There’s an awful lot of hearsay being thrown around in this thread. Let me offer something other than secondhand rumor:
First of all, Darren Bedford is the man. He’s awesome, and does a great job with his one-man operation. Outside of his main business, he has breathed new life into the NAUCC conventions. But it’s too bad he doesn’t have a Web site where you can look up and order his products. I think a lot of people end up doing their product research at UDC before giving Darren a call. I think he’s been selling unicycles since around when the Semcycles came out, which is 21 years ago.
Roger Davies is also the man. I know less about UDC UK, but I do know Roger, and his deep involvement with the sport, and product development. One of my one-wheeled treasures is a handmade carbon fiber Roger Davies MUni. And a couple of carbon seat bases as well. Roger shares his Web technology with UDC US/International, making it easier for both of them to maintain their large, comprehensive online stores.
But what of UDC US? Well, they’re a family business, and they sell to the wider unicycling public. That is, lots and lots of first-time and entry-level unicyclists. These unicycles, which are their primary source of income, are bought by parents mostly; having the concerns parents typically do. Hence the greater attention to safety gear and other kid-oriented things.
But they are not just an entry-level or kids shop. In many years, they are the ones who pioneered the “unicycle business” as it is today. In other words, products designed to price points, and spec’ed together to meet the needs of riders. No, they weren’t the first to sell custom unicycles, but they may have been the first to make custom unicycles “standardized” products you could order without having to piece them together.
Also they were the first to bring nearly all unicycle brands together under one virtual roof. Do you know how hard it used to be to get your hands on good unicycles and parts? Impossible, if you didn’t know they existed. We used to have to track them down ourselves.
Lastly, John Drummond is not an expert or champion rider. He’s also married, with three kids and a mortgage. Darren and Roger may have mortgages too, but you know what I mean. John’s priorities have to be different, and I believe they are in the right order for him and the Drummond family. He is a hero to lots of unicycling dads out there.
From above we learn what we always should have known; all three vendors are capable of making shipping mistakes. More importantly, all three are good about correcting them, and good customer service. Like and buy from whoever you want. But please try to be accurate when dissing the other guys.
Sorry, not true. Tommy Miller used to warn about the same things in the early days of UDC. And the Drummonds learned. Sometimes the box from overseas has parts missing, ill-built wheels, or other issues. They do check. Lots of the higher-end stuff that goes out the door is assembled from parts in Marietta, and is not what came in “the box.”
They both know what they’re talking about. More in certain areas and less in others. I think the two businesses compliment each other extremely well, and it’s nice to know they don’t treat each other as competitors. We should take a lesson from this and do the same.
