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What's the Deal with Ellsworth?

3K views 40 replies 17 participants last post by  Airborne 
#1 ·
On page 2 of MTBR's coverage of the NAHBS show, they talk to Tony Ellsworth himself. He claims that they make all of their frames in the USA and he makes a big deal out of it. However, it is my understanding that the "Glimpse" is at least partially made in Taiwan. I don't know if other models are made in a similar fashion.

So am I missing something or is Tony actually lying?

Here is a direct quote from the interview (note the word "everything"):
We make everything in the USA, and we do it in environmentally conscious ways.
 
#2 ·
Their wheels are made in Taiwan and the carbon bikes are made overseas too. Tony is a pathalogical liar, has been for a long while.
 
#6 ·
Check the date of the post

Thor29 said:
On page 2 of MTBR's coverage of the NAHBS show, they talk to Tony Ellsworth himself. He claims that they make all of their frames in the USA and he makes a big deal out of it. However, it is my understanding that the "Glimpse" is at least partially made in Taiwan. I don't know if other models are made in a similar fashion.

So am I missing something or is Tony actually lying?

Here is a direct quote from the interview (note the word "everything"):
We make everything in the USA, and we do it in environmentally conscious ways.
The post was from 2008. "Sunday January 20th, 2008 at 2:05 PM"

Back then the bikes could have all been USA made. I think the Glimpse is newer and don't know about the carbon offerings.

I might not be a huge fan of the brand, but feel only punish 'em when deserved. ;)

JmZ
 
#7 ·
If someone has the bike and like the way it rides, then so what? If they're super worried about buying a bike made in the USA other reasons(support american jobs, more trusting of the quality and customer service, etc) then there are plenty of other brands you know for sure are made in the US.

First and foremost to me is quality of the ride, followed closely by durability and customer service.
 
#8 ·
Itchy The Clown said:
Yes. Tony is a pathological liar. His bullshoot has been well-documented for well over a decade.

Cue the fanbois to "defend" Tony's lies because they think they are special just because they bought into the hype.
I could give a flying hoot about Tony Ellsworth. What I do know is that his frames ride great. The build quality is top notch and while everybody moans about his suspension being outdated, it JUST PLAIN WORKS!!

I am never going to meet or have a conversation with the Owner. Nor do I care to. It isn't like he gave me a frame or asked me to support his product.

But you are right...Tony is a liar so his bikes all must suck.
 
#12 ·
Chapped (o) Hole said:
:thumbsup:
I totally agree with you :cool:

I ride a '99 Intense M1, which I honestly love.

That's the reason my urine boils when the ignorance of companies like Intense and Ellsworth, makes it a lot of trouble to keep the bike running.

The latests chapter in the story of keeping my Intense running, is to machine a new linkage plate, as those have been out of stock since forever.

Magura :)
 
#13 ·
JmZ said:
The post was from 2008. "Sunday January 20th, 2008 at 2:05 PM"

Back then the bikes could have all been USA made. I think the Glimpse is newer and don't know about the carbon offerings.

I might not be a huge fan of the brand, but feel only punish 'em when deserved. ;)
JmZ
That's weird. Why did MTBR include all those 2008 interviews in an article labeled as the 2011 Austin NAHBS? Even so, that makes him seem even more of a jerk if he said that in 2008 and then a year or two later starts selling Taiwanese frames.
 
#14 ·
I believe even in 2008 he was making his "made in Taiwan by buddist monks" - "heavier than the competition with poor engagement" wheelsets, and even back then he was showing off glimpse prototypes, for some reason it took a few years for the glimpse to hit rhe market.
 
#15 ·
canonshooter said:
I am never going to meet or have a conversation with the Owner. Nor do I care to. It isn't like he gave me a frame or asked me to support his product.
If you hung out on mtbr several years ago, you very well could have had a convo with Tony E. There's very good reason he doesn't hang around here anymore.

That whole mess convinced me to never buy a bike from him, and I'm pretty sure a few folks in this thread also remember all of that crap years ago.
 
#16 ·
So the guys is an a$$... was gibts? I tend to judge the product and not the person.

I am sure there is a lot of folks hating the old head of GM for running the company into the ground, yet people still drive Chevys....I personally think that there are a lot yous guys on mtbr that like to jump on the band wagon of hate because it gives you something to bi tch about.
 
#17 ·
Success always puts a target on your back, and some will look for any target they might hit.

I don't have any opinion on TE himself or really his company because I simply haven't followed any of the saga(s). If more Americans would buy American, more stuff could still be made here, but good luck swaying the majority that is Walmart nation (a whole different topic).

I do love my 2010 Truth. The frame is a little on the heavy side, but it more than makes up for the extra weight with its stiffness; when ridden it feels considerably lighter than it is.

-Pete
 
#18 ·
bdamschen said:
If someone has the bike and like the way it rides, then so what? If they're super worried about buying a bike made in the USA other reasons(support american jobs, more trusting of the quality and customer service, etc) then there are plenty of other brands you know for sure are made in the US.

First and foremost to me is quality of the ride, followed closely by durability and customer service.
I for one had no problem with Ellsworths customer service between 2002 and 2005. I broke an Isis frame 3 times and they promptly replaced it under warranty all 3 times...What I did have a problem with is an XC bike breaking 3 times with ONLY normal XC riding!
 
#19 ·
I have a customer with an Epiphany that is around 6-7 years old. The rear upper swing arm was oxidized. The customer called Ellsworth and asked him if the swing arm could be powder coated.

Ellsworth sent him a completely new, complete billet aluminum swing arm. No charge.

If that isn't good CS, then I don't know what CS is. And I need to get out of the CS business.
 
#20 ·
canonshooter said:
I personally think that there are a lot yous guys on mtbr that like to jump on the band wagon of hate because it gives you something to bi tch about.
What about the folks that had personal interactions with Tony that directly related to defective product and the piss poor way that Ellsworoth handled the situation?

How about instances where Tony lied to the MTBR audience about the defective product and what had transpired?

Is speaking from personal experience "jumping on the bandwagon"?

Yes, fanbois that have a good deal of their self-worth tied up in the brand of bike they buy will defend their purchase choice, no matter how illogical that is...

p.s. Is there any sane reason to use "I personally think" rather than "I think"?
 
#21 ·
Itchy The Clown said:
What about the folks that had personal interactions with Tony that directly related to defective product and the piss poor way that Ellsworoth handled the situation?

How about instances where Tony lied to the MTBR audience about the defective product and what had transpired?

Is speaking from personal experience "jumping on the bandwagon"?

Yes, fanbois that have a good deal of their self-worth tied up in the brand of bike they buy will defend their purchase choice, no matter how illogical that is...

p.s. Is there any sane reason to use "I personally think" rather than "I think"?
Perhaps not....that is just what I was thinking at the time. Does it matter?

And you keep alluding to me being a fanboi or however the f uck you spell it... How would you have the first idea what "our" self-worth is? Your ongoing need to call attention to people you disagree with is quite sad actually not because of how you feel about TE, but because you have the incessant need to judge people that don't have an issue with him.

I am going to go ride my Ellsworth now...
 
#22 ·
Itchy The Clown said:
p.s. Is there any sane reason to use "I personally think" rather than "I think"?
Is there any sane reason for an NFL referee to announce 'prior to the snap' when calling a false start?

I feel people inject the word 'personally' when they want to emphasize their awareness that their sentiments may not be shared by many.

What do you have to say about those who bought an Ellsworth who had no knowledge of TE or really much of anything about the company and simply shopped for a bike on the merits of the product itself? Believe it or not, that's how I ended up with an Ellsworth. I have no regrets on my purchase, even if I 'personally' am unwittingly helping TE ruin the Earth by supporting his evil cause. I highly doubt he's the most evil person I've unwittingly helped support.
 
#23 ·
Pedalphile said:
Is there any sane reason for an NFL referee to announce 'prior to the snap' when calling a false start?

I feel people inject the word 'personally' when they want to emphasize their awareness that their sentiments may not be shared by many.

What do you have to say about those who bought an Ellsworth who had no knowledge of TE or really much of anything about the company and simply shopped for a bike on the merits of the product itself? Believe it or not, that's how I ended up with an Ellsworth. I have no regrets on my purchase, even if I 'personally' am unwittingly helping TE ruin the Earth by supporting his evil cause. I highly doubt he's the most evil person I've unwittingly helped support.
Hey come on, it's not all that black/white ;)

I guess that what many people have against Ellsworth, Intense, Mountain Cycles, Orange and so forth, is that they don't seem to understand what is to be gained from running a business that way?
I for one can't figure what they expect to gain from not supplying spare parts for their older models?
As far as I can tell, they could make good business on selling spare parts, and besides that get a good reputation. Personally I'd rather make money and be praised, than loose customers and be bashed for being arrogant and ignorant, but maybe that's just me?

When they also start being pretty creative about the origin of their bikes and parts, when marketing themselves as "all American made", they again end up with the short end of the stick, as those whom would buy something due to their American origin, are hardly that stupid that they can't do a Google search.
The rest of us whom don't care where it's made, just think "if they lie about the origin of their stuff, what else do they lie about as well?"
Again, nothing gained, neither for the brand, nor financially.

Now that seems pretty downright dumb to me.

Magura :)
 
#24 ·
Pedalphile said:
Success always puts a target on your back, and some will look for any target they might hit.

I don't have any opinion on TE himself or really his company because I simply haven't followed any of the saga(s). If more Americans would buy American, more stuff could still be made here, but good luck swaying the majority that is Walmart nation (a whole different topic).

I do love my 2010 Truth. The frame is a little on the heavy side, but it more than makes up for the extra weight with its stiffness; when ridden it feels considerably lighter than it is.

-Pete
While "success breeds contempt" rings true, there tends to be a certain type of successful individual who invites it.
 
#25 ·
Hey, you didn't answer any of my questions, I wonder why that is...

canonshooter said:
And you keep alluding to me being a fanboi or however the f uck you spell it... How would you have the first idea what "our" self-worth is?
Well, it's like this:

  • Your first few whiny posts smelled of the typical "I have a good deal of my self-worth tied to the brand of bike I own " fanboi pabulum.
  • Your following posts only reaffirmed that perception.
  • An easy search of "canonshooter" and "Ellsworth" absolutely confirmed my diagnosis, even before I got to read your latest post.

Final verdict, based upon the facts at hand:

Your post history confirms your rabid fanboi status.

canonshooter said:
Your ongoing need to call attention to people you disagree with is
Huh? That's more weirdness right there. How am I calling attention to people I disagree with? It's a discussion board silly. If I reply it's just that. A reply.

Using your weird "logic" you have an ongoing need to call attention to people you disagree with just because you're responding to people in this thread.

canonshooter said:
quite sad actually not because of how you feel about TE, but because you have the incessant need to judge people that don't have an issue with him.
Huh? redux. I'm not judging you because you don't have an issue with Tony, and/or Ellsworth. I'm judging you because you characterize folks that have had issues with Tony, and/or Ellsworth in this way:

"I personally think that there are a lot yous guys on mtbr that like to jump on the band wagon of hate because it gives you something to bi tch about."

...or you disparage people sharing their personal experience as just participating in "another bash thread"

p.s. Pedaphile, I think that those who bought an Ellsworth who had no knowledge of TE or really much of anything about the company and simply shopped for a bike on the merits of the product itself are merely uninformed.
 
#26 ·
Pedalphile said:
Is there any sane reason for an NFL referee to announce 'prior to the snap' when calling a false start?

I feel people inject the word 'personally' when they want to emphasize their awareness that their sentiments may not be shared by many.

What do you have to say about those who bought an Ellsworth who had no knowledge of TE or really much of anything about the company and simply shopped for a bike on the merits of the product itself? Believe it or not, that's how I ended up with an Ellsworth. I have no regrets on my purchase, even if I 'personally' am unwittingly helping TE ruin the Earth by supporting his evil cause. I highly doubt he's the most evil person I've unwittingly helped support.
Thank You. I personally agree with you 100%!!! :thumbsup:
 
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