We recently hosted the team from BikeHub.co.za to give them a tour of our operation and provide insight in Enduro Bearing's unique month warranty. Read on for more on the experience.
Guaranteed for life is not something that is commonplace in wear and tear components on bicycles, yet this is the cover given to all of the Enduro Bearings premium XD-15 and MAXhit products. But this wasn’t enough for the team at Rush Sports, so to step things up, they reached out to us about their bold new 6-month guarantee on their core line of Enduro ABEC-3, ABEC-5 and MAX bearings which they are launching country wide from the 1st of April. What follows is a behind the scenes look at the Enduro Bearings distribution partner in South Africa, and a deep dive into what gives Rush Sports the confidence to put their weight behind Enduro Bearings product with this guarantee.
Caption: Strategically located just off the N1 highway between Johannesburg and Pretoria sits the Rush Sports operational headquarters and warehouse. It might not be a riding Mecca, but this location plays a key role in their ability to service their customers, and most importantly ensure their packages reach them.
Enduro Bearings was founded in San Francisco in 1996 by Mike Alders and Matt Harvey. “Born from a convergence of necessity, friendship, timing and, believe it or not, inspiration derived from a forklift” the company started out in the attic of Hydraulic Electro Forklift; with one push-button phone, two Apple II computers, and a pile of bearing balls and steel bar stock.
It has grown to occupy a 50,000 sq. ft. facility in Oakland, California and additional manufacturing facilities in Gilroy, Singapore, Taiwan, and a joint venture in China. They provide everything from economical ABEC-3 bearings to high performance XD-15 ceramic solutions, and Enduro bearings are fitted annually onto millions of bikes. They have 300+ OEM customers in the bicycle industry who include the likes of Santa Cruz, Cervelo, Trek, BMC, Pivot, Yeti, Stans, Crank Brothers. For more on the company history, take a look here.
CAPTION: Andre and Sam, are the men that stand behind Enduro bearings, and head up Rush Sports. Sam Bull, the recently appointed CEO, and Andre van Aarde, founder and COO, took us down the aisles of their warehouse en route to ‘the hub’ of activity, and the purpose of our visit – the Enduro Bearings aisle.
Rush Sports has been an exclusive distributor of Enduro bearings in South Africa since 2008, and it is their longest standing brand to date. They supply 300 retailers across South Africa, and stock in excess of 350 different SKUs across all categories.
“Our goal with Enduro bearings in South Africa is simple – we want to offer consumers the best possible product that is specifically designed to be used in the actual application on their bicycle and supplied as OEM equipment by 300 of the world’s leading bicycle, wheel and component manufacturers“
“Through our network of retailers we are working daily to deliver great service, and fast, reliable delivery. Through education and product training we are working to ensure that sales staff and mechanics are kept up to speed with the latest developments, changes, innovations and technical procedures to best service the consumers needs.“ ~~ Andre van Aarde, COO
CAPTION: Having represented Enduro Bearings in South Africa since 2008, and supplying exclusively to independent bicycle retailers across Southern Africa, Rush Sports coverage and knowledge of bearings for the cycling market is second to none. They are constantly learning, growing and improving their offering thanks to the feedback received daily from the dozens of workshops they support. This shelf literally keeps thousands of cyclists of all genres, capabilities and disciplines rolling.
CAPTION: With over 300+ different SKUs on bearings alone, storing these variants for quick and efficient stock management and dispatch of orders is key. Quick access picking bins are neatly organised, and labelled, with specific locations for the most efficient picking routes. They are constantly replenished from larger bulk storage to ensure FIFO (First in First Out) inventory management.
CAPTION: Learning over the years that moving from “bulk” bearing tubes to an individual unit packaging extends the shelf life of the bearing, especially for stores in coastal areas. Like food, this airtight packaging keeps the bearing, seals, and grease fresh. Barcodes allow retailers to receive and capture inventory quickly to keep their own operations efficient and ensure the correct bearing is selected for the required application. Seeing the used/ opened Enduro packaging when you collect your bike should also give you the peace of mind of knowing the best possible replacement part was used.
CAPTION: Bearings are only as good as the quality of their installation, and knowing this, Enduro Bearings produces their own line of tools from their skunkworks machine shop in Oakland California [One of Enduro Bearing’s four global operations]. Enduro’s “Made in the USA” machine shop is run by Sonny Brunido, a South African export who has been living in the USA for several decades.
CAPTION: Andre explained how not all bearings are made equal, and to prove his point he put out a spread of 8 of ‘the same’ bearings, each with its own specific set of features that make it perfectly suited to its intended application. Every component that makes up the bearing [races, balls, seals, retainers, grease] are considered when Enduro produces a bearing, and each of these are selected and tweaked to give exactly what is required. This is likely why they are chosen as the OEM supplier to 300+ international brands including Santa Cruz, Cervelo, Trek, Crank Brothers and many more.
CAPTION: XD-15 is Enduro’s premium line of ceramic hybrid bearings. These bearings are “guaranteed for life” and offer the ultimate performance AND durability over extended use with no maintenance required. XD-15 is a Nitrogen infused Stainless Steel developed by Airbus, and is the only bearing race material that actually gets smoother after extended use. Used in combination with Japanese sourced Si3N4 high precision Grade 5 ceramic balls, and Enduro’s own LLU double lip seal, there is nothing better for riders looking for maximum durability, lifespan and performance.
CAPTION: MAXhit is another Enduro first, and carries the “guaranteed for life” slogan. This design completely reinvents the bottom bracket and headset as only a bearing company could. By eliminating the outer bearing race, Enduro are able to dramatically increase the size of the balls [nearly 2.5 times larger] thereby increasing the surface area, and with it the load carrying capacity. Not only this, but much like a 20″ wheel vs a 29″ wheel, the larger balls are more easily able to roll over debris that makes its way into the bearing, and the larger balls make for more space for grease. All this combined with the highest quality 440C Stainless Steel creates a user serviceable bottom bracket or headset that has been proven to outperform and outlast the most premium offerings on the market.
CAPTION: Team work. Not scared to get their hands dirty, Andre and Sam get behind their product as fervently as they get behind their dealers [and their handlebars]. Their workshop is evidence that maintaining their own bikes, and keeping things rolling, is as important to them, and Rush Sports, as keeping their retailers [and by extension the consumer] rolling too.
Six Month Guarantee
To emphasise their confidence in the Enduro Bearings product Rush Sports are adding to the lifetime warranty Enduro offer on their Maxhit and XD-15 product line, by offering a 6-month guarantee on all of their ABEC-3, ABEC-5 and MAX bearings when installed through any of their supporting retailers in South Africa. Here’s how it works:
From the 1st April over 150 workshops across South Africa will be equipped with a simple QR code at their till point. This needs to be scanned to take you to a quick, two-question form to register your purchase.
1: Scan the QR code with your mobile device.
2: Snap and upload a pic of your purchase receipt.
3: Leave a contact reference [email or mobile].
4: In the event of a claim, pop back to the same retailer and the Rush Sports team will take care of the replacement [within six months of installation date]. The only cost they don’t cover is the time for your local mechanic to replace the bearings.
“This guarantee is a stake in the ground to mark our confidence in Enduro Bearings. The Maxhit and XD-15 products are at the high end of the price spectrum but offer significant performance advantages to consumers, and most of all with their lifetime guarantee, they are a game changer for any cyclist who is putting mega miles into their bike. What we are doing on the core line of ABEC-3, ABEC-5 and MAX products with our 6-month guarantee gives peace of mind to everyone“ ~~ Sam Bull, CEO
CAPTION: 6-Month Guarantee: It’s not only XD-15 and MAXhit that gets backed to the hilt. Rush Sports are as of the 1st April rolling out a 6-month guarantee on all of their ABEC-3, ABEC-5 and MAX bearings when installed through any bicycle retailer in South Africa.
CAPTION: There’s a lot to learn when it comes to bearings. The team at Rush Sports work constantly to sharpen their own knowledge through internal training, and ensure that they extend their knowledge to their customers: the 150+ Enduro equipped workshops across South Africa. They don’t limit it here though, and are often said to hold up a group ride due to being caught at the trailhead or in the parking lot by an avid rider looking for the latest scoop or in-depth advice.
CAPTION: There’s a bright future for the cycling industry in South Africa with young faces like these putting their energy into ‘customer first’ thinking. Equally focused on building strong relationships with their retailers as they are ensuring the satisfaction of the consumer.
