Starting May 1st, some of Shimano's components went up in price.
For example, 780 series XT sprockets
went from ¥6,420 to ¥6,444 (100%) before tax.
I'm not sure what the point is of such a tiny price increase, but...
The now-previous-generation 9000 series Dura-Ace crankset in 50×34T spec
went from ¥55,868 to ¥57,502 (103%) before tax.
The percentage figures in parentheses aren't my own calculations—
they're straight from the price list I was given,
rounded down at the decimal point.
Most price increases are less than 10%.
But when I looked more carefully at that list,
I found something with a vicious price jump.
Chains.
The 9-speed chain with the biggest increase, the CN-HG53 (116 links),
went from ¥1,470 to ¥2,465 (167%) before tax. Yikes.
I've written out the old and new prices before tax for the 11-speed chains
we use frequently at the shop:
CN-HG901 Dura-Ace
CN-HG701 Ultegra
CN-HG601 105
The price increases for 105 and Ultegra are pretty big,
so the new 105 price has surpassed the old Ultegra price.
At the old prices, the gap between Dura-Ace and Ultegra was ¥1,351,
but at the new prices it's only ¥551, and
at shops that don't sell at list price, that gap will be even tighter,
so among these three tiers, the Dura-Ace chain—
the only one with a hollowed-out pin—
should see more sales with the logic of
"if the price difference is that small, might as well go with Dura-Ace."
The price increase takes effect May 1st,
but because of how the calendar worked out this year,
shipments on April 27th were
the last chance to stock the old-price chains.
Oh no, what do I do
I ended up ordering way too many
Dura-Ace chains at the old price (deadpan)
Well, I have no choice (deadpan), so I'm going to offer
just the Dura-Ace chains from this shipment at a special price.
I can't put the exact amount here,
and this time I can't even post it on the shop bulletin board,
but I will say this much:
"It's cheaper than the current asking price we already have on Ultegra at our shop"
"It's cheaper than the new 105 list price"
That's all I'll commit to.
Also, we can't hold items by phone—this is in-store only.
All the chains this time come with a pin-type connector included,
but if you'd prefer a quick link, we can swap it at no extra charge
(they're the same price anyway), so just let us know when you come in.
For example, 780 series XT sprockets
went from ¥6,420 to ¥6,444 (100%) before tax.
I'm not sure what the point is of such a tiny price increase, but...
The now-previous-generation 9000 series Dura-Ace crankset in 50×34T spec
went from ¥55,868 to ¥57,502 (103%) before tax.
The percentage figures in parentheses aren't my own calculations—
they're straight from the price list I was given,
rounded down at the decimal point.
Most price increases are less than 10%.
But when I looked more carefully at that list,
I found something with a vicious price jump.
Chains.
The 9-speed chain with the biggest increase, the CN-HG53 (116 links),
went from ¥1,470 to ¥2,465 (167%) before tax. Yikes.
I've written out the old and new prices before tax for the 11-speed chains
we use frequently at the shop:
CN-HG901 Dura-Ace
CN-HG701 Ultegra
CN-HG601 105
The price increases for 105 and Ultegra are pretty big,
so the new 105 price has surpassed the old Ultegra price.
At the old prices, the gap between Dura-Ace and Ultegra was ¥1,351,
but at the new prices it's only ¥551, and
at shops that don't sell at list price, that gap will be even tighter,
so among these three tiers, the Dura-Ace chain—
the only one with a hollowed-out pin—
should see more sales with the logic of
"if the price difference is that small, might as well go with Dura-Ace."
The price increase takes effect May 1st,
but because of how the calendar worked out this year,
shipments on April 27th were
the last chance to stock the old-price chains.
Oh no, what do I do
I ended up ordering way too many
Dura-Ace chains at the old price (deadpan)
Well, I have no choice (deadpan), so I'm going to offer
just the Dura-Ace chains from this shipment at a special price.
I can't put the exact amount here,
and this time I can't even post it on the shop bulletin board,
but I will say this much:
"It's cheaper than the current asking price we already have on Ultegra at our shop"
"It's cheaper than the new 105 list price"
That's all I'll commit to.
Also, we can't hold items by phone—this is in-store only.
All the chains this time come with a pin-type connector included,
but if you'd prefer a quick link, we can swap it at no extra charge
(they're the same price anyway), so just let us know when you come in.