This brings to mind a Shimano experience I had around 1975. I was working in a bike shop in Chicago the prior year when I bought my Jack Taylor frame (see <http://www.blackbirdsf.org/taylor/6656.html>) and built it up with a mix of parts -- including some 1st generation Shimano Dura-Ace stuff. A year later, living in Vermont, I took a minor spill and broke one of the Dura-Ace brake levers. Unable to find one at a Vermont bike shop, I contacted Shimano's US headquarters, explained what happened and asked if I could order a replacement lever. Instead, they apologized for my failure to find one locally, refused any payment and mailed me a replacement lever, with gum cover, free of charge! Now that's customer service!
I've felt loyalty to Shimano ever since.
David -- I still think the 1st generation side-pull Dura-Ace brakes and large flange hubs are among the finest ever made -- White Burlington, VT
CYCLESTORE@aol.com wrote:
>Lack of spare parts................I would say this is the fault of the
>
>distributor or distributors!
>
>And Shimano is at fault as well for not having these suppliers stock these
>
>spares. Here in Holland, >>
>
>Bryan,
>
>As I recall John Jorgensen's appraisal of spare part availability seems right
>on target here and I suspect in Europe as well in the early to late late
>1970's time period. I think the distributors who fielded so many parts requests
>had little to do with it.
>
>Either this or every parts importer in the US had signed a blood pact not to
>stock service parts for Shimano. Now full components like bottom brackets and
>headsets are a different story. I remember French threaded units were not
>hard to find in Shimano once the better groups became available.
>
>So the game went like this.
>Shopper: I need some parts.
>Bike Shop: We've got some parts.
>Shopper: I need a BB Axle and a Jockey Wheel for this Shameano deal here.
>Bike Shop: We can get you a Bottom Bracket and I have a fine upgraded
>derailleur for you right now.
>
>The little stuff was sort of available with long waits and long times on hold
>with Shimano. Some small parts cost as much as the main unit. Things are
>much better today but in the early 1970's toll free telephone order lines were
>very expensive and rare. We often mailed in purchase orders because of the
>expense. No one had their inventory on computer. Stock outs in the bike boom days
>went on for months. There were rubber shortages, we patched tubes because we
>couldn't buy replacements sometimes.
>
>Campagnolo I was told tortured importers to buy small parts with their
>component orders. This may be why with the exception of brake hoods so many new
>small parts are still on the shelf. Even today there is immense backward
>interchangeability with their stock for over a decade in some cases.
>
>Shimano small parts are much more readily available today but not very
>backward compatible.
>
>
>Yours in Cycling,
>
>Gilbert Anderson
>
>North Road Bicycle Company
>519 W. North St.
>Raleigh, NC 27603
>USA
>Toll Free Ph: 800\u2022321\u20225511
>Local Ph: 919\u2022828\u20228999
>E-mail: cyclestore@aol.com