Thursday, October 30, 2008

75 dollar rubber boots.





I get the feeling that, because I live in the Portland area, publishing my sentiments about this product from this particular company may border on treasonous. Still. $75 for rubber boots?

Vanilla bikes are anything but and Mr. White (the builder) is basically a superstar in the bike culture of Portland. But $75 for rubber boots?

Speedvagen bikes are awesome and I don't know anyone that wouldn't give their eye-teeth for one, but $75 for rubber boots? With the Speedvagen shield?

I suppose these might actually fall under the protection of the "PRO" label, making me just another "wish I could" dork riding a mass-produced piece of junk lacking in any sort of taste or skill whatsoever. But, seriously, $75 for a rubber boot? That's soooo BKW.

The thing that tweaked me, after the crazy price tag, was the fact that they were "US made" and much special-ness was made of supporting US manufacturing.

#1: I have a set of Bad Black Boots that were made in the US. Servus brand. Rubber. Almost up to my knees. Bad Basic Black.

#2: They cost $19.99 at GI Joes.

#3: Buying a US made product should fall under the category of "buying locally". Yes, one is supporting US jobs, but one is also cutting out all the transportation of getting the product to the US. No foreign carbon footprint. Just a domestic carbon footprint.

#4: You really can't top Bad Basic Black. It goes with everything!

#5: What could the saved $55 be better spent on?

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I can't help but suggest you create a design, order a minimum number of, and have produced...some rubber boots (make 'em chartreuse and pink, ok?)
and see what they cost. You might be surprised.
Naturally there are five dollar rubber galoshes...I think they might be made by slaves. Anyhoo, to the naysayer, I say: walk a mile in their cute idea before er...well, I guess we all get to have opinions. I am of the opinion (having designed, purchased and produced a thousand %&$(?/@! pub towels --those things that are in British pubs with the name of the brewery, made of terrycloth but they're going out of production, now they just use printed rubber mats, sob--and then spent 15, count 'em fifteen years to sell them. Still have several dozen (at $20 a pop, c/0 jacquie phelan box 757 Fairfax CA 94978 heh heh..
well, I hope vanilla isn't stuck with several dozen un-sold pair. Scary.
Love your blog bythe way...

Anonymous said...

PS forgot to say what the pub towel SAYS on it (it's 8x19 inches, 100% by the way... perfect for cleaning off cyclocross crud, and guaranteed to live to a ripe auld age. A hundred washings only improves the damn things, which are purple with pink writing, jaquard loomed)" Women's Mountain Bike & Tea Society".