Wow! Made in Detroit
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The website is also a hot mess.
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First, I'm delighted in Shinola and their mission, though I do think they're milking it a little too hard with the "made in Detroit" thing. Parsing the nuances between "hand made," "hand built," "assembled by hand," and "made in" is one thing-- and I will say that for a traditional manufacturing town like Detroit, if you say "made in Detroit" about a hard good, you're saying manufactured; stamped, welded, forged, machined, painted, and polished, none of which applies to the Shinola bikes-- and another is pushing this populist notion when the products are out of reach of 99% of the population of Detroit.
I get that there needs to be a top tier, and I think the Runwell looks the part, but couldn't they ease off the "made in Detroit" message a bit? I mean, I just had a Taiwan made frame built up in L.A., but that doesn't make the bike "built in Los Angeles," and the shop that built it doesn't claim to make bikes, either. Shinola doesn't even build the wheels. Now, I don't think Shinola are trying to hoodwink us, but their pitch feels a little smarmy.
Even the claim that Detroit is the "new watchmaking capitol of America" feels disingenuous and ahead of things. The watch is not yet available, and what they call "their movement" appears to be just assembly of a Swiss quartz design, but yet we have in Pennsylvania both RGM and Kobold watch companies, who not only design and manufacture their own mechanical movements, but also make their own cases, true feats of watchmaking. When Shinola claims Detroit is the watchmaking capitol, it smacks of arrogance, and implicitly ignores what any watch buff would say are the more impressive achievements of RGM and Kobold. After the headlining, watchmaking capitol claim, they try to qualify by saying mass-produced watches, but again, jeez, let's actually see some production first, right?
I dunno...maybe I'm being too hard on Shinola, who really are engaged in Detroit in an important and meaningful way, and are not just an address in an office building in the 'burbs, but on the other hand, if Detroit has anything, it's authenticity, and I think Shinola would do well to express more of that themselves, rather than selling so much of the image.
I'm definitely pro-Detroit resurgence, though, and will try to buy what I can from Shinola, while hoping their efforts to stimulate Detroit's recovery while also making money, really pays off in every sense, and leads the way to truly cool things, both literally and figuratively.
I get that there needs to be a top tier, and I think the Runwell looks the part, but couldn't they ease off the "made in Detroit" message a bit? I mean, I just had a Taiwan made frame built up in L.A., but that doesn't make the bike "built in Los Angeles," and the shop that built it doesn't claim to make bikes, either. Shinola doesn't even build the wheels. Now, I don't think Shinola are trying to hoodwink us, but their pitch feels a little smarmy.
Even the claim that Detroit is the "new watchmaking capitol of America" feels disingenuous and ahead of things. The watch is not yet available, and what they call "their movement" appears to be just assembly of a Swiss quartz design, but yet we have in Pennsylvania both RGM and Kobold watch companies, who not only design and manufacture their own mechanical movements, but also make their own cases, true feats of watchmaking. When Shinola claims Detroit is the watchmaking capitol, it smacks of arrogance, and implicitly ignores what any watch buff would say are the more impressive achievements of RGM and Kobold. After the headlining, watchmaking capitol claim, they try to qualify by saying mass-produced watches, but again, jeez, let's actually see some production first, right?
I dunno...maybe I'm being too hard on Shinola, who really are engaged in Detroit in an important and meaningful way, and are not just an address in an office building in the 'burbs, but on the other hand, if Detroit has anything, it's authenticity, and I think Shinola would do well to express more of that themselves, rather than selling so much of the image.
I'm definitely pro-Detroit resurgence, though, and will try to buy what I can from Shinola, while hoping their efforts to stimulate Detroit's recovery while also making money, really pays off in every sense, and leads the way to truly cool things, both literally and figuratively.
#7
You gonna eat that?
Yeah, like it was thrown together in 5 minutes by a developer with ADD.
Also, considering what Shinola is most frequently compared to, that's kind of a crap brand name.
Also, considering what Shinola is most frequently compared to, that's kind of a crap brand name.
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Yes, I thought about titling this thread "s**t from shinola" but opted against that. Should have been "Assembled in Detroit".
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my first thought was shoe polish, too. whatever possessed them to use that name and it's unfortunate comparison?
guess i'm old. dunno whether the shoe polish is even made anymore. i've always used kiwi.
guess i'm old. dunno whether the shoe polish is even made anymore. i've always used kiwi.
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Keep your eyes peeled for a "made in Detroit" Pino Moroni: https://www.classicrendezvous.com/USA...oroni_main.htm
#11
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First, I'm delighted in Shinola and their mission, though I do think they're milking it a little too hard with the "made in Detroit" thing. Parsing the nuances between "hand made," "hand built," "assembled by hand," and "made in" is one thing-- and I will say that for a traditional manufacturing town like Detroit, if you say "made in Detroit" about a hard good, you're saying manufactured; stamped, welded, forged, machined, painted, and polished, none of which applies to the Shinola bikes-- and another is pushing this populist notion when the products are out of reach of 99% of the population of Detroit.
I get that there needs to be a top tier, and I think the Runwell looks the part, but couldn't they ease off the "made in Detroit" message a bit? I mean, I just had a Taiwan made frame built up in L.A., but that doesn't make the bike "built in Los Angeles," and the shop that built it doesn't claim to make bikes, either. Shinola doesn't even build the wheels. Now, I don't think Shinola are trying to hoodwink us, but their pitch feels a little smarmy.
Even the claim that Detroit is the "new watchmaking capitol of America" feels disingenuous and ahead of things. The watch is not yet available, and what they call "their movement" appears to be just assembly of a Swiss quartz design, but yet we have in Pennsylvania both RGM and Kobold watch companies, who not only design and manufacture their own mechanical movements, but also make their own cases, true feats of watchmaking. When Shinola claims Detroit is the watchmaking capitol, it smacks of arrogance, and implicitly ignores what any watch buff would say are the more impressive achievements of RGM and Kobold. After the headlining, watchmaking capitol claim, they try to qualify by saying mass-produced watches, but again, jeez, let's actually see some production first, right?
I dunno...maybe I'm being too hard on Shinola, who really are engaged in Detroit in an important and meaningful way, and are not just an address in an office building in the 'burbs, but on the other hand, if Detroit has anything, it's authenticity, and I think Shinola would do well to express more of that themselves, rather than selling so much of the image.
I'm definitely pro-Detroit resurgence, though, and will try to buy what I can from Shinola, while hoping their efforts to stimulate Detroit's recovery while also making money, really pays off in every sense, and leads the way to truly cool things, both literally and figuratively.
I get that there needs to be a top tier, and I think the Runwell looks the part, but couldn't they ease off the "made in Detroit" message a bit? I mean, I just had a Taiwan made frame built up in L.A., but that doesn't make the bike "built in Los Angeles," and the shop that built it doesn't claim to make bikes, either. Shinola doesn't even build the wheels. Now, I don't think Shinola are trying to hoodwink us, but their pitch feels a little smarmy.
Even the claim that Detroit is the "new watchmaking capitol of America" feels disingenuous and ahead of things. The watch is not yet available, and what they call "their movement" appears to be just assembly of a Swiss quartz design, but yet we have in Pennsylvania both RGM and Kobold watch companies, who not only design and manufacture their own mechanical movements, but also make their own cases, true feats of watchmaking. When Shinola claims Detroit is the watchmaking capitol, it smacks of arrogance, and implicitly ignores what any watch buff would say are the more impressive achievements of RGM and Kobold. After the headlining, watchmaking capitol claim, they try to qualify by saying mass-produced watches, but again, jeez, let's actually see some production first, right?
I dunno...maybe I'm being too hard on Shinola, who really are engaged in Detroit in an important and meaningful way, and are not just an address in an office building in the 'burbs, but on the other hand, if Detroit has anything, it's authenticity, and I think Shinola would do well to express more of that themselves, rather than selling so much of the image.
I'm definitely pro-Detroit resurgence, though, and will try to buy what I can from Shinola, while hoping their efforts to stimulate Detroit's recovery while also making money, really pays off in every sense, and leads the way to truly cool things, both literally and figuratively.
I'd like to clarify our "Made in Detroit" stance; we're doing more than just assembling products here. We have invested significantly in a factory and shop where we are building watches and bicycles from as many American parts as we possibly can. Not only are we investing in manufacturing infrastructure, we're training and re-training skilled American craftspeople. It's hard to tell that story in a few words, but we are proudly Made in Detroit.
If any of you are local, I would love to invite you up to our shop and factory for a tour so you can see first-hand what we've built here.
Also, since this post was made last month, we actually have released and completely sold out of our limited edition watch, "The Runwell". We are ramping up production significantly in the next few months and as of now, are the only company in the United States manufacturing American watches at production scale. I'm not trying to defend our "Watchmaking Capital of America" too hard, here, but those are the facts. We feel that the story is far more involved than merely "quartz watches assembled in America", again because of our significant investment into a manufacturing ecosystem that we hope to foster here in the Motor City.
Shinola is employing Detroiters, putting people with skills back to work in an industry that has a great deal of growth potential. We hope that if people consider our products, they consider the whole story, not just the individual parts.
Thanks again for the kind words of support. We really, really appreciate it!
PS: I'm a long-time forums guy, and I'm looking forward to getting to know everyone better. Also, we definitely fixed our website. The last one wasn't so great, it's true. Thanks!
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"I know that word, but what's shinola?" -Lisa Simpson
[Over-priced throw-backs from the 60's!]
[Over-priced throw-backs from the 60's!]
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https://shop.americancyclery.com/prod...hinola-runwell
$3,500. God d*mn!
i don't think both my expedition and camry are worth that combined.
$3,500. God d*mn!
i don't think both my expedition and camry are worth that combined.
#14
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Hello everyone. My name is Brian. I am the community manager for Shinola, and a lifetime Detroiter. I'd like to thank you, first of all, for the well-reasoned and thoughtful post about our products, and the conversation here. It shows us that people are interested, and we're happy to address any concerns anybody has about our bicycles. We want to be as open and honest as possible about everything we make and where our components come from.
I'd like to clarify our "Made in Detroit" stance; we're doing more than just assembling products here. We have invested significantly in a factory and shop where we are building watches and bicycles from as many American parts as we possibly can. Not only are we investing in manufacturing infrastructure, we're training and re-training skilled American craftspeople. It's hard to tell that story in a few words, but we are proudly Made in Detroit.
If any of you are local, I would love to invite you up to our shop and factory for a tour so you can see first-hand what we've built here.
Also, since this post was made last month, we actually have released and completely sold out of our limited edition watch, "The Runwell". We are ramping up production significantly in the next few months and as of now, are the only company in the United States manufacturing American watches at production scale. I'm not trying to defend our "Watchmaking Capital of America" too hard, here, but those are the facts. We feel that the story is far more involved than merely "quartz watches assembled in America", again because of our significant investment into a manufacturing ecosystem that we hope to foster here in the Motor City.
Shinola is employing Detroiters, putting people with skills back to work in an industry that has a great deal of growth potential. We hope that if people consider our products, they consider the whole story, not just the individual parts.
Thanks again for the kind words of support. We really, really appreciate it!
PS: I'm a long-time forums guy, and I'm looking forward to getting to know everyone better. Also, we definitely fixed our website. The last one wasn't so great, it's true. Thanks!
I'd like to clarify our "Made in Detroit" stance; we're doing more than just assembling products here. We have invested significantly in a factory and shop where we are building watches and bicycles from as many American parts as we possibly can. Not only are we investing in manufacturing infrastructure, we're training and re-training skilled American craftspeople. It's hard to tell that story in a few words, but we are proudly Made in Detroit.
If any of you are local, I would love to invite you up to our shop and factory for a tour so you can see first-hand what we've built here.
Also, since this post was made last month, we actually have released and completely sold out of our limited edition watch, "The Runwell". We are ramping up production significantly in the next few months and as of now, are the only company in the United States manufacturing American watches at production scale. I'm not trying to defend our "Watchmaking Capital of America" too hard, here, but those are the facts. We feel that the story is far more involved than merely "quartz watches assembled in America", again because of our significant investment into a manufacturing ecosystem that we hope to foster here in the Motor City.
Shinola is employing Detroiters, putting people with skills back to work in an industry that has a great deal of growth potential. We hope that if people consider our products, they consider the whole story, not just the individual parts.
Thanks again for the kind words of support. We really, really appreciate it!
PS: I'm a long-time forums guy, and I'm looking forward to getting to know everyone better. Also, we definitely fixed our website. The last one wasn't so great, it's true. Thanks!
I'm definitely interested to take you up on the tour offer; I was bummed I missed Drinks x Design!
I'm both a bike and watch guy, so I'd get a real kick out of visiting, and it would probably help me get 'on board' with the brand a little more, although as I said, I'm definitely delighted with the Shinola mission-- taking advantage of local resources like the CCS is awesome-- and am pro-Detroit resurgence; my criticism was more on the marketing side of things, I guess.
Anyway, I'm downtown every week-- I've got a wine importing company-- and could make time to stop by Shinola just about anytime. You can contact me using my username here AT sbcglobal, which is a .net domain.
Thanks for the reply here, too.
#15
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ShiBri (),
I'm definitely interested to take you up on the tour offer; I was bummed I missed Drinks x Design!
I'm both a bike and watch guy, so I'd get a real kick out of visiting, and it would probably help me get 'on board' with the brand a little more, although as I said, I'm definitely delighted with the Shinola mission-- taking advantage of local resources like the CCS is awesome-- and am pro-Detroit resurgence; my criticism was more on the marketing side of things, I guess.
Anyway, I'm downtown every week-- I've got a wine importing company-- and could make time to stop by Shinola just about anytime. You can contact me using my username here AT sbcglobal, which is a .net domain.
Thanks for the reply here, too.
I'm definitely interested to take you up on the tour offer; I was bummed I missed Drinks x Design!
I'm both a bike and watch guy, so I'd get a real kick out of visiting, and it would probably help me get 'on board' with the brand a little more, although as I said, I'm definitely delighted with the Shinola mission-- taking advantage of local resources like the CCS is awesome-- and am pro-Detroit resurgence; my criticism was more on the marketing side of things, I guess.
Anyway, I'm downtown every week-- I've got a wine importing company-- and could make time to stop by Shinola just about anytime. You can contact me using my username here AT sbcglobal, which is a .net domain.
Thanks for the reply here, too.
I'll get you connected with our office manager who will coordinate with you for a tour. Generally, due to building security protocols, we bring people up on Fridays (we share a building with CCS, so there are students, etc.) so it will probably be on a Friday if that works for you. Looking forward to meeting with you!
#16
Senior Member
When someone claims to "make" a bike, I read that as making the frame. The frame is the unique part, and all the other commodity stuff just bolts to it. In this case the distinction doesn't matter to me, since I'm not one of their target customers. They do look nice, though.
#17
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https://shop.americancyclery.com/prod...hinola-runwell
$3,500. God d*mn!
i don't think both my expedition and camry are worth that combined.
$3,500. God d*mn!
i don't think both my expedition and camry are worth that combined.
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I know the bikes are very expensive but it's nice to see this youth movement trying to bring back Detroit. There is nothing in this county as big and destroyed as Detroit. I hope they succeed.
#19
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#20
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#21
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1. Their prices are not cheap
2. They are not high volume companies
3. The comment was essentially about ALL bike parts with the exception of the frame to complete the build. I think that would be a major stretch.
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There's not doubt in my mind that Waterford gave them the retail price of the bicycle. What Waterford didn't tell them was they were only going to sell 2 or 3 of them a year.
#23
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Makes no sense. How would Waterford know what Shinola was paying for components, transportation, labor, etc? And yes, they will sell more than 2 or 3.
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616 Fab is holding it down in GR, though! https://616fab.com