New CPSC regs pose "extreme hardship" for BMX Industry Options

[thekidswanttorac...]

ADMIN NOTE: First, Major props to thekidswanttorace for starting this thread!
While it started out with the title "Heard a rumor at the track last night," it has escalated to one of the most important threads we have seen in the modern-day BMX racing forum. And I am not kidding around.

Already a TOF winner, this may turn out to be the thread of the year. If you are interested in keeping the sport of BMX alive, please read this thread IN FULL. Mid point on Page 3 it becomes apparent that this is no laughing or joking matter, with serious people, who's livelihood depends on the outcome, weighing in and providing their commentary and understanding of the events at hand. The thread contains critically important information on the very real possibility that many of the small-to-midsize BMX manufacturers may be wiped out in the coming months...no joke!

In the latter pages, we call upon YOU to write your congressman and senators to help remedy this issue.

-M

Now...on to what thekidswanttorace originally said, and please excuse the preemption....

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Well took the kids to the track last night and the scuttle butt was that Kuwahara is out of business. Something about getting shut down by the federal government. I heard that many of the other smaller BMX companies are going to suffer the same fate. I really hope this is not true but has anyone else heard anything? Why would the government shut down a BMX company?

[obsessive]

call em up and ax em

[XXX]

Who started that one..... Redline? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/popcorm1.gif)

Up the Irons Mates

[pabmxer]

their website is still up and no news about it...normally rumors are just that...rumors.

[Tom Erickson]

But some rumors are based in truth.

[MaddenBMX]

Its all about the CPSC requirements that has everyone in a tizzy and starting rumors. If these laws do appy to the bicycle market, we're all up poop creek. I can see strict laws about imported goods that have the lead problem in them when it comes to small childrens toys. Kids chew on stuff, put things in their mouths.....I get it.
But this is crazy shite when you tell me that our government is going to arbitrarily wipe out tons of businesses across the board that aren't even in the children's toy market, such as the bicycle market, more specifically, the BMX market.
My God, if the current crap small businesses are having to contend with was applied back when I was a kid, BMX or skateboarding or heck - even frisbee golf would have never been allowed to be created.

What the hell is wrong with the world these days? All the tards that wanted change and were convinced they were gonna get it with Obama (or even McCain) better wake up. This kind of stuff is killing businesses.
My business used to be safety gear manufactured in the USA (I bought raw materials here in the US, but I'm sure something in th neoprene was made overseas). Then big companies that we all know went overseas, knocked off the products here in the states, and undercut a dozen or so US companies like mine trying to market safety gear.
We bit the bullet and eventually had to find stuff elsewhere since the only way to compete was to get the same cut rate price on stuff. Of course we cannot match the buying power of the larger companies in this sport (insert any large company's name here), so we are fading still.

Now our wonderful lawmakers are trying to insure the demise of small to medium companies with this CPSC requirement. Or maybe they think I can just sew up shinguards again and sell them for 75.00 a pair to offset the cost our government is passing on to the small business operator. Mark my words- if this CPSC thing happens to BMX, it will change the sport we all love in a HUGE way.

I hope Ryan and Tarsha aren't having problems like this. They are good people.

-Madden

[LACK]

The feds oh come on unless its the tax man..relax..

but we are seeing Chinese factories all going under..we track that and the Baltic Sea indexes "container traffic" to predict trade patterns for currency trading.

China flat our shut down after Olympics and its been a disaster for commodity traders..

So the comment about "all small bmx companies having fate" what my guess would be their Chinese supplier went under and they will find a new one and ramp up production in no time..there is overcapcity in everything..See Autos. jlack

Here the Shipper rate chart..high rates means ships in demand lots of good flowing..low rates means? We use same deal for Tanker traffic for Oil trading..not that anything works for speculating this year. hahaha

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/cbuilder?ticker1=BDIY:IND

[MaddenBMX]

The feds oh come on unless its the tax man..relax..

but we are seeing Chinese factories all going under..we track that and the Baltic Sea indexes "container traffic" to predict trade patterns for currency trading.

China flat our shut down after Olympics and its been a disaster for commodity traders..

So the comment about "all small bmx companies having fate" what my guess would be their Chinese supplier went under and they will find a new one and ramp up production in no time..there is overcapcity in everything..See Autos. jlack

Here the Shipper rate chart..high rates means ships in demand lots of good flowing..low rates means? We use same deal for Tanker traffic for Oil trading..not that anything works for speculating this year. hahaha

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/cbuilder?ticker1=BDIY:IND

It aint this, Lack........its what I said above.

-Madden

[LACK]

It aint this, Lack........its what I said above.

-Madden

Okay. The law, which as of Nov. 12 calls for a general conformity certificate on all goods that are subject to a consumer product safety rule under any act enforced by the CPSA, also applies to adult apparel, which is subject to the general flammability standards under 16 CFR 1610. The CPSC issued a final rule on Nov. 11, clarifying the requirement for compliance certificates

Also in article is PDF on requirements for FYI "should" be an easy work around but I get ya it raises costs etc. lack

PS I jsut sent it to Lawyer at the hedge fund he will contact CFA guys to see what the quick and dirty work around is for you guys. It might take a few but they will figure it out quick.

http://www.apparelnews.net/news/manufactur...-Apparel-Makers

This post has been edited by LACK: Dec 10 2008, 10:13 AM

[MaddenBMX]

From the sources I have heard from, they think it will extend to all aspects of the bicycle market, especially BMX since it is so easily identified as a 'kid's sport'. Shoes, paint on bicycles, rubber in tires, apparel, small parts.....anything you can think of has been included in this.
I even had an e-mail from a friend in one of the largest companies in the sport, detailing the new requirements he got from another large distributor. Fines for non-compliance are astronomical to say the least and the conformity testing has to be done on every single SKU a business has or offers.
Another fairly big company's owner told me that with all of his SKU numbers (model/size/color) in every single product he offers would cost the company almost 50,000.00 to become certified.

I'm telling ya- if this happens everyone will be affected by it.

-Madden

[indylodown]

My God, if the current crap small businesses are having to contend with was applied back when I was a kid, BMX or skateboarding or heck - even frisbee golf would have never been allowed to be created.

Right on!

It's just another way the man is trying to get us down.

Remember "when they out law BMX bikes only BMXers will have bikes"

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[Bikemonkeys]

Blame your parents. Darn Baby Boomers are jacking everything up.

[LACK]

Blame your parents. Darn Baby Boomers are jacking everything up.

Yea we are going to have a generational battle here in the next decade...

But on the new law topic..WHOA..I missed that one..its a huge deal. yikes. lack

[Gary Mason WWR]

I raced 3 wheelers bitd and Lawyers took that from us all (dang 4 wheelers). Looks like the U.S made bike companys will expand sales .

[LACK]

Umm the situation is worse! Its scary if turns into a psuedo trade war. yikes see 1932. They just whacked the USA back.

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2008-12...ent_7288103.htm

Twelve food products from the United States have been put on a 90-day
import alert after they were found to be unfit for human consumption,
the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and
Quarantine (AQSIQ) said Tuesday.

[Steve Bourke]

why are there no views to this thread? FED's?

[knucklebutt]

If your kid is licking his frames or tires, better make him stop...just in case.

[MikeCarruth]

If I read the piece properly, it is not only for imports.

CODE

For domestically produced products, the manufacturer is responsible for the conformity certificate, which must be made available to the CPSC upon request before the product is introduced into domestic commerce.

This is unreal!

M

[Bikemonkeys]

Again, it's the Baby Boomers. Look, they didn't like being disciplined, so they put an end to that. They decided that it'd be better to scare parents into keeping their kids in the house then have kids outside being kids. They've mandated that just about anything that they did as kids is outlawed or unsafe. And yet another attempt is being made here.

Maybe this will help Gork's BMXAction Op Ed about shrinking the BMX manufactures down to only a few Large companies to make BMX better like MX.

I wonder if the makers of backseats for cars will have to worry about this law since kids eat off of those.

[Gary Mason WWR]

If I read the piece properly, it is not only for imports.

CODE

For domestically produced products, the manufacturer is responsible for the conformity certificate, which must be made available to the CPSC upon request before the product is introduced into domestic commerce.

Thats hated .