Mongoose, Haro, and Redline have also done retro bikes in the last couple of years, SE is just the latest old-skool name to put out some retro gear.

Wal-Mart killed the Mongoose name, they may still build some nice high end stuff, but most of us old-skool guys see the brand as dead.

SE, Haro and RL still put out great stuff...

nobody @ SE is getting rich on a few hundred retro frames, I think they were done in large part due to the overwhelming response from this sight as there resident BMX pro/ sales dude frequents these boards. "pretty cool if you ask me"

spy shots are cool, but SE & DC spent the time and $$ on these projects, it's their show, and they should drop the curtain...

props to all involved, those bikes ROCK !!

[ May 28, 2007, 07:20 AM: Message edited by: rsrichie ]

So Spicoli, because the bikes come out of Walmart instead of a LBS they're crap?
They come from the same factory/factories! Probably the same guy welding Geese before lunch is welding the new PK's after lunch. Why does where they're sold from make them crap?
Maybe no one is getting rich (but seeing you brought it up) work it out.
If each of those 250 frames were purchased by someone who is also buying a set of pads and a shirt/jersey, etc...spending as much as a thousand bucks each...that's a quarter mil without blinking. Pretty good money for cheap Taiwanese crap (taking the mongoose/Walmart approach) I'd say!
No one is denying SE's right to make money...it's business.
The issue is simply that they are using emotional appeal to 're-gain' a very large part of their old customer base.
Just out of curiosity...do the new PK's come with the same warranty cards as all of the other Asian built bikes? Ie..."this bike is not meant for jumping or off road use"?

Isn't this the part where someone usually cries to a mod to lock this thread?

There was a great article in RIDE UK early last year about this very topic.They referenced an S&M ad that came out in the early 90s that showed a young kid with a welding torch. Basically, the ad claimed that bikes/parts made in Taiwan/China where made by kids in sweatshops and were of very poor quality.

Ride UK magazine went to a typical factory in Taiwan and documented the process involved in producing Eastern bikes and Volume bikes. They showed photos of the CNC machines and of the factory itself.

The fact is that Asian bike factories can produce first- grade quality parts and frames. However, they follow quality guidelines that are given to them by the bike companies from overseas. That is why you can get a Wal-mart Mongoose,Volume Bennett bars, and Odyssey/G-Sport parts coming from the same factories. Time and quality equals COST.

The bike manufacturers are trying to appeal to certain price points and in some cases quality is sacrificed for cost. I think people respond to quality and will pay for it. The retro projects prove this no matter where they are made.

LOL Heaven forbid that people have thier own opinions LOL

LOL Heaven forbid that people have thier own opinions LOL

When did it become a crime or unethical to target and market to your customer base? EVERY smart, successful business does it.

So let me get this straight. The discussion is that a Wal-mart Mongoose is as well built as a PK Ripper. But aren't there other multiple factors involved when welding some steel or aluminum together other than what factory it was done at? I'm no expert, but doesn't the type, size, thickness, and fabrication of the tubing come into play? Or even the actual design and engineering of the frame? What about components?

I guess the same could be said for high end mountain and road bikes. Are the ones at Wal-mart just as good as the ones at your local LBS? Is it really just the same product? Are cyclists just getting hoodwinked by smart marketing? Ah, I see, it's a conspiracy.

So, a Mustang is really no better of a car than an Escort. Both do fundamentally the same thing. Get you to and fro without having to walk. We are just brainwashed ( marketed to) into thinking one is cooler and worth thousands of dollars more? They both come out of the same factory, right?

This isn't a stupid discussion because of the subject matter, but because ( me included), most of us here don't have all the facts about what goes into building and fabricating a low end or high end BMX bike.

Maybe the bike companies don't want us to know. Another conspiracy!!!

Captain, No one said it was a crime or unethical!
Re-read my previous posts. I agree that what SE are doing is smart. They are appealing to the emotions of a particular group. Good marketing!
However there are alot of people here who seem to think they're doing this as a favour for the 'older' guys. CRAP! They're doing it to sell bikes and to capture another area of te market. Again...not a bad thing. Good marketing!
Capt'n....do you honestly think the factories which produce these bikes have one pile of 'higher quality' tubing for SE's bikes and another 'lesser' quality for brands such as Mongoose? Come on. Litigation is litigation. All bikes would have to be made with a minimum grade of materials or they would leave themselves open legally incase of an accident/breakage.
Kona have a pretty good name as far as mtn bikes go right? I own Kona, Giant and Mongoose. The mongoose is the better constructed bike of them all!
They all have the 'made in China' sticker on them too.
I work in the manufacturing industry. I have seen the exact same product come off an assembly line and go into two different brands of packaging. One alot cheaper than the other. I have watched as people argue about which is better and eventually had to step in and lay down the facts "sorry guys, they both come out of the same machine". It's all about the marketing. Do you think the new DC jerseys are of better quality than a Walmart jersey? Nope! Same!!!
As far as cars go....well that's for another discussion. However I own a Suburban. A rarity here. I would have been much better off spending half the money and buying a vehicle twice as good (Toyota Landcruiser) but I just 'had' to have a Burb!
You guys started the hype....you then get your noses out of joint when someone points out that the bikes everyone bags (Mongooses, the newer Redlines...infact nearly all bikes) all come from the same factories as your beloved SE's.
I was the biggest fan of SE once....now...Bleh!!!!
And there are more and more like me everytime one of these threads appears!

quote:

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I was the biggest fan of SE

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Did you mean SE Racing or SE Bikes?