Internet Showrooming

I have really wide feet, and you know what they say about guys with wide feet - it's hard for them to find cycling shoes that fit. Northwave had been my go-to brand for a long time, as they had really wide lasts. Then they changed, which resulted in a year of foot misery for me. Last summer, I went into a shop I like and asked "what's the widest thing you've got in my size?" Ten minutes later, I walked out with a pair of Sidi Mega in size 43.5. Sidi's Megas have actually gotten wider - they used to not be wide enough for me. My feet have been happy since, even if my wallet stung for a bit after.

I paid full retail, which I didn't mind, and here's why: the shop was uniquely positioned to solve my problem, had invested in their ability to do so (both in knowledge and inventory), and bore a cost structure as a result of that investment and ability. People can argue it until the sun goes down, but after having had my problem comprehensively solved, I'd have felt like an ass if I hadn't bought the shoes right there. Some may see tremendous irony in the guy who runs an online wheel builder having such an attitude about it, but I don't.

A little bit of bling can go a long way

We've invested really an inappropriate (relative to our size, for sure) amount of resources into learning about wheels - everything from aerodynamics and stiffness, to what cx tubeless setups are 100% reliable, to carbon supply chain and manufacturing, to everything about how components fit together, to what is going to work best for what rider in what circumstances. For most people, opinions form more quickly than knowledge accumulates, but we maintain that in our case it's precisely the opposite - informed opinions are the only opinions we want to have.

We have the product scope and assembly ability to cover a tremendous range of use cases, needs and parameters. It's not a question of "pick whatever OEM wheel set is burning a hole in our inventory and floor space" like it is with so many wheel choices. We really do recommend without regard for margin - we steer A LOT of people to a lower cost solution than what they might have had in mind. And there are times when we simply say "we can't meet your needs" simply because someone either has a budget that's below our strike zone, or wants something for which we don't feel we're the best solution. We don't do disc wheels (though we kind of rul at disc brake wheels) and we're not up to speed on downhll/enduro/fatbike type stuff, so you're better off finding the November of those products - because we simply aren't the November of those products. But of what we do, we are the November. 

We also share what we've learned quite freely. Aggressively, even. Sharing what we've learned with the market both advances the general conversation about wheels, and (hopefully) convinces people that we do in fact know what the hell it is we are talking about. Sometimes we get shouted down, and it's not at all unusual for us to learn something new through discourse since things are evolving and we can only focus on so many things at any point, but what happens most often is that people approach us for input. Sometimes people ask for a 1000 word discourse on something, which is when the blog archives help, so we do what we can in those situations.

We're empathetic to an absolute fault, by which I mean that we want to steer you only to what is going to work best for you, generally at the lowest cost, over your given time frame. We're happy to help you arrive at your decision, happier when we can provide that solution, and happiest when you choose us to provide it. 

 

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6 comments

I have to start by saying I've not yet purchased wheels from you at this time. However after reading your blog and perusing your products for at least a year, I will most certainly purchase my next set of wheels from November. At a time last year when I thought I had saved enough coin to purchase, something came up and unfortunately I had to spend those coins on a house item. Anyway in the process Dave had returned my call and spoke freely to me about what it was that would work best for me, that right there was truly important to me. Your transparency and knowledge of your approach is completely refreshing in today's business models, I applaud you guys.Cheers!

Mark P.

Thanks, both!

Dave

Regarding the shoes… next time check out Shimano. My feet are really happy with the R321s as well as their predecessor. Nice wide toe box.

MW

Your credibility shines through very brightly. While words and hype CAN be cheap, I've known of you long enough to know that you're the real deal and while your approach can make money for you, it's also cost you money in the past too. And you're ok with that.

Mike T.

Having waiting entirely too long to join the group of satisfied November customers, and having you talk me out of a wheel set twice the price of what I ultimately chose, you guys simply rock!!!

Scott

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