Originally Posted by
Sy Reene
So this seems the singlemost straightforward reason that costs have to be higher thru US channels of distibution, yet I don't see very many folks challenging Shimano on this singular point? Is there an interview question out there asked/answered on this issue?
So how does Wiggle or Merlin or Ribble or whatnot buy their parts, and why can't at least Amazon or Competitive Cyclist (and I would have suggested Nashbar/performance, but let's not go there) do the same in the same manner.
You can't solve anything unless you figure out the root cause.
I wonder if there is more competition in Europe...
So we get back to MONOPOLY BEHAVIOR.
Since Schwinn, Murray, & etc all but vanished, Shimano and Suntour really took over in the USA. Then Shimano generally squeezed Suntour out of the market, and we were left with ONE.
I have to believe that Campagnolo is still strong in southern Europe, and perhaps in Europe in general.
Get the prices too high, and the Italians would flock to even the lower Campagnolo component groups.
SRAM?
But, yes, a lot of this is about Shimano USA protecting their turf.