, christmas sales boxing day sales, its a Wednesday in June sales. Flat rate pricing all the time. Be Transparent.

You’ve also said that you’re working “cost plus” though. So if you get a deal on the next batch of gearboxes/frames/whatever you’ll have to drop your price to stick to your own rules. Could look a lot like a sale

You cant preach about negativity and then dish it out in droves to any criticism and its especially ironic considering how negative you are about the bike industry.

dat sentence doe

but you have full control over how you conduct yourselves online.

They do, and seemingly they’re choosing do dish out proportional responses to the tsunami of bullshit they’re receiving from time to time. Seems like an entirely fair position to me. Why should they just take it?

The customer Emailed me back, He was a lairy Aussie boxer, he loved it! I suggested with his washboard abs he didnt need our ugly shirts.

Why are you so concerned about my companies growth?
Thats my job. This isnt my first rodeo.

Started in January, first bike in June, sold out every frame variant since.
Print Magazine articles in MBR, MBUK, CRANKED
Interviews on DIRT.

I recon we are doing OK.

You’ve also said that you’re working “cost plus” though. So if you get a deal on the next batch of gearboxes/frames/whatever you’ll have to drop your price to stick to your own rules. Could look a lot like a sale

But it wouldn’t be. It might look like it, but it wouldn’t be.

Its a bit dreary to focus on that isnt it?

C’mon guys, STW forum is hardly a joyful creative area is it? When was the last time you read something that didn’t make you want to throw your keyboard through the window?

Clearly you’ve missed the threads offering help with depression, or the ones where members have sent parts/whole bikes to people who were unfortunate enough to have them stolen, or the one where a guy couldn’t afford a bike and we all built him on. Or indeed the one where a guy asked for help with a part and got £3000 from STWers for a mechanical wheelchair for his disabled wife ?

The place is exceptional in it’s ability to be nice.

Sure, if people don’t like something, they’ll give it both barrels… but that is constructive too in many ways. Just because you’ve got pre-informed opinions of STW, doesn’t make them all true.

Personally until this thread i’ve never heard of you, i don’t want one of your bikes, i don’t really care…. but don’t slate this place without being informed.

Business is dreary though. As someone with over 10 years Manufacturing experience, in the same area you mention, its the sort of thing I sometimes notice. If I wanted to be really dreary i’d look at the favour Pinion are currently doing you and expect prices to go up before long

Not for me for 2 reasons. I know someone who ordered one of their Ti frames and didn’t get a frame with the geometry he expected, which I think is unforgivable. Also, I’ve seen how one of the guys who runs the company speaks to people on social media, and I wouldn’t give him my money. Personally I don’t like the look of their frames, but each to their own

So at this point, interesting, because only 2 customers have their Ti frames. Both was sent the technical drawing for approval, one has posted photos of himself with his bike here. And the other I know personally really well. So either Scott or Joe. These were the prototypes used as the basis for the team bikes for 2018 and they wanted them. So, Hmmm.

” If I wanted to be really dreary i’d look at the favour Pinion are currently doing you and expect prices to go up before long”

Thats what contracts are for.

I assume said contract is a bit more solid than “Pinion like us so our gearboxes cost less”

jordanchaos – Member
So at this point, interesting, because only 2 customers have their Ti frames. Both was sent the technical drawing for approval, one has posted photos of himself with his bike here. And the other I know personally really well. So either Scott or Joe. These were the prototypes used as the basis for the team bikes for 2018 and they wanted them. So, Hmmm.

need more of this though!

Anyway, being brutally honest, gotta get back to the day job. Said my bit, not a massive fan of forums tbh (its pretty anonymous so tends to bring out peoples worst side in my expearience)

That said

Any direct questons
My email is

jordan@sickbicycle.co

Cheers
J

Also Joe just bought a stupid 30cm long model of his bike from our 3d printer so it wasnt him…

Great response Jordan. Best of luck with everything.

I have to say that I have a lot more interest in the brand now I’ve seen stuff direct from the horse’s mouth.

Personally until this thread i’ve never heard of you, i don’t want one of your bikes, i don’t really care…. but don’t slate this place without being informed.

good way to endear people to the forum.

Your wholesome examples are indeed true, and bring a tear to my cold dead eye, but be real: they represent exceptions to the rule. I myself have asked and received helpful honest assistance on the odd thing from time to time but the majority of the time things are derailed with memes and a few forum members who hold some sort of status over everyone else or some shit like that. This thread alone is chapter in verse on the worst of STW. Some people doing something different and its the old “who shouts the loudest wins” its pathetic.

this forum is crying out for a like or dislike button

there would be IT people have servers in meltdown it would be chaos

If the PR mellows down to an 11 then I’m onboard.

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There is a good interview with the Sick Bikes people on the Hook it pod cast now (on iTunes it’s the HKT podcast) . Well Worth a listen. I thought they both came across really well.

And for those not on itunes

https://soundcloud.com/user-808908651/037-jord-tim-of-sick-bicycle-co

Skip to five minuets to avoid adverts and some pointless music

Where were you last night when I was cursing iTunes

Skip to five minuets to avoid some pointless music

Nothing wrong with a bit of triple time

That guy really needs to improve his sound quality. This is quite hard going even on headphones.

That guy really needs to improve his sound quality. This is quite hard going even on headphones.

true dat. I haven’t heard this one yet but there’s a few patchy ones in his catalogue. Hope that picks up for him, some skype ones are bad which isn’t his fault per se but its a bummer when its clearly distracting in the long form structure of his content. A bit OT here but the HktPodcast has some great content but I find on occasion Davy to be a little grating ( i know, that a dickish comment)- but i cant put my finger on it as an avid podcast user.Perhaps i’m just jealous lol He doesn’t profess to be the best at it- quite the opposite, but sometimes i feel he doesn’t get the best out of his guests. The one with the photographer ‘Mad Dog’ Boris was brilliant though and id still urge people to check them out.

All of their frames look like they were designed by a blind person. Who would pay top HT money for that?

robowns – Member
All of their frames look like they were designed by a blind person. Who would pay top HT money for that?

Now I’m not sure who’s on what side of which fence. Is that a genuine flaming or are you part of the Sick posse?

If you are going to position yourself as a slightly alternative, edgy company with, im assuming, the intention of getting people talking about you, you can’t then complain if all the discussion isn’t positive.

At least the fully admit that it’s just a part-time hobby, rather than leaving everyone to suspect that’s the case (looking at you here Evil)

There is alot of repetition on the thread, does it not drive you a little crazy? Just repeating the same bit over and over, sheesh. Anyway.

If you are going to position yourself as a slightly alternative, edgy company with, im assuming, the intention of getting people talking about you, you can’t then complain if all the discussion isn’t positive.

Never complained about it, once. Answered peoples questions, yes, corrected some misleading things and inaccurate things, yes, Some potentially damaging suggestions we dont test our bikes. Upset at people being angry at me on the internet? Nah. Frequently even said, good to polarise opinion.

All of their frames look like they were designed by a blind person. Who would pay top HT money for that?

– Yeah Rob I prefer the Production Privee too. The OKA is a nice bike. I’ll be sure to tell Damien about this next time we see eachother, he’ll get a kick out of that. But to answer your question, we’ve sold out of every run we’ve done. Who knows. Maybe I’m a marketing wizard *makes spooky hand gestures*

Cheers, nice to check in.

Glad some of you enjoyed the podcast. Was really fun.

Our mailing list is here – http://eepurl.com/cDw771
Thats all the new products, development etc.

Once again. Any real questions, jordan@sickbicycle.co

Managed to get through the whole podcast and I have to say they have me convinced they are a good couple of lads doing what they like.

I think this is a classic case of printed / internet media not coming across the same as in person.

Its 2 hours and 15 minutes… it’s quite a slog! Cheers for giving us the chance.

Remember when people are watching us, its us, its our personal lives, our brand is our life, there is no work life balance. we worked 8pm till 3am on projects, go to bed, up at 5 again to work. But its love.

I cant believe they let us touch on the last subject, all media has been a bit shy about us broaching the suicide problem. But its part of our values to bring signal to difficult things.

robowns – Member

All of their frames look like they were designed by a blind person. Who would pay top HT money for that?

Pretty subjective that – when you push the limits with geometry, frames are going to look different to the aesthetic norm. It’s form following geometry really, and I’m happy to sacrifice traditional looks for long reach and extreme angles.

I’d certainly have bought one of the kickstarter frames if things had been a bit less chaotic.

Listened to the podcast and they come across pretty well and make a few valid points. It also explained a bit more as to why their range / approach to launching products seems a bit unorganised.

I’ve certainly warmed to them a bit; I thought the Gnarcissist looked a bit poo (like a broken ladies shopping bike) and I’m a fan of long travel hardtail but the latest Grizzly Wulf looks good and cracking value for money. Not surprised that it sold out.

Just seen the gearboxes have arrived. Excitement level at 11 😀

Rubber_Buccaneer – Member

Just seen the gearboxes have arrived. Excitement level at 11

And we’re back to you and your bike, after all that 🙂

I was always going to drag it back. Just wait until I have the bike built up, there will be pictures and everything 🙂

Looking forward to the pics, hope it’s everything you wanted. I really like the idea of a Pinion box.

I wasn’t sold on either the brand or the bikes at all…just thought it was more form over function and the ‘slating’ of customers seemed churlish. However having looked at the Facebook page and listen to all 2 hours of the podcast I’m a convert and I wish them every success.

Jordan – you mentioned other types of bikes in the podcast including a gravel bike. If you ever consider doing a short travel 29er similar to a spearfish but slacker, I’ll be first in the queue. Not your target market I agree, but worth a try!

As an aside that HKT podcast is ace. Going through a rough patch at the moment and the Martin Ashton interview was massively uplifting. What a legend that guy is.

I’m sorry to hear you are going through a rough patch. Listen up to this, In 2008 I lost everything my home, my friends, I was in drug rehab then ended up homeless and pennyless. It was game over. But it made me determined to do sometheing fun at all costs, I got a part time bar job and a job packing t-shirts at a printers. I managed to turn it around by degrees. Ok its taken 10 years now but I have two businesses I own and I love. Its hard and Im so tired! But its really and truly finally brought some kind of light to my life. Previously a pretty dark place. WHat im trying to say is although it is hard if you chip at your sadness by degrees you can manage it.

Anyway phew. Sorry!

Im going to look at spearfish and let you know!

Just wait until I have the bike built up, there will be pictures and everything

Might I suggest you mow your lawn prior to taking said pics?