Vindikta

I was having some work done in my shop the other day and when it was done, the guys that were doing the work asked if they could hang out for a bit and look at some of the equipment and handlebars that were being bent up. I gave them a cold soda and we talked about bikes and welding and I let them use some scrap steel and make some passes in the english wheel. They only hung out for about 20 minutes before they had to get to their next assignment but when they left they were appreciative for the sodas and for letting them try the wheel and hanging out to take a quick break in their day. I thought back to the “master builder” that tried to sell me $250 pieces of crap and if he would have let me hang out in his shop just to look around and talk about bikes and welding, even if I didn’t ride, or would he have charged me for that? I enjoyed sharing what I do with these guys, regardless if they would ever have purchased anything from me. It was nice to see someone get excited about welding and seeing how a tube bender works. They had some good questions about learning to metal shape and weld and hopefully I pointed them in the right direction. It would be great if they took some welding classes, bought a book or video on metal shaping, or even just got a piece of scrap metal and started banging on it and try and shape it to the vision in their head.

I hope that quick break in their day at a random location gave them the inspiration to try something different.

I got to thinking of my conversation with my friend again and the quality versus quantity discussion. I recently attended a local bike show and had the opportunity to see the other side of the business. Not the side where I can forego quality and buy a cheaper imitation of a product, but instead, spend a bunch of my hard earned money for a bad product because it had someone’s name attached to it. I met a so called “master builder”, who shall remain nameless, and I was admiring a set of drag style handlebars that he was selling. They looked good and he told me about how he used DOM tubing and that they were TIG welded, and how he built the jigs for consistency and that they were personally designed by him, blah blah blah. What I didn’t understand was the $250 price tag for a set of drag bars. When I asked if that was the correct price he appeared to be a taken back by it. He said that that was a fair market price and that it was compatible with what was on the market and being offered by other builders. Now I didn’t tell him what I do for a living but I did have, what I thought was, a legitimate question about his $250 handlebars. You see, they had a noticeable indent near the weld groove where someone must have used a flap disk and ground into the steel too far. There were porosity holes in the weld seam showing through the powder coating. For the non welders out there, that means that the weld area was contaminated. ( that’s not a good thing) The fact that it was showing through the powder coat means that someone didn’t care at the point of prep, welding, or powder stage. But t they felt comfortable slapping a $250 price tag on it and saying that is a fair market price.

So I simply asked him in a naive tone what the holes showing through the powder coating meant and if that had anything to do the noticeable dent near the weld seam. Needless to say he seemed annoyed and walked away to talk to someone that was inquiring about one of his bikes. Now I’ve got no problem with people trying to make a living, but seriously, what kind of person turns out such a piece of crap and justifies the cost by saying that it is compatible with what is on the market? We all have overhead and the cost of equipment and supplies and I understand that we need to make a living, but seriously, have some pride in what you do and don’t stick it to someone just because you can.