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@OllieTheWizard
Hi chaps,
Thanks to everyone for their comments and feedback. Happy to dispel a few assumptions and hopefully clarify things for you guys, although I'm afraid I don't have the time to answer each and every comment made in the posts above. If you do have any direct questions, fire away and I will endeavour to give you an honest and open response.
We source our components from suppliers in Taiwan, similar to most other brands. It's certainly interesting when you consider how incredibly French Mavic are perceived to be, yet they use some of the same suppliers as we do. I do wonder what informs this perception that products are inherently better if/when made locally. If our website says anywhere at all that the wheels are sourced or made in the UK then please let me know (it doesn't), but I think the huge piece on our homepage about how proud we are to work with Taiwanese experts is much more prominent.
It may seem anecdotal to many, but dealing with the Taiwanese and dealing with the Chinese is chalk and cheese (rhyming unintentional), which is why we do one and not the other. Aside from anything else, the Taiwanese are much better at what they do and we pay anything from 50-70% extra on components than if we just went to China and bought off-the-peg items, but we operate a lean business model that enables us to avoid this.
Similar to the assumption of products' quality in virtue of their location of origin, it's also worth noting that closed-mold products are not inherently better either. They're just exclusive to the brand that paid however many thousands of dollars to make it so. To put it frankly, companies will generally do this for their (commercial) benefit - not yours as a rider. I would personally, at this stage of our journey as a company, rather see that money spent on another member of staff to continue to ensure we can respond to all customer emails within 24hrs and ensure riders are given the information and resources they need to make decisions about what will benefit them.
So yes, we source our components from Taiwan, and proudly so. Yes, some of the components that make up our wheels can be bought on the internet and put together by yourself if you so wish. But most people would agree that things are worth more than the sum of their parts.
P.s. Mr Hao-Cheng, known locally as Jonnie, is very real, and is a prodigiously talented individual. He's personally responsible for overseeing the team that build all of our wheels, including those ridden by Canyon Eisberg at UCI Conti level. If they're good enough to take Chris Opie to 3rd on a TdY stage, then they're good enough for us mortals.
Cheers all, hope none of the above comes off the wrong way or anything. I'm genuinely grateful for the feedback as it helps inform our decisions about what riders want, and how we can better build to serve those needs.
As stated up top, any questions then fire away.
Ollie :)