Outside of the CC number being typed out already, this is exactly what I did. I bought a 60/90 set today & had it in my cart & started the checkout process before the timer actually hit zero. I had two browser windows open on the 60 front & 90 back pages (which saved me about 30 seconds of having to navigate to the second one after buying the first). When the timer hit 2 minutes, I started refreshing both pages until it let me add to cart (roughly with under a minute left on the clock). Picked my sticker color, hub type, told them I'm not a clydesdale, and I was ready to pay. I had already walked myself through their checkout process on a dry run earlier with a shirt, so I knew what to expect. I was done & had a confirmation email of my order at 1:01 PM EST.

I went back just to check out a rear disc & I was able to add one of those to the cart too. I'm going to hold off until the next order before I get one, but at least I know the method to get one.

I also think that it's funny to see people argue that they need to raise prices to meet demand. Have any of you even read the first paragraphs on their "About Us" page? No? I will save you the time...

http://www.flocycling.com/about.php
The basis of their entire business plan was built on affordable wheels that the average athlete who could not afford a set of Zipps or HEDs could obtain. For them to have garnered the following they have today would be completely lost if all of a sudden they were charging close to those two. After all, they are aluminum rims attached to carbon fairings which are heavier than the pricier wheels, but that's the tradeoff for affordability.

We can argue economics all day, but the way I see it, the issue is not the price. They have their sweet spot there, and moving out of that sweet spot means abandoning their business model and potentially losing customers to the upper competition or another new competitor who will come in behind them to fill that space. Their issue is staffing, cash flow, & supply chain. They are a small two person operation with a very loyal following. They wisely outsource the hard parts like order fulfillment. But they have not gone the route of staffing up to become a larger operation. They could do that, find another big investor, and quintuple their next order from their manufacturer, but in the end, it's their business, their model, and their wheels. If you are willing to play the game they have so strategically created, good for you. If you hate it, go buy some Zipps.

Thats exactly how they did their first couple of pre orders. I was on the very first pre order and had to pay up front and wait 5 months for delivery while the wheels were produced then shipped over. At least now if you place an order you get them within a week or two.

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Twitter@Forsey37

This is the same conversation we have after every FLO sale. I am sure there are a lot of new Slowtwitchers that haven't been a part of those debates but that is what the search function is for.

The truth is that nobody on this board (other than the FLO owners who do occasional post here) truly understand their business model and what they are trying to accomplish. I guarantee you that it is not as simple as supply and demand. But you all can pretend to know how easy it is to run a successful company in an ultra competitive low margin industry.

This is why I recently fulfilled my budget purchase by snagging some used Zipps at my leisure. This all reminds me too much of the bum's rush that happens every year at Walmart when they unlock the doors on Black Friday.

same to some WTC ironman races i suppose...... :\

they don't need equity (or capital). which (having not watched the show) the sharks bargain for in exchange for help?

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36 kona qualifiers 2006-'23 - 3 Kona Podiums - 4 OA IM AG wins - 5 IM AG wins - 18 70.3 AG wins
I ka nana no a 'ike -- by observing, one learns | Kulia i ka nu'u -- strive for excellence
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It seems like they are using the proceeds from one order to pay for the next, and each order is extremely limited. I would think that an influx of capital would allow them to increase the size of their orders. My guess is that they don't want to give up the equity they have in the company in exchange for that investment.

Exactly, they are making a choice to limit supply in order to sell the wheels ASAP when their supplier ships them. This limits their risk of sitting on unsold inventory and allows them to pay for orders as they go. They are also growing sales at 50% per year so they could certainly put the capital to good use. The sharks would tell them that the are leaving sales on the table because they don't have the money to finance inventory.

You saw the points I made about determine what the correct point is to raise prices to, right? I also said nothing about an increase in supply. Once revenue and profits increase and they invest properly, they can investigate increasing supply.

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Chicago Cubs - 2016 WORLD SERIES Champions!!!!

"If ever the time should come, when vain and aspiring men shall possess the highest seats in government, our country will stand in need of its experienced patriots to prevent its ruin." - Samuel Adams

Hmmmm....besides 10 years in the bike business, I compete on a daily basis in a low-margin, high competition business. A level of competitiveness that far exceeds what I saw in the bike biz. So far I have doubled our sales, brought us to profitably and last year increased profit by over 150% (I won't bother telling you how much I increased profits the year before because it is absurdly high and sounds completely unbelievable).

To a certain degree, it is all just widgets and strategies that are successful cross all product categories.

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Chicago Cubs - 2016 WORLD SERIES Champions!!!!

"If ever the time should come, when vain and aspiring men shall possess the highest seats in government, our country will stand in need of its experienced patriots to prevent its ruin." - Samuel Adams

That goes against the entire reason we started the company. We started the company because we feel that high quality aero wheels can be affordable. We want to continue running the company that way. In 3 years we haven't had a single price increase because we are sticking to our founding principles. Raising our prices just makes us every other wheel company.

Also, in October and December we couldn't sell our wheels. They were available for days and weeks on end. Having the "magic" stock number at all times is tough. It's even harder when you have to keep paying the bills. Sure "keep raising prices", or "just order more" sounds so easy... I used to think that way before we started our company. The fact is it's not as easy as it should be. Even the big companies run out of stock. The magic is in making sure you order just enough wheels to keep paying the bills and not too many that you bankrupt yourself. Add a heavy product development budget on top of that, plus dozens of other things I haven't even mentioned and it's easy to see it's a moving target.

Are we perfect? Absolutely not, but it's not so simple that "just doing x" fixes everything.

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Chris Thornham
Co-Founder And Previous Owner Of FLO Cycling

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Chris Thornham
Co-Founder And Previous Owner Of FLO Cycling

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Chris Thornham
Co-Founder And Previous Owner Of FLO Cycling

Enough ST'ing...get those wheels a shippin' out!

=)

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Formerly TriBrad02

From October through to the end of December last year we had stock for weeks on end. Nobody wanted the wheels. Right now demand is ultra high and we sold out quicker than we have in the past. Sure having the perfect number of wheels in stock may seem easy, but it's not. It's a constantly moving target. You never know how many wheels will sell at any given point in time. Sometimes we are right on, sometimes we order too much, and other times not enough. Apple runs out of stock, the big bike companies run out of stock, car companies run out of stock etc. In order to stay in business you need to find a balance. Again, what we do isn't perfect. I'll never say it is. But I can assure you it's a little more than hoopla.

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Chris Thornham
Co-Founder And Previous Owner Of FLO Cycling

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Chris Thornham
Co-Founder And Previous Owner Of FLO Cycling

Yep, got a pair of 60s with no difficulty in November. I'm no wheel expert but I really like them.

I agree with all of the above.
However, I would wager that a near negligible number of potential customers would feel alienated or put off by a price increase of say $25/wheel.
This would barely constitute a price increase once you consider inflation since they started selling a few years ago.
They would still sell out, it might just take 3 minutes instead of 2 ;)

What this would give them though is $112,500pa of pure profit (based on an estimate of 5 pre orders of 900 wheels each year) to invest in the business.

Personally, I'm a fan of FLO and the ethics of the Thornham brothers.
They set out with a fairly basic aim of providing good quality aero wheels at an affordable price and they have stuck to that at their own expense.
Sure, some people find it frustrating that they can't get a set when they want. But the fact remains that they have provided customers with an inexpensive option at a time when we were being told that aero wheels needed to cost the earth.

Agree on all points.
I have a lot of hours on a set of Flo 60's since lucking out and nabbing a pair in 2012. The wheels have been through all sorts of training in all seasons and conditions and have not needed to be trued yet. I tried twice for a pair of Flo 30's and missed those. I did not make me mad that I could not get a pair or upset for how the guys go about selling Flo wheels. I simply went to a friend and had a pair of HED Belgium wheels built that cost me a little more.

For the price that I paid for the Flo 60's and how they have held up it was a good value.
FWIW, I've never won a bid on ebay for things I wanted and didn't get upset. At least I got a pair of Flo's once :-)

I just wanted to say I have really enjoyed watching the entrepreneurial spirit go from a seed to where you are now. Love to see this and wish you guys the best as you move forward!

Love it, Chris. Keep up the good work! The armchair business people on this forum will continue to hate...you'll continue to provide a great product at a great price with great customer service.

x10

I like their prices the way they are.... we have plenty of overpriced stuff we can blow our money on and they are doing well.

I hope to snag a set of 30s one of these days for my road bike.

Hmmm.....or, possibly people with experience are offering advice in the hopes that FLO can survive and stop walking the financial tightrope.

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Chicago Cubs - 2016 WORLD SERIES Champions!!!!

"If ever the time should come, when vain and aspiring men shall possess the highest seats in government, our country will stand in need of its experienced patriots to prevent its ruin." - Samuel Adams