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I can see where you are coming from......I dont own or have ever ridden a S&M so I cant say too much about them, but I have seen some of their parts go for ridiculous amount of money, guess its all in the name?

I just know when I have looked for parts, about the only S&M I have thought about are the Pitchforks, then I see the price and look for something different

I've been saying that for a few years now. S&M is the Mid-School Hutch. Collecting wise.
Here's a big similarity - both made cranks for a short period that were known to break & now typically get a high price & are sought after.
As a S&M fan, it bums me out. I hate seeing restored, shiny S&Ms. I prefer to see a S&M that has clearly seen action.
-Bill

except S&M is higher quality than Hutch ever was!

Faust Wurstkotzenhauser wrote:

Seems like people will pay out the ass for a Velo seat that says "S&M" on it... or Wellgo pedals that have "S&M Bikes" printed on them... or the ultra-rare and very elusive Poverty seatpost that is plain black and comes with an S&M sticker...

I love S&M bikes as much as anyone... and they outnumber everything else in my collection of frames... so I'm not bashing S&M by any means... they make some cool stuff...

... but there seems to be a lot of stigma with the name itself... kind of like Harley Davidson... if it doesn't say "S&M" on it, it isn't good enough...

discuss...

You said it Faust, they've become THE BEST brand out there among consumers.  They're name has become a legend...

There are a lot of other companies that have equal quality... and S&M is not perfect... I have a few S&M frames that have sketchy features...

I love my S&M stuff, but I see a lot of people endorsing them as the "best"... without any real substance... as if it is the best just because it says "S&M" on it...

I ride my PBR everywhere and I don't have any "S&M" shield stickers on it, because it is a bazillion times more likely to get stolen if it had the decals on it...

I waffle back and forth on S&M. On one hand they are out of the west coast mecca of bmx (Santa Ana, Ca.) and they are owned by a former BMXA test rider. On the other hand i dont like the fact they advertise that their team riders smoke dope and are owned by someone i have met a couple of times and is a complete bonehead. Now i dont want to sound like a prude, i still drink, i used to smoke grass and i assume a lot of bmx riders get high and i dont have a problem with that. I just think that saying you are a roots american company with top quality bmx parts should be enough. Check out FBM, they used to be all about the party image but over the years they have toned it down and are focusing on the fact that riding bikes is just plain fun. They make amazing quality american made stuff including custom bikes. Check out their site http://www.fbmbmx.com/

Last edited by stillinthegame (2009-11-04 8:29am)

stillinthegame wrote:

I waffle back and forth on S&M. On one hand they are out of the west coast mecca of bmx (Santa Ana, Ca.) and they are owned by a former BMXA test rider. On the other hand i dont ike the fact they advertise that their team riders smoke dope and are owned by someone i have met a couple of times and is a complete bonehead. Now i dont want to sound like a prude, i still drink, i used to smoke grass and i assume a lot of bmx riders get high aqnd i dont have a problem with that, i just think that saying you are a roots american company with top quality bmx parts should be enough

That is my issue too. I've never smoked weed nor done any non-prescription drug and I find that I'm not in their demographic of riders. I am older now and see what is going in in this country and want to support American companies and American made products. That seems difficult if you don't also want to support weed.

I love my S&M stuff. I have one of the Velo seats w/the all over shield print, but I got it quite reasonably, but it isn't comfortable so I think I'll be putting it on a shelf. It matches the decals on my frame so I thought it'd be cool, but my butt says otherwise.

I have a Tiki that will stay in the box, I ride my RV 24 as often as I can (which isn't very) and I get all the small parts that make sense. I don't ride their pedals/cranks/or any of the Revenge industries stuff. (if I had 990 mounts I'd seriously consider the RI brakes though) but I have as  much S&M stuff on my S&M frame that I could get: seat, clamp, stem, bars, grips, pads, forks, and bar ends.

The bike feels so much better than my 07 DK Charger 24. I'm no aggressive rider and haven't hit the track w/my RV yet, but I am looking forward to doing so!

S&M is popular for their "outlaw" image. Some buy it just to say,"Yeah, I own some S&M stuff", Most, I would hope, like the feel/quality of their product. Demand of their product is most likely the reason for price hikes, but then again the overall cost of materials are going up. The head tube alone on the "Tiki" frame cost around $100 to produce.
Can't think of anything else to say, it's 6:20a.m., and my brain is still asleep.

Oh, the Sunday mystique. Actually a nice looking frame to me. I was gonna buy one but cant run my graphites without spinning like a madman.

*stomach rumbling* "The Donger need food!"

S+M have been around for many years and have proven quality parts.  Ive got 2 complete S+Ms, an LTF and a Kris Bennett and both are solid and top quality.  I agree with the outlaw image, it seems to have a certain appeal for many.  Its also a brand that many remember from the past who are interested in riding again now and have current products so they relate to that.  I know thats how it was for me when I started riding again a few years ago.  The collectablity probaby stems from the fact that they've been around that amount and time and as items become older and rarer they are more collectable.  Ive got more S+M and Hutch stuff than any other brand.

i think S&M and hutch just share alot of qualities that are popular, there high end stuff, great quality, made in the usa, and have a wide range with rare stuff also, great for collecting!

It's hard to compare the two brands, but I hope I don't think about S&M the way I did and do think about Hutch.  I never got the allure of Hutch and don't get the attraction to their old stuff today.  In terms of pure romance with a bike company from the past, I think there are far better examples that a company like S&M and Standard could be compared to.  They seem to have the "root for the small guy" going for them and make killer products.  I am actually much more of a Standard guy than an S&M guy.