I noticed that my LBS was selling out of all of their 2008 IH bikes for prices really close to cost. I asked them why, and they said that Iron Horse is ending its relationships with all of its independent dealers and that they can't get any more 08 bikes.
So I guess after DW link they will be doing big box cheapo bikes...
By some logic taken one step further it doesn't make sense to buy a Pivot bike, who knows where that company will be in 5 years. I assume they have a similar agreement (as IH) with regard to the DWL so that is not carved in stone forever either.
But personally I wouldn't sell my MK because of or let that stop me from buying a new DWL bike in any case.
By some logic taken one step further it doesn't make sense to buy a Pivot bike, who knows where that company will be in 5 years. I assume they have a similar agreement (as IH) with regard to the DWL so that is not carved in stone forever either.
IH and DW declined to continue working together partly (if not entirely) because IH doesn't want to be in high-end mountain bikes any longer. Or at least they don't want to pay for it. Pivot on the other hand is run by Chris Cocalis who started Titus, and I'm pretty sure if Chris is working in bikes at all, you can bet those bikes will be as close to perfect as you can get. Ever seen the welds on a Titus ti frame? The Pivot bike are also apparently amazing, super stiff and ultra fast, and I HIGHLY doubt if Chis' arrangement with DW goes away at some point would he not honor any warranties. This is not Litespeed or Ellsworth (great bikes; suspect customer service) we're talking about.
IH and DW declined to continue working together partly (if not entirely) because IH doesn't want to be in high-end mountain bikes any longer. Or at least they don't want to pay for it. Pivot on the other hand is run by Chris Cocalis who started Titus, and I'm pretty sure if Chris is working in bikes at all, you can bet those bikes will be as close to perfect as you can get. Ever seen the welds on a Titus ti frame? The Pivot bike are also apparently amazing, super stiff and ultra fast, and I HIGHLY doubt if Chis' arrangement with DW goes away at some point would he not honor any warranties. This is not Litespeed or Ellsworth (great bikes; suspect customer service) we're talking about.
It's hard for me to make that connection by looking at their bike lineup on their website. From what I see, they had way too many bikes in 2007. From $199 department store specials all the way up to the Sundays. For 2008, the lowest spec'ed bike on the list is the Azure. So from one model year to the next they've cleaned out all of their "price friendly" bikes, but everyone seems to think that without DW, they're linking the IH future to big box sporting goods stores?
That being said, I'm not interested in IH until they make a FS 29er. Maybe an Azure frame that I could use to build up a light 69er.
IH and DW declined to continue working together partly (if not entirely) because IH doesn't want to be in high-end mountain bikes any longer. Or at least they don't want to pay for it.
I think that I have made this clear before, but just in case, here it is once more, for the record.
It was 100%, ENTIRELY my choice not to move forward with licensing dw-link to Iron Horse, and to discontinue our relationship. There was nothing mutual about it. I made the decision that it was best for dw-link to cease the relationship, and I did exactly that. Iron Horse had no control at all over this decision. I left them with wishes of luck and the knowledge that they would make whatever decisions they needed to after I left.
I think that I have made this clear before, but just in case, here it is once more, for the record.
It was 100%, ENTIRELY my choice not to move forward with licensing dw-link to Iron Horse, and to discontinue our relationship. There was nothing mutual about it. I made the decision that it was best for dw-link to cease the relationship, and I did exactly that. Iron Horse had no control at all over this decision. I left them with wishes of luck and the knowledge that they would make whatever decisions they needed to after I left.
I thought the consensus on the Pivot application of DW-Link was that it is more cross-country oriented and those who liked the plushness of the MKIII would not find the Mach 5 to be the same sort of ride...
I thought the consensus on the Pivot application of DW-Link was that it is more cross-country oriented and those who liked the plushness of the MKIII would not find the Mach 5 to be the same sort of ride...
I thought the consensus on the Pivot application of DW-Link was that it is more cross-country oriented and those who liked the plushness of the MKIII would not find the Mach 5 to be the same sort of ride...
The Mach 4 (100mm travel) is a lot closer to an Azure in terms of suspension feel than a MKIII. The Mach 4's geometry is also a lot closer to the Azure than MK also.
The Mach 5, especially with the 2009 RP23 is a treat to ride. It has plushness like a MKIII, and its a rocket to pedal. The Interbike dirt demo bikes last year has 2008 spec shocks with shock tunes that were just too harsh on the compression. The new bikes are nothing short of amazing in my opinion. They have root eating plushness combined with some end travel ramp like a MKIII. I've put over 200 trail riding miles on my Mach 5 in the last 2 months and loved every minute. Between my MKIII, Ibis Mojo, and Mach 5, I have a lot of fun pedaling out in the woods!
Yeah, I know they ride nice and all, but having to worry about getting parts and all that now that IH won't be supporting the Mkiii line anymore, I wouldn't want to deal with that hassle. I'm guessing you probably won't be able to get anything the day after your warranty is up, I mean any kind of part, and what's more they they tend to be cheaply built anyway so they might not last as long without problems/issues as other frames. I just think you'd be better off ponying up the extra cash for a Pivot frame than taking advantage of any IH fire sales, IMO.
man , i see way to much worry here about what their plan is....if you should buy one.....if you should sell yours....what about this? what about that? geeeez....lets all just worry about the next ride... if they sell it to ya.... they'll back it up.
Yeah, I know they ride nice and all, but having to worry about getting parts and all that now that IH won't be supporting the Mkiii line anymore, I wouldn't want to deal with that hassle. I'm guessing you probably won't be able to get anything the day after your warranty is up, I mean any kind of part, and what's more they they tend to be cheaply built anyway so they might not last as long without problems/issues as other frames. I just think you'd be better off ponying up the extra cash for a Pivot frame than taking advantage of any IH fire sales, IMO.
We will continue to support our bikes, from the Azure to the Sunday, through their warranty period and beyond. Now, I'm not privy to the details of the contract but I don't believe there's anything included in the contract stopping us from ordering pivot kits for these bikes in the future. Even if there were, we would just order a ton of stuff before the contract expired so that you guys can keep riding your bikes. We would never purposefully hang you guys out to dry, throw you under the bus, or any other saying for screwing someone here. It's just not going to happen. If it means we have to order thousands of pivot kits this winter then that's what we'll do. Hopefully this makes you guys feel a little better about your bikes and the status for parts in the future.
We will continue to support our bikes, from the Azure to the Sunday, through their warranty period and beyond. Now, I'm not privy to the details of the contract but I don't believe there's anything included in the contract stopping us from ordering pivot kits for these bikes in the future. Even if there were, we would just order a ton of stuff before the contract expired so that you guys can keep riding your bikes. We would never purposefully hang you guys out to dry, throw you under the bus, or any other saying for screwing someone here. It's just not going to happen. If it means we have to order thousands of pivot kits this winter then that's what we'll do. Hopefully this makes you guys feel a little better about your bikes and the status for parts in the future.
That's nice to know. Business model change or not, I'm sure it doesn't pay to get bad publicity. I guess given all the rumors about going to exclusively low end sales,
we can get ourselves worked up over the possibilities. Thanks for the update:thumbsup:
The Mach 5, especially with the 2009 RP23 is a treat to ride. It has plushness like a MKIII, and its a rocket to pedal. The Interbike dirt demo bikes last year has 2008 spec shocks with shock tunes that were just too harsh on the compression. The new bikes are nothing short of amazing in my opinion. They have root eating plushness combined with some end travel ramp like a MKIII. I've put over 200 trail riding miles on my Mach 5 in the last 2 months and loved every minute. Between my MKIII, Ibis Mojo, and Mach 5, I have a lot of fun pedaling out in the woods!
I can attest to this! Though I'll admit it did take me quite a few rides to get the sag just right. Now that I've got that squared away I'm loving my Mach 5. It gives me the ability to run the rear suspension relatively soft without losing anything when pedaling or mashing up hills. Even during out of the saddle efforts there is no noticeable bob.
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