yes it would have...it shows that you dont need to be a gymnastic to have some and anyone at any age can have fun on the 'powerbocks'

My daughter was disappointed when they pulled the plug on having kids on the show. She's typical of the type of person the sport should be attracting, young, energetic, a little daring and with the interest to take it further and try new tricks all the time. It was a shame they decided to just have Kadir, but I guess any positive exposure is good exposure.

Steve

Hi

I spent the day with Kadir yesterday up at Milton Keynes. He was wearing a combination of PR (as you can see the PR cuffs) and FJ's as he had the springs out of my 100kg models to get the required lift to propel over the car , I think his 70's are fairly well worn in and don't offer the same bounce.

As has been mentioned it's good for the community as a whole to get this exposure, along with Sweboucne's great effort last week on When Will I Be Famous the sport is getting some good PR at the moment. Kadir's a great chap with some jaw dropping nerve, one slip and its curtains to his career!!!

Regarding Kadir clothing I dont think the logo was too visible as it was crumpled up and not full on to the camera, the best we got was a mention of Fly Jumpers by Kadir. Originally the show was going to feature some kids bouncing around as well as Kadir, this may have had more impact on the younger kids.

Steve

Hi All

Just a quick heads up. Fly Jumpers will be featured on BBC1's Blue Peter this afternoon at 5pm on their live show. We have Kadir performing some stunts on the live show. We've also had some new shots taken which have gone up in the gallery of Kadir around the streets of London (more to follow shortly).

If anyone is able to record it and post it up it would be much appreciated, first one to do so I will make sure they get a free fly jumper carry bag.

Cheers

Steve

to be honest i wouldn't waste your time waiting for these people - i have been trying to get in contact with them for days to buy a pair of bocks but have had no response from PM's on this forum, emails to their official site or answer phone messages left on the number on their website.

The offer is still on and available through the website. I will pass on your complaint to the sales manager, please PM me your details (contact no. name etc and i'll try and sort out a free bag or something for your troubles).

Steve

well.. i will be waiting .. im sure it wont be too long for a redply .. Chinease New Year was 3 days ago .. 

Chinese New Year STARTS on 18th Feb but lasts for seven days in China, during which most factories either run on skeleton staff or completely shut down during this period. So I wouldn't expect a reply until next week.

Steve

im sure they do locky.. this is one obvious place were quality has dropped and made the stilts a hazard to users .. i got a Brand new pair of Pro-Jumps for South Africa and while testing them out before my 1st rehearsal.. the enevitable happens and i felt this Huge Clunk and bang under my feet! .. not a nice experience and if i were new to the sport and had no experience of reading about these white tabs then i would be Very worried about my stilts .. and due to the big bang and clunk that happened i could have easily fell because of it! .. so many cases on all the forums were people have had these fly out and either nearly hit someone watching or make them fall over themselfs!! for safty and Quality reasons... one cry from all who are buying these stilts is get this part changed. It should be in your power steve to ask your M/Fs about this and give us some feedback..

K.

Hi Kiola

I have forwarded the contents of your post to our China office, at the moment however its Chinese New Year so I wouldn't expect a reply this week, but i'll try and get some feedback next week.

Steve

But as far as the manufacturing goes, there is a line of compromising safety that must not be crossed and a growing price war puts more pressure on manufacturers to be a more and more unreasonable and to cross that line... if only to make a quick buck or to fill a gap in the market.

I agree, but the m/f's have not been asked to reduce their prices to us, at the moment we have sacrificied our margin to clear old stock. Future cost considerations will be negotiated face to face with the factory but this will only be on the basis of increased orders - i.e. if we order xx containers we want xx price in return for increased volume.

I think its fair to say everyone on this forum has an interest to ensure the safety of the product and have a vested interest in the success of the sport. We as a retailer are only interested in supplying 'Bock Approved' brands. The factory we buy from has a deal with Mr Boeck to manufacturer the product with his consent. We're not interested in screwing the factory to the point where quality suffers - any cost reductions for the end user will be because sales have increased and therefore buying power has increased - NOT at the detriment to the product.

Phewww! I need a coffee

Steve

Just another opinion, shoot me down in flames if anyone disagrees. LOL

Absolutely agree 100% with your comments. Safety is number 1 priority, I wouldn't allow my daughter to use them if I didn't think they were safe. Just because price comes down, it doesn't mean quality has to. I mentioned in my last post that the MD here has been to China three times in nine months to meet directly with the factory owner and inspect the facilities - we have no interest in supplying a sub standard product and are fully committed to developing the product with the feedback we receive.

Cheers

Steve

so fly jump is comparing it self to tesco value crisps? lol... what would 7's come under then..m and s 'so good' scones?

Haha, nice analogy!! (if a little mis-quoted )

If we're value crisps, then we are at least smoky bacon flavour surely?

Steve

7) "A price war is good for the buyer but not good for the sport in general." - How is this not good for the sport in general. Prices have been reduced at the retail end, not the manufacturing end so quality is still the same, we have just sacrificed our margin. As long as the quality remains I don't see a problem.

Well first you say you're not starting a price war and then you try to defend it :/
The reasons why a price war is not good for the sport are the same reasons you have mentioned. Sure, as a retailer you are not changing the quality but as the uk market gets bigger and bigger then someone is going to start compromising the safety of these springs at the manufacturing level in order to sell these at under £100. Ok, so they wont be called flyjumpers, projumps or anything else we have but with so many brand names already do you really think the adults looking up "bouncy stilts" on google are going to tell the difference?

ALREADY we have people (PROOF not evidence) that these springs can snap within a few hours, at their current quality.

Also a larger price war could force some of the smaller dealers and retailers out of business which gives more power to the bigger boys and could eventually leave one dominant retailer who can then use its power to dictate to the market.

Defend it all you like, but its the world of retailing happing all over in every type of market.

OK, I hear what you're saying but I don't understand your logic.

The only way products get developed and improved is by increasing sales which in turn increases turnover, this gives the factories more cahs to invest and develop the product - surely a good thing. If the sport lumbers on selling a few thousand pairs here and there, where's the money going to come from for research and development? No product can survive long term without increasing sales. With so many competing products the sport will die very quickly, and will remain a niche sport amongst a few enthusiasts.

At present there is a handful of manufacturers around the world supplying 99% of jumping stilts, i'm sure there are a few rogue m/f's in China but this is the same in any industry. Considering how many of the products are sold vs the number of problems AND considering the extreme conditions the product is used in I think the m/f's are doing a good job.

Sure, you have PROOF of springs snapping 'within hours' - but how many of these cases can be proved 100% beyond doubt that it was m/f error and not some kind of misuse by the user. The springs are chipped very easily by banging against walls or metal, this obviously weakens the most vital part. The point i'm making is that there are very few cases of m/f defect considering the volumes sold. I can honestly say we've not had a single issue in six months of selling the product other than a couple of minor niggles.

I don't see that by opening up the product to the masses the sport will suffer. The benefits of increased sales will be more development of the product to improve performance, lower retail end costs, improved facilities for jumpers, an improved spares supply chain, the opportunity for more competitions or 'gatherings'.

We obviously have different views on the direction of the sport as a whole. As a retailer we are 100% committed to maintaining quality. Next week our MD here will be going to China for a THIRD time in 9 months to inspect the factory and meet with the owners, this is real committment to QC and shows our desire to create a brand that will last and a product that is safe to use.

Steve

Hi

Just wanted to clear up a few points raised on the thread.

1) The offer is on until all current 2006 stock is cleared. Obviously with the prices as they have been we are clearing old stock fast so the offer won't be on for long.

2) The point was raised that these could be sold much cheaper as m/f costs with a mass produced item mean that unit costs are low. Firstly, there's more to RRP than the cost of the product, we have import duty, royalties, storage & shipping costs to pay, not forgeting liability insurance which runs well into five figures per year. These are not cheap product to insure against personal injury!!

3) There is NO price war. We have reduced the cost of our sets after discussions with the German patent holder and not as a result of PJ's offer of reduced cost on signup to the forum. We have been advised of new models to come and that we should be pro-active in clearing out old stocks which is the reason for the reduction.

4) We all know that PR's, PJ's and FJ's are entry level products to the sport, no one is suggesting these are professional high end jumping stilts, however there is always room in any market place for an entry level product and these brands fit this quite nicely. If I want a cheap no frills laptop then i'll go and see Tesco and it'll last a couple of years, however if I want something with a bit more clout maybe i'll pay more and speak to Dell and get something to do me for four or five years.

5) The offer is UK and Europe only - we don't have rights to sell in the US.

6) I wouldn't expect prices to drop below their current levels for quite a while. With the costs I mentioned above it doesn't actually leave that much margin when selling at £140 and £120 (also this includes delivery in the UK at around £5 - £10 cost per delivery to us). As has been discussed their are royalties, import duties, storage, shipping, staff, public liability insurance, buildings insurance, contents insurance etc etc. to pay before any profit is considered.

7) "A price war is good for the buyer but not good for the sport in general." - How is this not good for the sport in general. Prices have been reduced at the retail end, not the manufacturing end so quality is still the same, we have just sacrificed our margin. As long as the quality remains I don't see a problem. In the next few weeks the sport is going to have one of its biggest PR opportunities on prime time TV, this is wasted if kids turn to their parents and ask for a product that costs more than a DS, PSP, mobile phone etc. Or adults look the product up on Google only to discover the product is over £200!! Not exactly a sport open to the masses. If people want the sport to be only for an elite few enthusiasts then thats a sad thing. My daughter started simply because I was involved with this project, now she has embraced the sport and promotes it over the country - and this is someone who has never used rollerskates, skateboard, snowbaords etc. Our goal is to bring the sport to the masses, and this can only be acheived in the long term by getting kids pairs to under the magic £100 mark - and this will only be possible if we can place larger orders with the factory and negotiate a better royalty with Mr and Mrs Boeck.

Hope this clears things up. Sorry for not responding to the PM, i'm not a paid up member of the team at FJ, just help out keeping the web side of things running so I don't always have time to check for PM's so apologies for not getting back.

Steve

Is this offer available to those in the US?  If so, how much is shipping?

KMO

I'll check with the directors on our current status with regards to sales in the US. At the moment most European countries and many others worldwide are part of the agreement.

Cheers

Steve

I read an interesting article on Heelys. The US inventor did so after a messy split from his wife, disilutionment in his job and a brain wave after watching kids on inline's. He then proceeded to slice up a pair of Nike's with a hot butter knife, insert a skateboard wheel on a rod and reseal the Nike with heat. After that it took a number of years to develop a model that would sell. The first Heelys was born in 1997, and in 2007 they are only just catching fire in the UK. It wouldn't surprise me if a similar timeline was applicable for 'jumpers'

Steve

Hi guys

Its too early to say what developments we are expecting on Fly Jumpers, just that this year will bring slight enhancements from user feedback. Obviously theres no wholesale changes to the products, just slight 'tweaks'. The offer is genuine and represents our commitment to make the product more accessible as an entry level into 'bocking'. At £200+ its a real investment, and I guess even at £140 but it just brings it onto the radar of more people.

Thanks for the positive feedback so far.

Cheers

Steve

Nice work, I have organised alot of exhibition work / stands for my company so I know how tiring it can be. I hope your hard work and effort pays off for what its worth I think your absolutely right to target the professional buyers in this way.

You're not wrong!! 10-12 hours a day on your feet, no breaks, stooping to fasten bindings, jumping, talking, more jumping, more talking - but yes, well worth the effort (including the 22 hour drive back from Munich!!!).

Cheers

Steve