CETMA rack ordering experiences?
 

hey, i was wondering if anybody has ordered a CETMA rack recently... and how the process went.
i ordered one about 2+ weeks ago, and haven't seen anything of it yet. i understand the guy is moving etc, i was just wondering how long people have been waiting for them. i have already called/emailed, and dont want to be annoying, i just really want the rack!

my experience was getting accidentally sent two racks and being told i could just keep the second one

but that was a long time ago and doesn't relate to your question except to say i'm sure he's doing the best he can. i'm sure he'll probably pop up in this thread soon enough.

Let us know how it turns out, I'm looking forward to ordering one in the not too distant future.

my experience was good. he kept in contact, let me know that it would take longer than expected, then sent me a powder coated one for no extra charge when I had ordered a normal spray painted one.

Yeah, mine took over a month to come, and when it did, it was powder-coated. I never got an explanation, but it seemed like a reasonable apology for such a long delay (was quoted two weeks, originally).

Sorry for waking the dead,
but mine arrived today, I ordered it at the beggining of august

Lane is the man! this guy is in my city and I can tell you first hand he is an awesome guy! He runs the whole deal in a tiny shed in his backyard and works himself super hard to keep up with all the orders. Be patient and know you are truly ordering from a one man operation from a great guy! I love mine and I'd suggest one to anyone! plus his wife makes some bomb cookies!

This is sort of irrelevant since you already ordered one but I welded my own CETMA-esque rack-

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h1...FrontRack2.jpg
I'd say the stuff Lane makes has better fit/finish than my homemade version, but it was also a lot less expensive to DIY it.

i remember when he lived in sf, when i ordered mine he delivered it to my job the very day i ordered it... that was a few years ago, damn i need to build up something to put that rack on again...

i picked mine up at a local shop but i'm sure it will be more than worth the wait

Okay, He sent me a very nice apologetic email. I think he was moving with that long jon bike. I havn't mounted yet but should be nice.

my saying is, "order and forget it"
it takes a while but is well worth the wait. when you can haul a 43lb laundry bag on it, you'll forget about how long you waited since you'll enjoy what can be done
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3051/...71627821_b.jpg

Here it is, love it, its not staying on this bike though

Shes a 40 year old beast, It handled this with ease
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h2...r/IMGP2979.jpg
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h2...r/IMGP2985.jpg
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h2...r/IMGP2988.jpg

wanted to add my story:

ordered a rack in august. it's now november.

still no rack.


sent a few emails, but i've received no reply. i'm willing to take into account that his recent price increases and moving his shop have slowed down orders. i understand that. and that's fine. but i do expect an email just letting me know when he thinks my rack will be done.

i'm sure the rack will be great and i understand he's a one man shop, but it is good customer service to keep your customers informed of any delays.

update: rack came yesterday. three months late.

Three months or weeks?

it's worth the wait. rack on!

i am still waiting on mine. 1.5 months. Still a very nice guy to deal with. Anyone leave theirs on all the time, not just on a utilitarian conversion but on something a little higher end?

It has permanent duty on the hauler now; fits perfectly!
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3049/...7edf5834_b.jpg

Months. It was a pain to wait that long. Especially since none of my emails abbout when i might see the rack were ever responded to. Oh well, I have it now. But I probably won't order from CETMA again.

Shoddy customer service is never worth the wait.

How much work is involved in simply letting a customer know when he can expect his purchase?

true that! I guess I'm being too optimistic about it. Mine took 2 months to make when his site said 2 weeks (at the time)

There must be some alternatives for a good front rack, no?

I'd really prefer not waiting over a month and paying over $100.

Maybe this video will help a bit to understand Cetma: http://tramnesia.com/working.html

Yeah, I get it. I understood it before I ordered (in August). That's even why I ordered from him. I'm totally psyched for the guy that he also has that Long Jan-style cargo bike project in the works. I think the US needs more cargo bikes. Especially since I ride a dedicated cargo bike (big dummy). I just wish his priorities included making steady progress on delivering his existing orders before going back for overtime on the new project(s).

Maybe my mistake was making an order for the rack, and then making a subsequent order for a T-Shirt which he doesn't actually offer as a stock item. Maybe he's holding up my rack until the T-Shirt production happens? Anyway, now I want the new style struts and a fence and the T-Shirt needs to say "CETMA Cargo" instead of "CETMA Racks". But I'll be damned if I'm going to jeopardize my place in line by effing with the standing order now.

Whatever. I guess since my wife and kid probably won't be riding on the Big Dummy for the next couple (four) months at least, I won't need the extra cargo space until it warms up here outside Boston. Maybe Lane will figure out his order-fulfillment process by then. Damn I hope so.