Originally Posted by
veganbikes
They were, that is correct. I don't know how they came to the stem but like most of the world people design something and likely they have a factory build it that is super common. Some have their own factories some do not. You miss the R+D and just assume it falls from the sky. Sure Velo Orange has products made overseas but it is not like they aren't putting in R+D time which is the crucial element. Just saying well they signed a contract and bought some stuff and sell it at a different price is part of the story and glosses over how the product initially came to be.
Sure you can go to a factory somewhere and say build me whatever and if they can do it, they might do it but you don't get far like that but if you say "we have this design and would like you to produce it" and then they are working with them long term to make sure QC is good and everything is working well then you have a good product and can stay in business for a while.
Grocery stores don't can all their own corn in house.
I agree with you there is a difference between:
A) the factory was already producing the product before you came into the picture, you're simply acting as a middleman reseller, vs...
B) the design existed in the past but was no longer being made, you paid a factory to start making it again, vs...
C) the design didn't exist, you wrote an email to the factory describing what you want, and the factory's designer drew it up in CAD on your behalf
D) you designed the thing yourself and sent the factory a CAD drawing
With companies like VO and F5, it's mostly A and B, a small amount of C, and zero D.
There is an Australian company called "www.justrideit.com.au" which is currently selling the same exact stem under their own name "JRI Rigg Stem 1" - 31.8mm". So either an Australian company is stealing a Chinese company's design, or the design actually belongs to the factory and both companies are pure middlemen. The Australian company is selling it for $121. You can buy it direct on Aliexpress for $34 which includes free shipping from the other side of the world (lol). The local Chinese price on Taobao is about $20 (at today's USD exchange rate). The source cost at the factory is probably $5-8. What a joke.
Taobao link:
https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?abb...c=taobaoSearch
And here's the Shimano stem that I also have. Similar look, different mechanism. It uses a long allen key to reach inside the stem for tightening. I actually like the Shimano version more but it's only for traditional smaller diameter handlebars.
https://cicli-berlinetta.com/product...e7gL0tqP4UovR-