Shimano's SPD-SL pedal cleat packaging has been redesigned.
The image above shows the fixed cleat SM-SH10 in a clear blister pack where you can see the contents,
but this is the old packaging.
Regarding SPD-SL pedal cleats,
counterfeit products (almost certainly made in China, though I'll avoid making definitive claims)
have been flooding online shopping sites,
so Shimano was forced to change to a boxed format as a countermeasure.
On an unrelated note, about this red cleat,
it's explicitly stated as having 0° of float,
but the gray cleat—which is completely fixed—was supposedly only available as a non-sale pro-supplied item,
so technically speaking, claiming 0° is a bit of a stretch.
This is the new packaging for the yellow and blue cleats.
The red cleat doesn't seem to sell very well—at my wholesaler's warehouse, only the old packaging version is still in stock.
With this kind of packaging though, there's an issue:
a certain shop in Osaka deals with shoplifters who remove just the contents,
and to avoid complaints from customers who unknowingly buy these opened boxes saying "There's something missing!",
they go through the tedious process of taping shut all boxed merchandise.
These cleats will definitely become a target for this treatment.
Unlike bar tape, for example, using counterfeit cleats can result in injury,
and users who don't realize they're using fakes will immediately lodge complaints with the manufacturer,
which is a real headache for Shimano.
So Shimano has gotten serious about this and added serial numbers and traceability to cleats.
Currently, products starting with TAWL001 or 002 seem to be in circulation.
By the way, (this one here) is the real deal.
The phrase "AUTHENTIC?" seems—at least to me—somewhat mocking, which irritates me a bit.
While I'm on the subject of irritation, I should mention that the FC-6800 outer 50T chainring
I ordered on January 10th this year, which had a scheduled delivery date that kept getting pushed back,
was originally due July 15th, but as of July 9th has been extended to August 23rd.
Changing subjects, there's been talk of road disc brake pads being hard to find these days.
I'd quietly been hoarding both finned and non-finned versions,
but word got out somehow, and our shop's inventory quickly became sparse.
↑What we sell at our shop is one pair of pads for both sides of one brake set in blister packs,
but separately from this, Shimano also offers a bulk format of 25 pairs per set,
and there are unscrupulous dealers selling individual pairs removed from those bulk packs, without packaging,
at prices above the manufacturer's suggested retail price on Ama○on.
I sometimes do some hoarding myself (tehe~),
but I've never sold products above the suggested retail price.
Below is a list of my misdeeds:
As for wheels and tubes,
I didn't completely clear out the wholesaler's stock,
so technically it's not hoarding.
Bulk purchases were simply necessary as a condition for keeping sales prices as low as possible.
All while feeling the cold touch of a certain customer-attracting panda's claws tracing down the back of my neck.
The image above shows the fixed cleat SM-SH10 in a clear blister pack where you can see the contents,
but this is the old packaging.
Regarding SPD-SL pedal cleats,
counterfeit products (almost certainly made in China, though I'll avoid making definitive claims)
have been flooding online shopping sites,
so Shimano was forced to change to a boxed format as a countermeasure.
On an unrelated note, about this red cleat,
it's explicitly stated as having 0° of float,
but the gray cleat—which is completely fixed—was supposedly only available as a non-sale pro-supplied item,
so technically speaking, claiming 0° is a bit of a stretch.
This is the new packaging for the yellow and blue cleats.
The red cleat doesn't seem to sell very well—at my wholesaler's warehouse, only the old packaging version is still in stock.
With this kind of packaging though, there's an issue:
a certain shop in Osaka deals with shoplifters who remove just the contents,
and to avoid complaints from customers who unknowingly buy these opened boxes saying "There's something missing!",
they go through the tedious process of taping shut all boxed merchandise.
These cleats will definitely become a target for this treatment.
Unlike bar tape, for example, using counterfeit cleats can result in injury,
and users who don't realize they're using fakes will immediately lodge complaints with the manufacturer,
which is a real headache for Shimano.
So Shimano has gotten serious about this and added serial numbers and traceability to cleats.
Currently, products starting with TAWL001 or 002 seem to be in circulation.
By the way, (this one here) is the real deal.
The phrase "AUTHENTIC?" seems—at least to me—somewhat mocking, which irritates me a bit.
While I'm on the subject of irritation, I should mention that the FC-6800 outer 50T chainring
I ordered on January 10th this year, which had a scheduled delivery date that kept getting pushed back,
was originally due July 15th, but as of July 9th has been extended to August 23rd.
Changing subjects, there's been talk of road disc brake pads being hard to find these days.
I'd quietly been hoarding both finned and non-finned versions,
but word got out somehow, and our shop's inventory quickly became sparse.
↑What we sell at our shop is one pair of pads for both sides of one brake set in blister packs,
but separately from this, Shimano also offers a bulk format of 25 pairs per set,
and there are unscrupulous dealers selling individual pairs removed from those bulk packs, without packaging,
at prices above the manufacturer's suggested retail price on Ama○on.
I sometimes do some hoarding myself (tehe~),
but I've never sold products above the suggested retail price.
Below is a list of my misdeeds:
As for wheels and tubes,
I didn't completely clear out the wholesaler's stock,
so technically it's not hoarding.
Bulk purchases were simply necessary as a condition for keeping sales prices as low as possible.
All while feeling the cold touch of a certain customer-attracting panda's claws tracing down the back of my neck.