Why are kite companies still selling bars?

[bob10]

simple solution... if you dont want a bar, dont buy a bar, if you want a different bar, buy a different bar and mod as necessary... if you want a cheap bar... make your own

[Laughingman]

simple solution... if you dont want a bar, dont buy a bar, if you want a different bar, buy a different bar and mod as necessary... if you want a cheap bar... make your own

Check
Check and
Check

Now, I'm sharing what I know. Which is I can assemble a better bar using parts of several different kite companies then they can. You can to.

[stakas]

I think bars are lot more profitable then kites. The prices are insane for a product that anyone can put together in a beat up garage. A piece of driftwood with a hole drilled thru it would make an ok bar. Boards and kites are a lot more high tech and a lot more precision needed to make them good.

[mr_daruman]

In Japan it's $700 (it was actually $800 but someone in marketing decided that was pushing a bit too much...soooo we got a slight discount...... ) for the new slingshot bar and lines.
Completely crazy.
No wonder people are Switch'in.

[salvino]

I agree and think that the kite companies have already started down that road buy charging extra for pumps. They used to include these when u bought "complete". 500 is crazy for a bar. And kite, bar, and line longevity are not the same.

[prayfawind27]

the true question is why are they so expensive????

[William Munney]

for the same reason movie theaters sell popcorn. profit.

snip

Making separate parts for purchase by the customer is a big expense now for companies, it's cheaper for them to simply make extra bars and then if someone needs a part take apart an already completed bar and take out the part from that.

Companies that like providing parts for their product do it for a lot of reasons, for a car, you need it otherwise the customer would not buy the product because it couldn't be fixed it broke for other companies it's something they do at cost for one reason or another.

I don't pretend to know much about manufacturing I have just noticed this trend away from providing parts direct from the manufacturer and instead providing entire units, and if something breaks you buy a whole new unit instead of fix it with a part.

You are correct but there are a few companies that make a point of offering basic parts at reasonable prices. Concept 2, the rowing machine and oar company, and Maas rowing shells both have parts available at decent prices for older products. More kite companies should do what Switch is doing: offer common parts online at reasonable prices. $500 bars are not disposable.

[eree]

...As for mod kits,most people lack the know how or general technical interest for this kind of operation.....too many people barely understand the concept of how their safety works....Most would screw this type of mod catastrophically...... case in point you've mentioned in a separate thread the handlepass leash attachment for riders who aren't passing the handle...

...most people cant be bothered to make their own bars or change stuff. maybe 5% of people like to DIY stuff and mod it. Theres not the market

you are absolutely right.

but do not worry Laughingman. it is the rest 95% loss.

[Geronimo79]

the true question is why are they so expensive????

Well not that hard.
Lets say an average bar costs 170 dollars to make in materials.
Then see the R&D and buildcosts of the unique features of a brand bar.

- R&D costs (lets say 5 people working on it for a year with making testversions 3D prints, checking different materials and variations of those materials, graphic designer etc)
- 50K for just the mold for a Chickenloop/QR system. Some are cheaper some are more expensive.
- special lines will be more expensive
- molds for the centerhole, the linewinders, the special shaped floaters, strap or clamcleat parts.

All and all there is alot of time and money going into these bars before even the first bar is released. All this go's into the bars costs. Then the brand needs to make some on it. And then the shop. (if no intermediate persons)

One of those ridiculous expensive bars is the NORTH bar, but its a piece of art. So many features have been specially designed for it. I am not suprised its so expensive. Ok i'm not paying that kind of money for a bar but i can totally see why its so expensive.

If you dont want to pay that amount of money then simply build your own bar from parts you like or buy a cheaper bar.
But there are a lot of costs going into a bar to try and make it better.

[knotwindy]

slightly off topic but the interchangeability and price could be better if the QR was designed into the harness so you did not have to buy one with each bar, as mentioned in another thread. "All" it would take is a new manufacturer to step up and sell it separately and the world (kite world) would be a better place.