8 replies to this topic

[silone74]

Hi every 1, I want to get some tilite spares the shop over here in the UK are expensive the 1s in the US seem to not reply to emails that goes for tilite them selves, Where can i buy them from taking into account the emails i have sent to the states dont get replies and it is so much cheaper to order them from there. I would have thought that paying the money that it costs for the chair they would be more open to selling parts for it tilite that is????????

WHY do disabled items cost so much i bought hand built mountain bikes with top parts on cheaper than a standard ti chair.

Sorry for the rant at the end LOL


Silone74.

[Lucydog]

I have 2 Tilite chairs and unfortunatly Tilite seem unwilling to deal direct. I have contacted them before and they then send me off to Gerald Simmons...nightmare. I mean how much does a sideguard really cost? It might be cheaper to look out for a 2nd hand chair and then use the parts you need. I have just move bits from one chair to another as I need them. When I was pregnant I HAD to get a pair of push handles from GS as I was like a whale! cost me over 100 squid..... Dont you just HATE knowing youve been ripped off?
cheers
L

Edited by Lucydog, 03 January 2008 - 12:48 AM.

[kewlcatkez]

Quote

WHY do disabled items cost so much i bought hand built mountain bikes with top parts on cheaper than a standard ti chair.

Sorry for the rant at the end LOL


Silone74.

Hi Silone74,

Sorry I have no idea where you could buy Tilite sparws from, other than the places you have mentioned here. However, in answer to your (probably closed, rhetorical ) question, The reason they get away with it is b/c we disabled have no choice on the whole. they label something up as 'disabled' or whatever and it sells as we need things as a necessity. ~With regards to bikes, they are generally not needed urgently to get around all the time, so people are more inclined and able to take their time and shop about.

Its my ball ache too! My hubby cycles seriously and I/we have found cycles parts/accessories are mostly cheaper than the chair counterparts.

I Hope you find a good supplier,

Oh, just thought, have you tried EBAY? I know of people who have used it with success to buy chairs/parts etc..

Take care,
K


edited to fix quotes

Lucydog, on Jan 3 2008, 12:37 AM, said:

I have 2 Tilite chairs and unfortunatly Tilite seem unwilling to deal direct. I havecontacted them before and they then send me off to geral Simmons...nightmare. I mean how much does a sideguard really cost?It might be cheaper to look out for a 2nd hand chair and then use the parts you need. I have just move bits from one chair to another as I need them. When I was pregnant I HAD to get a pair of push handles from GS as I was like a whale! cost me over 100 squid..... Dont you just HATE knowing youve been ripped off?
cheers
L

good points,

The thing is that most chairs in the higher end of the market are also highly inflated. Quickie are the same etc. The difference is that with most of the other companies, we have the option of 'shopping around' and as there are more stores ( online or other) selling them, we get the benefit of prices being kept at least a little lower because of the competition. Regardless, we get royally ripped off.

take care,

K

Edited by kewlcatkez, 03 January 2008 - 12:43 AM.

[silone74]

Hi yep tried ebay for bits unfortunatly the tilite seem to be few and far between, i have bought parts from the US but not specific to tilite and it is cheap but as tilite seem to be unable or unwilling to deal with the people that have purchased there products and help keep there company in business as said we need these to chairs to live our lives and to be honest even though i love the chair it makes me think about the next chair i purchase being from another company that can deal with the spares that i need.



Silone74.

[russ1]

I've bought TiLite spares from sportaid in the past which worked well if it did take an age. The biggest problem with TiLite in the UK is the stupidly high costs related to the single importer (Gerald Simmonds) - in reality equally good chairs can be had much more cheaply by using alternative UK makes.

The problem with high end chairs and parts is the tiny numbers they're made in and the high degree of customisation necessary - A top end mtb frame in Ti is usually only made in three or 4 sizes so can be ordered in quantities large enough that they can be fabricated in china and imported cheaply - a wheelchair frame is a combination of width, depth, frame angle, and a few other things so each frame pretty much has to be fabricated for each order which means hugely inflated costs. The cost of small runs of fabric for seating etc is also a lot more expensive to produce than the componentry for a bike. I've still not managed to spend more on a chair than I did on the mountain bike I crashed to end up in the chair and the reality is that the market for high end mountain bikes is orders of magnitude higher than the market for high end wheelchairs.

Tilite can't really be blamed for not wanting to deal direct with Joe Public, they're a large company and they deal with a distribution chain. You wouldn't really expect to buy your new exhaust for your car direct from the factory that makes the car, you'd go to a dealer and the same applies to chairs when you're talking about the big companies like TiLite or Quickie, again the advantage of dealing with a small local fabricator in your own country is that you get to deal direct.

It's tempting to dismiss the high costs as suppliers ripping off the disabled but there's sufficent competition in the wheelchair market to keep costs to a realistic level - it's just the economic reality of the small market. Very frustrating but the reality of life if you want a high end product.

Personally, living in the UK I wouldn't buy another TiLite primarily because of the support available. What spares were you after?

[kewlcatkez]

russ1, on Jan 4 2008, 10:39 AM, said:

I've bought TiLite spares from sportaid in the past which worked well if it did take an age. The biggest problem with TiLite in the UK is the stupidly high costs related to the single importer (Gerald Simmonds) - in reality equally good chairs can be had much more cheaply by using alternative UK makes.

The problem with high end chairs and parts is the tiny numbers they're made in and the high degree of customisation necessary - A top end mtb frame in Ti is usually only made in three or 4 sizes so can be ordered in quantities large enough that they can be fabricated in china and imported cheaply - a wheelchair frame is a combination of width, depth, frame angle, and a few other things so each frame pretty much has to be fabricated for each order which means hugely inflated costs. The cost of small runs of fabric for seating etc is also a lot more expensive to produce than the componentry for a bike. I've still not managed to spend more on a chair than I did on the mountain bike I crashed to end up in the chair and the reality is that the market for high end mountain bikes is orders of magnitude higher than the market for high end wheelchairs.

Tilite can't really be blamed for not wanting to deal direct with Joe Public, they're a large company and they deal with a distribution chain. You wouldn't really expect to buy your new exhaust for your car direct from the factory that makes the car, you'd go to a dealer and the same applies to chairs when you're talking about the big companies like TiLite or Quickie, again the advantage of dealing with a small local fabricator in your own country is that you get to deal direct.

It's tempting to dismiss the high costs as suppliers ripping off the disabled but there's sufficent competition in the wheelchair market to keep costs to a realistic level - it's just the economic reality of the small market. Very frustrating but the reality of life if you want a high end product.

Personally, living in the UK I wouldn't buy another TiLite primarily because of the support available. What spares were you after?

Hello Russ1,

Thank you for the detailed and very informative post.
I was discussing this with my husband last night and he also stated that I was wrong in some ways regarding the amount paid for high end bikes. I was thinking about certain 'add ons' what a chair user may have, but again he also proved that I was misinformed by directing me to "camelbaks" and the like, which in comparison to a chair back pack from a chair company is equally as expensive. Of course with Camelbaks you do get a water supply! I know that inexpensive back packs can be bought which are not marketed at chair market, and know that some wouldn't buy them if they are not meant to be for the chair. However that is a different subject!

I'm guilty of assuming ( based on things I've read etc) the reasoning for the price inflation and my comparison of high end bikes and high end chairs was off. Now I am wincing at the price we paid for his cycle! LOL

So thanks Russ1, you and my hubby have been very informative.

Take care,

K

[silone74]

Hi i need side guards, brakes and clamps its the clamps that are the problem as the size of the tubing,i need concaved washers for where the seat fixes to the frame and new plastic guards that go on the bottom of the foot plate tube.
There are places in the US that suply the parts but they dont reply to emails and tilite dont respond with any queries at all not just about parts.
The titanium used for the chairs is still purchased at a low cost and adding the cost of building the chair to any spec still in my opinion does not constitute the high prices charged for them then in the UK the price is unbeleivable in comparison to the US price and as said there are other companies that make chairs as good or better than tilite and are easier to contanct and have parts that can be inter changed from other manufacturers.
I thinkwhen i chose the tilite i was unaware of the situation but i will not make the same mistake when renewing the chair.
Srill need parts for this 1 though.

Silone74

[kashley]

We have gotten hand rims, foot plates, clothing guards, covers, tires and tubes from this place. Might be worth a try.
http://www.caremedic...ex.php?cPath=27

I do wish things were cheaper too, but we did find the tubes are cheaper for wheel chairs then from a bike store.

Edited by kashley, 04 January 2008 - 09:52 PM.

[LuckyinKentucky]

For some of the stuff you may try modifying non- wheelchair parts. If it says medical use on it than they automatically increases the price 10fold. To concave a washer just get a normal washer and put it over a slightly smaller hole and hit it a few times with a punch and hammer, plastic washers can often be found in the plumbing dept @ the hardware store, and if ya want some Tilite sideguards send me the shipping and I'll send ya some, I never used mine.