More supply side drama.
 

I was just informed that we won't see CX-Ray spokes in Taiwan again for at least another 40 weeks. Other Sapim spokes are pretty much the same.

It just keeps getting better and better.

If you need Sapim, and you see some...buy them.

Steel is real............real hard to come by currently.

I'm digging into my hoarder/packrat stash of various parts just to help friends stay on the road. Wish there was more enthusiasm for knocking this thing down so we could return to normal.:foo:

Declaring it "fake" should do the trick, no?

I've been thinking about Pillar Wing spokes for my next build. Are they having a similar supply issues?

We just ordered a bunch of TB 2015 spokes and we have a 15 day lead time (time until delivery). That's pretty quick. I assume that means they have material and capacity.

I have no idea about the wing spokes but I'm guessing they're in better shape than Sapim . Again, that's a guess.

Having dealt with Sapim for years, there have always been delays from their side. Great products however production has always seemed to be an issue - they'd manage to churn out the orders...eventually. Now it just seems much, much worse.

Was just in the LBS and asked for an 11 speed chain. They had one KMC chain left, which I grabbed, and other than that, they only had the $145 CeramicSpeeds. Said that Shimano isn't making any more 11 spd chains until maybe later this year.

I was able to get an 11 speed shimano chain maybe 3 months ago easy as such and in that case I am good. I just recently decided to upgrade my 6800 rear derailleur and was able to get an R8000 from Jenson. The bike was shifting fine but the angle of the pinch bolt and rear loop are just much better and smoother on the R8000 I us GS cage. Maybe it was a good idea to do that as I have the spare original 6800. I have even been thinking of getting a spare headset. My TI Habby uses external cup headset and Ritchey makes the one I use. On they website they are not in stock but I see one on another. Headset are usually fine but did have to replace the original one at about 20,000 miles 4 years as bottom cup bears got corroded up. I just wonder if it is good to simply have lots of parts in your bins because of course I am my own mechanic completely.

I ride and fix up old bikes. I'm still getting hit up by friends and neighbors looking for a bike to ride. I've been a little surprised by the demand for the old bikes sitting in my garage once they're fixed up, :)

Interesting discussion. I decided to buy a new gravel bike, a Specialized Diverge, but couldn't find one my size but wanted to do a local gravel race. So I bought a new surly straggler frame, a used set of HED Ardennes wheels but couldn't find a gravel groupset either shimano or scram. So i found an old shimano 3 x 9 and used it but didnt find shifters compatable with hydraulic rakes so i went with a flat bar. Not exactly what I wanted but it works. Ill be happy when I can get a real groupset and drop bars.

Just dropped a bike off at my LBS for a shifter issue, and the owner said he's buying Dura Ace chains at full retail price from the Netherlands, because the 30 chains he bought in the winter, that he figured would get him through till Fall are all gone.

Yes, there was another thread about 3 weeks ago about 11 speed chain shortages, which further exacerbated the problem because we all saw it and ran out to buy more chains. I bought one from a LBS (Jax):

Shimano XT HG701 11-Speed Chain - Southern California Bike Shop | Jax Bicycle (jaxbicycles.com)

It is still available, but for $5 more than what I had paid.

Amazon has a ton of 11sp chains.

At least we can still get Eurobikes.

Not a ton. Click on those links and many say either "available soon" or "only x left", with x as a small number.

I only clicked on the link that I had previously bought 6 chains from in the past and they had 4, not exactly a ton. The Shimano store had no limit on Ultegra and I stopped there.

I think I'm gonna buy my next chain...

FYI - We just ordered a few thousand Pillar Wing 21 Spokes for an OE customer and lead times seem normal. These may end up being the go-to spoke for the foreseeable future.

Blue plastic electrical junction boxes and similar products are currently unobtainable in the building/construction industry. It's been that way since March.

Isn't it weird and so random what things are in short supply? An injection-molded item like that should be so simple to churn out. But here we are.

Factory that makes them needs a few Sapim spokes to fix their machinery.

Yeah, the silver ones, not the black ones...

You'd think. I think transportation/containers/vessels are the main issue. I got a message a month or two ago from a collated fastener company that the cost to reserve a container from Taiwan had increased to 10k per container.
For the average Joe, let's get back to that simple spoke. Or in my case, a collated hot dip nail. Both seem like simple products. Due to environmental/chemical regulations, the raw steel may have to do lots of traveling to/from different locations/countries before it is a finished galvanized spoke or nail. The raw steel becomes rod, then wire which is sent to the nail manufacturer. The manufacturer makes the individual nails. Those nails have to be sent to a different location for the chemical hot dipping process. After that, they are sent back to the manufacturer to be collated, packaged, etc. I can certainly see why we have delays/issues currently.

If you look at/follow the tire/tubing pricing thread, the OP said he got dropped by one of his material suppliers because of material demands of other, bigger companies. If you can't get materials, you can't make the product. The screw/fastener company I referenced up thread stop taking any new screw orders in May. Until they get a clearer picture/plan/forecast with the actual manufacturer in Taiwan, no new product, period. That's on the whole product line. My company ordered 3 or 4 skids of some sizes we could substitute for the main item we sell before they froze the line. That stuff still has to be payed for though, while it's sitting on the shelf waiting to be sold. That becomes a problem eventually.

To further pile on, I have a shipment(1 or 2 pallets) that arrived at the local terminal over the weekend. It was at the terminal when I checked on Monday morning. Each morning, no new status. I call this morning and speak to customer service. They tell me they are short staffed and 100 trailers behind. They will call on Monday with a better forecast on when it can be delivered. If I need it before then, I will have to come out and pick it up. The vendor pays for the freight with a minimum order and chooses the freight company. :cry: