A customer was kind enough to forward an e-mail to me that he received from a major manufacturer. He had inquired about lead times for a product.
The manufacturer, a major consumer of carbon fiber and popularly known brand of carbon fiber cycling equipment, replied that they were facing “shortages” of carbon fiber. The e-mail from the manufacturer mentioned something to the effect that they were having difficulty finding enough production capacity.
??? Hmmm. I am not seeing a shortage per se’ here, with the exception of a couple products…
"I am not seeing a shortage per se’ here, with the exception of a couple products… "
Would one of those be a certain item I am interested in draping a Chorus groupset on, Tom? If that is the case are there any deals going on 2004 frames? I am guessing I would be after a 48 or would you say a 51?
Hmm, well, we haven’t seen shortages of products from Cervelo per se’, they are very forthright about their supply and production. They keep a pretty tight reign on things so there is hardly ever any excess inventory, and that helps maintain the value.
R2.5’s are usually a bit tough to get just because demand is high, the price is pretty fair and a lot of people want them.
Damn, the only other one I know of is Hidalgo. Good film in a Disney kind of way. BUT, it is about an endurance event! Bet you seen that too, that is the problem we get yor film 6 months after you! Darn!
The price of raw carbon has gone up anywhere from 5-25%, depending on manufacturer. This is due to the increased price of petro-chemical products, and carbon fibre IS a petrochemical product.
I actually heard the same thing at my LBS this week…glad I got my orders in early - but it sounds like a few of the big boys will be short for the year.