Escape Route update

The Escape Route has been our planned import frame. We wanted to be able to offer a less expensive alternative to our custom frames and it looked like we could offer a similar spec frame for about half of what the customs cost. We went through the design phase which includes every conceivable detail. Once we were happy with the design, we had a couple of sample frames made. We built them up so we could put some miles on them. Unfortunately, the orange sample had a quick drop out issue. The drop out was spec'ed as 4130 which should be plenty strong, but the slot was opening up. The black sample lasted a little longer but it also had a widening slot and eventually the drop out cracked. We were able to get enough miles on them to figure out 6 or 7 minor changes. We submitted those and ordered a second round of samples which were produced. This is where we ran into a snag. The factory wanted to charge us for the samples which we believed should be no-cost replacements. I started to worry that the factory was giving us a hard time about a couple of frames while they were trying to earn our business. What would happen if we had issues with 100 frames after the cashed the check??

Anyway, still not sure what will become of the project. We did make a couple of inquiries with a couple other factories but really haven't followed up with them. Watch this space for updates.