BlackSheep Bikes vs Budnitz

Interesting post I just read on Facebook, posted by Blacksheep Bikes:

We rarely rant here at Black Sheep Bikes. We see no need to defend what we do as bike builders and similarly we leave others to do as they please. If you like what we do great, if not cool. There is many talented people making bikes in this world. Check out your local builder for instance. We build the bikes we love out of the passion for our trade and our love for bikes. Pretty simple. However we do feel that the we need to clarify some things as we have gotten a lot of questions so the air needs to be cleared. 5 or so years ago we were approached by a fella we will call Mr. B. He came to us with a need for a quality built bike that would suit his needs, keep him fit, and have some style. No problem. We built him a Speedster style frame, belt drive, internally geared hub, internal routing, etc.. Great commuter and he was very satisfied. So much in fact that he wanted another with a little different style and bigger tires. Kind of a urban thrasher that can fit in a travel case. Done. Another happy customer. After awhile he approached us with an idea of helping him build a bike company under his own name. He wanted us to make him replicas of the bikes we had already made with the potential to go over seas and have them massed produced. As you can imagine we felt like this wasn't the best idea for our company and went against why we build these bikes with our own hands here in Colorado in the first place. Nothing against bikes made out of country and in Asia as many are high quality and almost all are handmade by skilled workers. It just sounded boring and not our style. So we told him we weren't interested. Mr. B however is a man with money and the means to do as he pleases so he took our bikes had them replicated(kind of) at another American bike company and now has some being produced over seas. Damn! Wasn't what we thought was going to happen. Oh well we suppose. We still get to build our dream bikes, one at a time, with our own hands here in Colorado. What this really boils down to is a choice. You can buy a bike from a man who has his name on it with no other connection to his product or the hard work that others have put into it. Or you can buy a bike from people who love what they do and do it themselves, pour their soul into their craft, and actually have a passion for bikes. The point is, before you drop a bunch of your hard earned cash on a Budnitz...give a guy like Curtis Inglis a call first. You will be glad you did.

I read that earlier on bookface.

So it would appear taking the above at face value that either a certain model or a couple thereof from the Budnitz range are rip-offs of Black Sheep Bikes.

How many models does Budnitz produce?

I read it earlier, its also not the first time a bike builder has had a go at budnitz...

Eish

Interesting, and no comment from Mr B?

Wow

Interesting, and no comment from Mr B?

Why would there be? He knows exactly what he has done...

Why would there be? He knows exactly what he has done...

I would like to hear the other side though....always 2 sides and all that.

Why would there be? He knows exactly what he has done...

And why have Blacksheep bikes not done anything about it regarding copyright, especially in the land of no win no fee lawyers, sue everyone and everything, patent anything and everything?

From what i rememeber originally he is an artist or something and never actually built bikes. So i guess the easiest way to do this was to take someone elses ha ha

Not knowing both sides of the story, guessing blacksheep were offered the mass production option and refused, Mr B noted there was not patent/copyright on design, so knew there would be no comeback or legal action. Got them mass produced overseas... only difference between Mr B and chinarello's is that he is based in the USA and calls them Budnitz rather then FM056 or Carbonal.

Mr B saw the market potential so seems to be more than just an artist lol

Not knowing both sides of the story, guessing blacksheep were offered the mass production option and refused, Mr B noted there was not patent/copyright on design, so knew there would be no comeback or legal action. Got them mass produced overseas... only difference between Mr B and chinarello's is that he is based in the USA and calls them Budnitz rather then FM056 or Carbonal.

 

Mr B saw the market potential so seems to be more than just an artist lol

And so much more than an artist.

He is the Kid Robot designer, yes he has lots of money, yes he saw a gap in the market, hats off to him.

As for Blacksheep, sure as hell I would want one, is it value for money, I say no.

To me bikes are simple, they need to be value for money as their only application is cycling which brings me pleasure.

As much as we like to show them off as well, that is not really why they get built.

Paul Budnitz must have made a rather good impression on some people to be getting custom components to be put on his bikes as an option to the buyers.

And yes, always two sides to as story.

On the HUB, Blacksheep will win this one, because it's only human nature to side with ones personal preference.

I like both, can't afford wither one of the two, but if I had to part with disposable income, I would still take the Budnitz.

Two reasons.

Cost (value for money)

They offer a steel option.

and you have one.... hahahaha

Erm...steel Black Sheep below. They're a custom builder so you can have what you want, they just mostly build titanium, certainly not exclusively. As to value for money, well now that's in the eye of the beholder is it not? So a moot point other than in your own context of value for money.

Me, I quite like the look of Budnitz bikes, but then again they look like a Black Sheep Speedster, which they are a copy of. I'm sure they're really nice bikes too. I just don't like what Budnitz did as I think it insults the craft and art custom bike builders put into their trade. But then that's a free market for you, so it's about choices like Todd says. Me I'll not be choosing a Budnitz any time soon.

Also this is certainly not just Black Sheep's one side of the story, this is old news and has been on the web for ages already, coming from many people. Surprised Black Sheep took so long to say something. Budnitz by his own admission burns bridges behind him (Bike Rumour interview) so I guess this was one of them.

But hey I'm biased anyway, I've got the first Black Sheep in Africa on order...........

As to value for money, well now that's in the eye of the beholder is it not? So a moot point other than in your own context of value for money.

 

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Value for money is what's left and not left in the pocket.

Also take note, i did not speak in absolute favour of either brand other than the cost excercise.

I am also surprised it took them so long, if I had enough proof, I wouldn't wait.