RACE TYRES COST MORE BECAUSE THERE NOT ROAD TYRES...WTF!?

I work for a reputable Tuning company and almost every week i am asked for trackday tyres,etc...

Today a very good friend of mine called me to discuss issues with his classic RD400 race bike. After some investigation and a lengthy chat it was suggested that Avon Am20-CR and an Avon Am22 tyre would be suitable as these are basically Avon Am20's & Avon Am22's with a slick compound...sweet...we thought.

 Called Car Tyre Store, main man there is apparently Dave Wooten, he deals with all race stuff...was told to ask for him...so i did.

The funniest thing i've ever heard was "...well Mark we are the top tyre distributor in the UK..." BLAh BLAh BLAH...ooh we are the dogs danglies we are! Yeh you catch my drift...

OK...this was the bit that totally did my head in...although Dave had just told me he was the kingdingaling top seller/distributor in our wonderful (really cheap to live and enjoy yourself) country! THEY DON'T GIVE DISCOUNT TO ANYONE IN THE UK, TRADE, WHOEVER....PERIOD.

HUH? THE TOP UK DISTRIBUTOR THAT TURNS OVER MILLIONS OF POUNDS A YEAR FROM RACERS, TRACKDAY FANATICS AND ROAD RIDERS,ETC CAN'T GIVE DISCOUNT ON ANY RACE SPEC TYRES....IS IT ME OR ARE THEY MENTAL?

WHERE ON EARTH DO THEY WORK THAT ONE OUT? SURELY THE PEOPLE THAT ARE GOING TO SING PRAISES FOR TYRES AND THE PEOPLE THAT ARE GOING TO USE THESE TYRES TO THE LIMIT ARE THE RACERS AND TRACKDAY RIDERS...SUPPORTING RACERS AND TRACKDAY FANS (YOU WOULD THINK) WOULD BE TOP PRIORITY...IT SEEMS NOT!

I can't work this country out, we get stitched on fuel prices, charged the earth for riding round a bit of tarmac that, lets be honest here, most UK circuits aren't exactly the greatest conditioned circuits....basically everyone seems to be just take take take.....where the hells the passion and the love gone out of this shyte hole we live in now? Its really got my back up, a "top" tyre manufacturers distribution company won't even give discount to traders so that can be passed to the customer just to help people out a little in the pocket...and their excuse is its because its race tyres and not road...muppets!

...yeh because we're all so filthy rich and wealthy in the UK today....lets make it even harder and more expensive for people to enjoy themselves!

 Oh by the way if anyone would like to voice their concerns over this matter you can call Dave Wooten yourselves on 0800 163 722...ask him to explain why tyres that cost about £15 to make can't be discounted!!!

Shut up moaning like a girl. You don't get a discount so you bitch and moan about how this country has gone to the dogs. You don't get a discount. So what?

Get over yourself and your ridiculous pompus posturing.

How about everyone here rings Slipstream tuning on 01732 743 248 and mentions that members of their staff are pompous, ignorant idiots who think thay're part of "The trade", which incidentally you're not; you work for tuning company, and have the backbone of a jellyfish.

if you don't like the terms don't buy the goods.

Plenty of alternatives are there not?

I can see the gripe, but i would honestly say just buy else where!

Have you tried Holbeach tyres?

Competion Logistics?

www.jodyleesracing.com

GO Racing Developments
http://www.gord.biz/

Its like anything else, cos sports bikes are considered a leisure item we get srung on the prices.

If the compound on a set of Racetechs is the same as their slicks, shouldn't the slicks be a lot cheaper cos they don't have to cut a tread into them.

Maxxis have brought out a new range of sports bike tyres that I tested for them at Silverstone, they were bloody good and retail at about £100 a set

Exactly part of my point Mike, i just don't get it. Got my 2 minute moan out....lol The point is its getting more and more expensive for us all to enjoy racing, etc. So why are these companies charging top money for a product that costs less to make? When a company like ours has existed since 1971 and we have accounts with just about every major manufacturer required, you would think suppliers would offer Trade, like 99% of distributors, so where the hell do they get their reasoning for a NO DISCOUNT approach...doesn't make sense...and its AVON for christ sake. Its nuts.....i'm all up for defending the industry and everyone that uses the services it offers...i don't appreciate companies manipulating us for increasing their already immense profits. We are the end seller and have massive overheads, especially in Sevenoaks, why should we sell products for these companies when we're not even going to make anything out of it...that's the bottom line!

Crazy...god help our industry in the next 5 years alone if things keep going like this...bike shops and garages are closing down left right and centre and certain individuals on here are obviously ok with that....not me i'm afraid!

Doesn't matter who you call...AVON don't discount anyone for these specific tyres....so i'm told. If anyone knows different please enlighten me! Thanks...

I have a trade account with Biketyrestore. Maybe you need to call them instead of cartyrestore....

most main tyre manufacturers put there products through key dealers, the dealers often dont have a choice what price they can sell at. Although illegal its called price fixing, it happens and always will. One of these dealers is biketyrestore. others are kings road etc.

does car tyre store actually know you? ive worked in the tyre trade for 22 years now and people always try and tout as trade. try opening a account with someone maybe.

Nearly all race products are sold on quantities but still stay very close to the original price, if you had any idea how little margin there is in bike tyres you would be horrified.

Even more scary, 180/55r17 met rennsport for example, true cost as it falls off the line when it was last made was £6.00. All the rest is the advertising, sponsorship and the free stickers you lot always want.

Hi all, I see ther is much to be aggrieved about concerning tyres and in particular race tyres. I think the thing to understand is that Avon race tyres have ALWAYS been expensive...why? because they have zero competition so why drop prices for a captive audience who have no realistic option of anything else. Come on, if we were Avon we'd do the same, thats the way of the world. Igor Akrapovic doesn't buckle on the price for  his exhausts but I don't hear people questioning the price. Yes, Dunlop do still make some classic race tyres but they don't do the range that avon do. Plus the fact that most championship winners in classic racing use avons - and everyone wants what the winner has.

As for whether they actually cost £15 I do doubt, as I know what the wages are like at avon! But the problem we have is that Dave at our car department doesn't make the margin to discount. He may do it for quantity, but he was installed by Avon as the distributor to act as a 'competitors only tyre service' and if he's going to give discount to one person then he's got to do it to everyone....and now we're back in the same situation.

Look, I'm happy for any of 'my customers' in the trade to try and source them from me but I assure you guys, you're going to be saving about 6 quid a tyre...Is it worth it? you might aswell just send your customer direct to Dave wooton and save yourself some hassle.

What people also forget is that to do supersport or superstock racing at UK level, the chosen tyre is either the Diablo supercorsa(£260 per set) or the race tec at similar money. Most competitors are using 3 sets per weekend...you can see where this is going. Most classic racers will get 2 or 3 meeting out of one set of avons.

But yes, I know everything is getting expensive, when I last had my race license is was £21 and that was in year 2000. Its now more than double that. Race fees are up, tyres are up. Pretty much everything is up. 

 I'll continue this message on the next page as its too big to be put on one post...

 ...continued

Now, the price fixing issue. The statement made was totally incorrect. As one of only 2 official Bridgestone agents(and for the record our company brought the very first bridgestones into the UK in 1978) Bridgestone or any of our partners do not fix any prices for us, they simply sell to us at an agreed discount and then we sell, as we have always done, at 3 levels: distributor, wholesale and major wholesale. in simple terms the more you buy the more discount you get - as in ANY business. Cambrian tyres are the other official outlet for Bridgestone and it would have to be us fixing prices with them to be called price fixing, not us and Bridgestone getting together as Bridgestone don't sell direct? tell me how that works?? Bridgestone and any other manufacturer don't really give a toss if we want to make no money on tyres - but they won't drop their prices to help us effectively ruin the market. So, we have to use our heads and make the best margin we can without being ridiculous. We have a policy that we don't charge carriage for orders over £100. So thats nice, you traders get it carriage free. Who do you think still pays it??? so thats another £10 odd out of the profit for us and the carriage goes up the more you order as its based on weight, nice. oh yes, then there's wages, the half million pound rent for the premises, computers, price lists. Come on guys, no one is ripping anyone off. Any of you in the trade should know that the trade price of radial tyres is only just BACK up to what they were in 2001(I'm happy to tell you what you paid for them in 2001 if you really want to know), meaning that tyre prices have gone through the floor due to the dollar being so weak(its only just recovering now hence this years uncreases) So effectively everyone has been having it away for the last 7 years. I'm sure everyone has had a pay rise in the last 7 years aswell...

I am happy to discuss ANY issue that people have with their tyre needs, so if you don't know the number already its 0800 281 413. I assure you though guys, if there is a dealer out there doing tyres at less than us I'd like to know so I can act on it to stay competetive.   As for £6 to make metzeler race tyres...I'd love to know where I can get my hands on some please?

Thanks

Adam - Bike tyrestore