This is what you get with Brexit- you have more problems buying a Brooks saddle

Use this board for general non-cycling-related chat, or to introduce yourself to the forum.
merseymouth
Posts: 2519
Joined: 23 Jan 2011, 11:16am

Re: This is what you get with Brexit- you have more problems buying a Brooks saddle

Post by merseymouth »

Hi, As it always was -"Never let lack of truth stop folk from having a moan"!
Still, the last Brooks Saddle that I got never went anywhere near a shop or warehouse? It was just one of three made at Brooks to check out a British Leather Supplier. Large copper rivets (like Pro Select), Japanned rails, with a perforated top like B17. My brother was a manager with the supplying tan yard.
Too late in life to break it in properly. IGICB MM
User avatar
[XAP]Bob
Posts: 19793
Joined: 26 Sep 2008, 4:12pm

Re: This is what you get with Brexit- you have more problems buying a Brooks saddle

Post by [XAP]Bob »

merseymouth wrote: 11 Jun 2021, 11:25am Well XAPBob, One word sums up the current approach to how they treat the first exiting member - "DANEGELD"! :twisted:
Blackmail is a torrid practise, but plain and simple that is what the E.U. is employing. MM
Hi, As it always was -"Never let lack of truth stop folk from having a moan"!
Who was moaning again?
Oh yes, the supporters of brexit who realise that they "won" a turd (having been told it was a turd previously).
A shortcut has to be a challenge, otherwise it would just be the way. No situation is so dire that panic cannot make it worse.
There are two kinds of people in this world: those can extrapolate from incomplete data.
atoz
Posts: 577
Joined: 5 Jan 2007, 4:50pm

Re: This is what you get with Brexit- you have more problems buying a Brooks saddle

Post by atoz »

PH wrote: 13 Jun 2021, 3:25pm
atoz wrote: 13 Jun 2021, 2:54pm Spa are still doing them then? Good. Not exactly an LBS then. That was the point I made before about niche items, Spa are more likely to get them.
OK - last time, your LBS is just as likely to stock or be able to order a Brooks saddle now as they were pre Brexit. That information is in the article you linked to at the start of this thread.
I give up. Forget I ever used the B word. Let's for a moment consider why a cycle shop may not stock Brooks. Many shops are tied into agreements to sell certain stock items as they have a relationship with a certain supplier. They need to sell in volume. I am fortunate that my LBS chooses not to be tied into such agreements. But I have yet to see a Brooks in that shop. It's business, and Brooks are a minority item so its not worth shops stocking them. They want to sell items they have already paid for, and they don't really like ordering individual items. I don't resent this, margins are tight and my LBS needs to earn a living. And he's been building my wheels for nearly 30 years-and does a superb job I might add. So I don't mind going to Spa for a Brooks. And how often would you buy your trusty B17 narrow anyway? The most modern one I have is now 13 years old. Others are getting on for 40, and I still have my late father's which is... Getting on for nearly 70. It is still usuable. So not a volume seller there, I think I am safe in saying.

If I only bought at some local bike shops I would probably only wear Altura cycle kit in black or flo green. I would only have Schwalbe tyres. Etc etc. So I buy online sometimes eg when I bought some Lusso Termico bib tights. Was easier to by from them direct as a lot of shops don't stock Lusso, even though they are made in Manchester. If I could buy through my LBS I would. Its a similar problem for other items such as Zefal And Silca. You have to buy online esp for spares. Brexit will make this more of a problem because of the increased bureaucracy unfortunately, like it has for other businesses if the product comes from the EU or from a supplier based in the EU. I'm not holding my breath.that this will improve soon..
Aikon
Posts: 183
Joined: 4 Jan 2011, 11:00pm

This is what you get with Brexit- you have more problems buying a Brooks saddle

Post by Aikon »

Many shops are tied into agreements to sell certain stock items as they have a relationship with a certain supplier. They need to sell in volume. I am fortunate that my LBS chooses not to be tied into such agreements. But I have yet to see a Brooks in that shop. It's business, and Brooks are a minority item so its not worth shops stocking them.
Brooks have exactly this model in Europe & the U.K. to increase consumer choice at their stockists, conversely this means you’re unlikely to see the occasional Brooks product at a retailer that didn’t commit to the brand yet.

Brooks dealer locator shows your local retailer & whether they are Select/Distinct/Standard: https://www.brooksengland.com/storelocator/
PH
Posts: 13099
Joined: 21 Jan 2007, 12:31am
Location: Derby
Contact:

Re: This is what you get with Brexit- you have more problems buying a Brooks saddle

Post by PH »

Aikon wrote: 15 Jun 2021, 1:42pm
Many shops are tied into agreements to sell certain stock items as they have a relationship with a certain supplier. They need to sell in volume. I am fortunate that my LBS chooses not to be tied into such agreements. But I have yet to see a Brooks in that shop. It's business, and Brooks are a minority item so its not worth shops stocking them.
Brooks have exactly this model in Europe & the U.K. to increase consumer choice at their stockists, conversely this means you’re unlikely to see the occasional Brooks product at a retailer that didn’t commit to the brand yet.

Brooks dealer locator shows your local retailer & whether they are Select/Distinct/Standard: https://www.brooksengland.com/storelocator/
The part I've highlighted is simply wrong. As the link says that's a list of their Premium Dealers, I don't know what it takes to become a premium dealer, but I'd wager I can find as many Brooks suppliers not on that list as there are on it. In the link at the top of this thread, the one atoz posted without seeming to have read properly, it clearly states that Extra UK handle UK distribution as they have done before Brexit.
They have a locate a dealer facility, you can put in a product (i.e. brooks) and your postcode and it'll list who can supply. Don't take my word for it, here it is:
https://www.extrauk.co.uk/profile/locate/--/all/

But really, in the context of this thread, whether you buy from a premium dealer, or one supplied via the distributer, buying a Brooks in the UK is exactly the same post Brexit as it was before. Buying from Italy has got worse, but it wasn't good in the first place.
Aikon
Posts: 183
Joined: 4 Jan 2011, 11:00pm

This is what you get with Brexit- you have more problems buying a Brooks saddle

Post by Aikon »

No need to take your word for it, Extra U.K. supply the information to Brooks to populate the Brooks dealer locator, I was part of the team that managed that info at Extra…

And I totally agree, buying a Brooks hasn’t changed due to Brexit, though I’d imagine it has brought its challenges as even the British leather was being tanned the other side of the channel before being made into finished goods in Smethwick, and the Cambium shells were being manufactured at the Italian factory then assembled and finished in the UK.
PH
Posts: 13099
Joined: 21 Jan 2007, 12:31am
Location: Derby
Contact:

Re: This is what you get with Brexit- you have more problems buying a Brooks saddle

Post by PH »

Aikon wrote: 15 Jun 2021, 11:04pm I was part of the team that managed that info at Extra…
OK, so you obviously know your stuff, better than me!
And I totally agree, buying a Brooks hasn’t changed due to Brexit
Well at least we can agree on something!! Hopefully that'll put an end to this thread...
User avatar
[XAP]Bob
Posts: 19793
Joined: 26 Sep 2008, 4:12pm

Re: This is what you get with Brexit- you have more problems buying a Brooks saddle

Post by [XAP]Bob »

Brexit will make this more of a problem because of the increased bureaucracy unfortunately, like it has for other businesses if the product comes from the EU or from a supplier based in the EU. I'm not holding my breath.that this will improve soon..
Why would it improve?
At some point the UK government will have to apply checks at our borders (both with the EU and with the part of the UK still in the customs union). At the moment it's a smugglers paradise, there are no inbound checks.

It's going to get significantly worse from here.

It's worth noting of course that the EU hasn't changed the rules that determine how it deals with third countries, we just became subject to them when uk.gov unilaterally decided to exit the customs union in the extreme tory brexit.
A shortcut has to be a challenge, otherwise it would just be the way. No situation is so dire that panic cannot make it worse.
There are two kinds of people in this world: those can extrapolate from incomplete data.
Ben@Forest
Posts: 3647
Joined: 28 Jan 2013, 5:58pm

Re: This is what you get with Brexit- you have more problems buying a Brooks saddle

Post by Ben@Forest »

Well tighter regs are going to be of some benefit. I've just been to a nursery and the nurseryman said that since Brexit the rules for importing plants which are susceptible to Xyella fastidiosa (a plant pathogen) are stricter.

It's widespread in Italy and Spain and prior to Brexit we tried to control iimporting possibly infected plants; the EU refused on grounds of competition. Post Brexit they're now subject to tighter import checks. So it's a minor win in the horticultural spread of disease around the globe.
merseymouth
Posts: 2519
Joined: 23 Jan 2011, 11:16am

Re: This is what you get with Brexit- you have more problems buying a Brooks saddle

Post by merseymouth »

So will it be "Dig For Victory Against The E.U."? :roll: :wink: MM
User avatar
[XAP]Bob
Posts: 19793
Joined: 26 Sep 2008, 4:12pm

Re: This is what you get with Brexit- you have more problems buying a Brooks saddle

Post by [XAP]Bob »

Ben@Forest wrote: 16 Jun 2021, 4:37pm Well tighter regs are going to be of some benefit. I've just been to a nursery and the nurseryman said that since Brexit the rules for importing plants which are susceptible to Xyella fastidiosa (a plant pathogen) are stricter.

It's widespread in Italy and Spain and prior to Brexit we tried to control iimporting possibly infected plants; the EU refused on grounds of competition. Post Brexit they're now subject to tighter import checks. So it's a minor win in the horticultural spread of disease around the globe.

Except that even basic import checks aren't taking place on massive amounts of imported produce... plants and plant products aren't due to be checked at all until March 2022.

So all this talk of border control, our borders are more open then they have been in decades
A shortcut has to be a challenge, otherwise it would just be the way. No situation is so dire that panic cannot make it worse.
There are two kinds of people in this world: those can extrapolate from incomplete data.
PH
Posts: 13099
Joined: 21 Jan 2007, 12:31am
Location: Derby
Contact:

Re: This is what you get with Brexit- you have more problems buying a Brooks saddle

Post by PH »

[XAP]Bob wrote: 16 Jun 2021, 8:58am
Brexit will make this more of a problem because of the increased bureaucracy unfortunately, like it has for other businesses if the product comes from the EU or from a supplier based in the EU. I'm not holding my breath.that this will improve soon..
Why would it improve?
At some point the UK government will have to apply checks at our borders (both with the EU and with the part of the UK still in the customs union). At the moment it's a smugglers paradise, there are no inbound checks.

It's going to get significantly worse from here.

It's worth noting of course that the EU hasn't changed the rules that determine how it deals with third countries, we just became subject to them when uk.gov unilaterally decided to exit the customs union in the extreme tory brexit.
I took the comment about not holding their breath to mean atoz wasn't expecting it to improve.
I am. I know that's not a popular stance on this forum, but why wouldn't it? The EU has plenty of non member trading partners who get on without the chaos we have at present, what makes you think we can't become one of them? I'm not suggesting any future trading practices or arrangements will be a substitute for being a member, or guess how much improvement will happen, but there will be some. Even within the context of this thread - Brooks in Italy were not shipping to the UK for six months and now they are, OK it's on terms you'd have to be desperate or daft to buy from, but on the basis that something is better than nothing, it's an improvement.
Jdsk
Posts: 24478
Joined: 5 Mar 2019, 5:42pm

Re: This is what you get with Brexit- you have more problems buying a Brooks saddle

Post by Jdsk »

[XAP]Bob wrote: 16 Jun 2021, 8:58am
Brexit will make this more of a problem because of the increased bureaucracy unfortunately, like it has for other businesses if the product comes from the EU or from a supplier based in the EU. I'm not holding my breath.that this will improve soon..
Why would it improve?
At some point the UK government will have to apply checks at our borders (both with the EU and with the part of the UK still in the customs union). At the moment it's a smugglers paradise, there are no inbound checks.

It's going to get significantly worse from here.

It's worth noting of course that the EU hasn't changed the rules that determine how it deals with third countries, we just became subject to them when uk.gov unilaterally decided to exit the customs union in the extreme tory brexit.
I just can't tell, and occasionally these discussions do throw some light on it.

There are grace periods, and there may be teething pains, and there are threats, and there are lies.

It would be good to see negotiated incremental improvements. All of the trade experts are describing how that could be done.

Jonathan
Ben@Forest
Posts: 3647
Joined: 28 Jan 2013, 5:58pm

Re: This is what you get with Brexit- you have more problems buying a Brooks saddle

Post by Ben@Forest »

[XAP]Bob wrote: 16 Jun 2021, 6:22pm
Ben@Forest wrote: 16 Jun 2021, 4:37pm Well tighter regs are going to be of some benefit. I've just been to a nursery and the nurseryman said that since Brexit the rules for importing plants which are susceptible to Xyella fastidiosa (a plant pathogen) are stricter.

It's widespread in Italy and Spain and prior to Brexit we tried to control iimporting possibly infected plants; the EU refused on grounds of competition. Post Brexit they're now subject to tighter import checks. So it's a minor win in the horticultural spread of disease around the globe.

Except that even basic import checks aren't taking place on massive amounts of imported produce... plants and plant products aren't due to be checked at all until March 2022.

So all this talk of border control, our borders are more open then they have been in decades
Not according to the guy l was talking to today. He runs a nursery which as of today was holding £600,000 worth of stock - all plants, no garden furniture, or little amusing gnomes.

Those plants are subject to tougher rules right now. Period. If you know better?
Post Reply