vik 

From the Surly Blog:

"The good news is that we managed to squeeze in another run of Big Dummy frames. That's one whole production run more than we had originally planned. It is much easier to type about adding another production run of frames than to actually implement such a thing. We did it because of demand, because you people have embraced the Big Dummy and other bikes of its ilk instead of simply buying a somewhat more fuel efficient car. There are not enough thank yous to express how gratifying that is. So more BD frames are coming in a few weeks, and then late this summer we should get even more.

The bad news is that steel prices and transportation costs have increased significantly of late, which means our costs are going up and so are yours. While the price increases will be felt across the line, there are a lot of people waiting on Big Dummy frames who may have paid a deposit already. If you are waiting on a Big Dummy, or if you are a shop that has quoted a price to a customer for a Big Dummy (or Long Haul Trucker for that matter), check in with whoever you need to and update your agreement. MSRP for a Big Dummy frame and fork is now $1050. It was $895. We've actually factored into this number another impending and definitely happening price increase so that we won't have to do this again anytime soon.

So that's that. Again, this will affect the prices of everything we sell, but it should be of particular importance to those of you who have been waiting and budgeting and maybe even paid some money down at your local bike shop in anticipation of your beautiful new whatever... Big Dummy, Long Haul Trucker, what have you.

Sorry to get all business but sometimes cold got to be."

dwnptrl_777

Well...can't say that's a monstrous surprise.

strange agent

17% is considerable but everything is going up.

Sirrus Rider

I wonder if they realize they could go into regular mainstream/long term production of the Big Dummy like their other frames. It's my feeling that the BD is the future of ultility cycling for those who can afford the very best.

donnamb 

I am not surprised.

surfimp

It's really not that huge of a price jump, but I suspect we're going to see some more competition in this market in the coming year.

FWIW, the Xtracycle I've just put together is great... of course I can't compare it to a BD, but for my needs so far, it's just great. Tows my kids around in our trailer just fine and has been able to capably swallow the (relatively small) cargo loads I've thrown at it with aplomb.

Steve

invisiblehand

I recall that Surly frames are built overseas. If so, the falling dollar and rising fuel prices -- one has to transport the frame from Taiwan to wherever one buys them -- would have such an effect.

Dan Burkhart 

The one factor that affects the Big Dummy to a much greater extent than regular sized frames is transportation. This is due entirely to the dimensions of the shipping box. I got a Big Dummy shipped in a few weeks ago, and the shipping cost was about four times the rate for a Cross Ckeck.

vik 

I didn't post the the price increase info to complain.....that's just how things are these days and as Dan pointed out the size of the BD is a big factor - not just in shipping, but throughout the manufacturing process. You've got these bike factories that are setup to efficiently pump out normal size bikes very rapidly and then you make the bike bigger - that snafus the whole works until they reorganize and work out a new setup. With such small production runs it would be hard to recapture the scale of efficiencies they'd see on a LHT or CC. I'm just glad Surly made the BD in the first place.

On the bright side early adopters actually got a deal!

dwnptrl_777

Um, I wasn't gonna gloat about that fact, but since you mentioned it...

WH!!!!!!

penexpers

Good that there more frames.

Bad (for me) that there is a price increase. It'll be interesting to see how this increase is reflected on this side of the pond.

CastIron

Dow Chemical has announced two price increases in the last month of 25% and another 20%. That increase will affect the price of damn near everything else in cycling and in you everyday life. This is at the raw materials level. Retail is a whole 'nother ballgame.

invisiblehand

Good point.

penexpers

On another point, I wonder did Surly forgo a production run for another one of their framesets in order to squeeze another Big Dummy run in?

wahoonc

Prices of everything are headed up...the elcheapo POS Huffy Cranbrook from Walmart has gone up 12% in the past month. Raw materials and the cost of shipping have gone up even more. And that is a standard sized mega mass produced bike.

Aaron

streetlightpoet

17% isn't bad for a longtail considering a lot of major cycling companies are planning 20% across the board. Definitely not good news, but not at all surprising either.

Throwmeabone

Does anyone know the old and new prices for the Cross Check and LHT?

rustguard

I know no one will like it; but at that price wouldn't it be cheaper to make it out of aluminum? I'm not saying it would be better but for the people with less money it might make utility cycling more of a reality

OldLog

So if I read this correct if you have one on order at a certain price the order will not be honored? If that is the case I wouldn't think that is a good business practice. Kind of like ordering a car and then waiting only to find out they want 17 percent more in the middle of your order.

Torrilin

No, they're saying to check with your retailer. No manufacturer can tell a store what price to charge for an item. But, since the manufacturer *knows* they're doing a giant price increase, they are sensibly suggesting that customers make sure that they know what price they're paying, because the store may well need to change the deal... and the time to find out is not when the store has accepted delivery of a your frame.

vik 

+1 - Surly didn't promise the BD to their dealers at a given price, but the dealers reasonably assumed it would stay the same. Surly is just being up front about the fact you better validate the cost you'll be paying for a BD so that you can save the extra $$ or get your deposit back and buy an Xtracycle kit....whatever you feel like doing. Knowing the margins in the bike industry I'd be very suprised if any LBS/Surly dealer sucked up a 17% price increase on a pre-order.

I think a big part of the cost increase comes from the size/complexity of the BD so even if it was made out of AL you'd see the price jump. I would be less keen on a cargo bike made from AL - the BD has a very nice compliant ride...not sure you'd get that from a big tubed AL bike and the fat tubes would be very ding prone. I think for those that can't afford a BD the Xtracycle is a great choice with much of the same performance and a lot more flexibility in terms of using a donor bike you might have around.

I haven't heard anything yet...my guess would be a increase of 7-10%.

JeffS

QBP does not accept backorders, so any order you have is strictly between you and the shop. It would be up to them to honor the price. I wouldn't hold my breath.