Tons of money?? You obviously don't work any form of the bike industry. Lbs, distributor, manufacturer, it does not matter - most of us not getting rich doing this. We do it because we love it. How many of your "online" or coop's sponsor races, local trail building, and will do a last minute repair when there closed just so you can ride? Your local shop does not, I repeat: Does not set pricing for goods. We have to buy them just like you, but we buy them a year in advance. So when the us dollar spikes one week, I still had to pay x amount for the product a year ago so the price stays the same. I hope you don't have any warranty issues soon, because good luck when there is no lbs to fight for you. As far as Raceface is concerned I wonder if costco will on there list next if they determine that will help distribution.

Mec is a sore point in the outdoor recreation business for one main reason - they don't pay income tax. Imagine racing head to head with someone who gets a 10 second head start every time, not quite fair is it? This little advantage allows them to sell items at a very low margin, which of course every other shop has to match (shops that do pay tax!). What it means in the end is that it is that much harder for your local bike shop employee and owner to put food on his or her plate. It becomes more and more difficult to pay good techs the money they deserve, and as bikes are becoming more sophisticated they deserve more and more. So the pool of good mechanics starts to dwindle, and it gets harder for you to find good service. Luckily a lot of manufacturers realize this and refuse to sell to mec because they believe in healthy fair competition, and experienced technicians to work on there product. Mec has cleverly kept shifting its policy's and ethics over the years to grab more and more market share. They are not even close to what there original mission statement wanted them to be. This is not some hippy feel good store, it is a mass big box outdoor retailer that is doing harm to your local lbs and the bike industry in general. To ettore, do know that mec has the highest return rate by far of all outdoor retailers. I did not see them sponsoring any races in my area, I don't see them digging dirt jumps, or meeting with any of my local trail building clubs. I know this because I have been involved in all of the above. So the next time you want to drop a buck (or know someone else who does) at mec, think of all the people who do support your sport and support them instead. Until the playing field is level, don't buy from Mec...