# Old Man Mountain...three months and nothing



## velcipede (Feb 22, 2011)

I’ve been waiting for three months for OMM to ship an order I’ve paid for. I’ve asked three times for an update via email, once via voice mail. No response of any kind, no shipment, nothing. I’ve gone from curious to concerned to pissed. Anyone have any experience like this with OMM?


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## NDTransplant (Feb 6, 2012)

I have not bought from OMM in 2-3 years, but I did have a similar experience where a rack I paid for was delayed in shipment by 2-3 months.

It did eventually ship, but communication was spotty.

With that being said, I still have two OMM racks that are 5-6 years old, and they have been thrashed/crashed beyond all reasonable use, and are absolutely solid, other than the paint being scratched off.

I would keep trying to call him at different times throughout the day or week; maybe you'll get lucky and reach him. He makes good stuff.


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## velcipede (Feb 22, 2011)

Delays I can deal with, but don’t say you’ll ship something in a few days (which was the only communication I’ve gotten since September), then go radio silent. I like to support independent guys, but this is, frankly, bullshit. If any kind of communication indicated that “Hey, this is going to take a couple of months, possibly,” then fine, no problem, expectation set. If it ever arrives I hope it lasts as long as you say, but I doubt I’ll order another for any reason.


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## MikeTowpathTraveler (Aug 12, 2015)

NDTransplant said:


> I have not bought from OMM in 2-3 years, but I did have a similar experience where a rack I paid for was delayed in shipment by 2-3 months.
> 
> It did eventually ship, but communication was spotty.


Right now I've been waiting on a simple rack light bracket I ordered 1 month ago. Email inquiry as to the order status goes unanswered. But this complete lack of communication seems par for the course with this business, at least it does for me. But it seems I'm not the only one, either.

2 summers ago, I placed a snail mail order for a front fat sherpa rack and after a very long wait, the rack arrives with parts for a non-Bluto front fork. This does no good for me. I found you have to call early west coast time in hopes of reaching the guy. I did get the parts. That experience soured me, but I was in need of a matching rear rack and as much as I did not want to go back with OMM, what do ya do? Well, after about 2 emails inquiring of the proper rack I needed and no bloody answer on his end, I just ordered a used one off Ebay and got it like 3 days after my order. Inquired to Robert Axle Project what rear axle I needed and that very day, got my answer. Now that is service! Ordered that off Ebay as well and the part comes in that week. And lucky for me, the lower stanchions he sent me on my first order in error for the front rack can conveniently be retrofitted with a little drill press work.

Never again. Be forewarned, those wishing to go in the OMM direction. With a little creativity, aluminum bar stock and a Robert Axle Project thru axle, you can create your own front and rear rack using the rack of your choice. In my own personal experience; with the near total lack of communication and failure to deliver a product to a paying customer in a timely fashion, I cannot recommend anyone going in the OMM direction until this guy can prove long term he can deliver his stuff on time, as promised.

I'd like to know what happened, as past reviews of his racks on this site and others mention immediate, personal, expert advice and assistance which made me decide to try his rack. And the use of the Robert Axle as the lower rack mount point is about the only player in town for a thru-axle equipped, non-threaded frame insert design mtb.....


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## velcipede (Feb 22, 2011)

MikeTT,
Thanks for that info, as frustrating as that experience sounds. I still haven’t gotten what I ordered, or a reply to any of my written or voice messages. I’ve tried a few times even since I last posted, and gotten nothing at all back. At this point it’s been over five months. I’m very frustrated, and even if I ever get what I’ve paid for, I’ll never buy from them again or recommend them. The fact that OMM racks are much more expensive than anything else only adds insult to injury.


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## MikeTowpathTraveler (Aug 12, 2015)

velcipede said:


> MikeTT,
> Thanks for that info, as frustrating as that experience sounds. I still haven't gotten what I ordered, or a reply to any of my written or voice messages. I've tried a few times even since I last posted, and gotten nothing at all back. At this point it's been over five months. I'm very frustrated, and even if I ever get what I've paid for, I'll never buy from them again or recommend them. The fact that OMM racks are much more expensive than anything else only adds insult to injury.


5 months......buyer beware reading this thread. Sorry to hear this, Velcipede. It helps make my complaint lodged to Paypal yesterday as the right thing to do against this business. Looking at my pending light rack invoice; $5.50 for flat rate shipping and 5 bucks for.......handling. LOL. The thing is all of a half and ounce if that. Surprised I wasn't charged for undercoating and Tru-Coat while he was at it, LOL.

I've sung the praises of my front fat sherpa on this site, over on the fatbiking and health thread as well as numerous times over on electric bike review. Doing so, I may have done a disservice to other unsuspecting folks and for that I apologize! Not anymore. Hope you get your rack soon and/or would recommend checking with your credit card company and or paypal.

Please keep us informed as new info comes out, V. I will do the same as well. Your thread is an important one as it's important to shed light on those who are not delivering service as promised.


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## bianpson (Feb 18, 2019)

Just adding to this my own experience...ordered a mount adapter kit for an OMM sherpa rack I've had for several years to fit it to a new Surly Pugsley. 2 months with no order received, no response to emails, no response to PayPal dispute messages. Will get my money back eventually due to PayPal protection but it takes a while, and have scratched OMM off my list as a brand to buy or recommend to others LOVE my old OMM rack and fitted it to an old 26" trek to keep it in use, but not sure what happened with ownership etc.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk


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## velcipede (Feb 22, 2011)

bianpson said:


> Just adding to this my own experience...ordered a mount adapter kit for an OMM sherpa rack I've had for several years to fit it to a new Surly Pugsley. 2 months with no order received, no response to emails, no response to PayPal dispute messages. Will get my money back eventually due to PayPal protection but it takes a while, and have scratched OMM off my list as a brand to buy or recommend to others LOVE my old OMM rack and fitted it to an old 26" trek to keep it in use, but not sure what happened with ownership etc.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk


Ugh, I hate to hear that. I still haven't gotten a reply or a delivery, either. I had hoped this thread might at least elicit a response from the owner, but not even that's had an effect. Too bad for a small company that's had a good rep for a long time, to come to this.


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## vikb (Sep 7, 2008)

I'm bummed to hear this. I have a few OMM racks in the garage and plan to use them for the rest of my riding career. They are a great product. I hope the company manages a turn around.


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## KingOfOrd (Feb 19, 2005)

Does OMM have a store front? Anyone check in with the SoCal page to see if they've talked to the guy in person? Possibly even the NorCal page.


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## TobyGadd (Sep 9, 2009)

Old Man Mountain Products
23 S. Fairview, Suite C
Santa Barbara, CA 93117 US
Phone: 805 692 9950


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## bianpson (Feb 18, 2019)

PayPal just resolved my claim in my favor....no response from OMM regarding the claim. I just hope nothing bad happened to the owner, but who knows....will try to keep the Sherpa in use on my old Trek 950 but really wanted to fit it to my Pugsley...

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk


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## TobyGadd (Sep 9, 2009)

bianpson said:


> I just hope nothing bad happened to the owner...
> Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk


Yeah, when one-man businesses stop responding, it's often that case that the owner is experiencing some personal issues. OMM has been so reliable for so many years, it's difficult to imagine that he just woke up one morning and decided to crap on his customers. I share your concern.


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## vikb (Sep 7, 2008)

bianpson said:


> ...but really wanted to fit it to my Pugsley...


Bummer. OMM was a great company with a solid product. 

If you want to mount that rack to a Pugsley a machine shop should be able to whip up the adapters you need without much trouble.

I'm moving a Sherpa rack to a new bike and I'm going to DIY mod the adapters to fit.


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## ranier (Sep 9, 2003)

Man, sorry to hear you guys are having problems with OMM. I have two OMM racks on other bikes and they've been rock solid after over 10 years and still going strong. 

Being a one man company having to deal with operations, sales, communications is tough. Hope the service comes back.


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## velcipede (Feb 22, 2011)

Well, I filed a dispute with my credit card company today, since I still haven't gotten so much as a response from OMM. I placed the original order on Sep 10, I think six months is sufficient time. Whatever's going on with these guys I hope they get it sorted out.


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## vikb (Sep 7, 2008)

velcipede said:


> Well, I filed a dispute with my credit card company today, since I still haven't gotten so much as a response from OMM. I placed the original order on Sep 10, I think six months is sufficient time. Whatever's going on with these guys I hope they get it sorted out.


When did the charge go through? I had an issue a few years back and VISA told me I missed the 75 day dispute window and I was SOL.


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## velcipede (Feb 22, 2011)

vikb said:


> When did the charge go through? I had an issue a few years back and VISA told me I missed the 75 day dispute window and I was SOL.


September 11 on an Amex. Hopefully the dispute goes through. Fingers crossed....


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## MikeTowpathTraveler (Aug 12, 2015)

*My OMM purchase update....*

Thank goodness for PayPal and it's protections built in for the buyer. I was notified by PP this morning that my full purchase amount for a rear rack light mount/bracket was refunded.

So, for a purchase I made on 9 January; with an attempt to contact the OMM owner using his own email address as to the status of the order and no reply.......to lodging my request to Paypal for a full refund, the saga comes to an end, this morning. And no, OMM did not give PayPal any explanation, any communication whatsoever about this purchase.

Go to the OMM website as I did and take note to the main page. I had that in mind last summer when I made several inquiries in purchasing his rear Fat Sherpa rear rack for my Haibike (knowing I would have to spend more in upgrading the cheap plain steel parts and clamps he supplies with his rack mount kits to stainless steel). So I figure, the guy is swamped in work and I'm just waiting my turn in line for a damned response to my questions on which Robert Axle Project length of rear axle to purchase. Absolutely no response up to the day I foolishly thought, well, let's see if he fills in my order for the rear light bracket. And so, here we are this morning.

Past great service and a great rep built upon years of great service don't mean much to say, a person like the OP here, who plopped down a good 200 dollars plus for one of these racks. I've sympathy for anyone who is suffering on hard times due to illness or other internal issues not known to the outsider. But it ends when the owner takes a person's money and then fails to deliver his product, even after promising to fill that order after the OP of this thread here finally gets through to the owner. And just flat out ignores any and all communication to him while his credit card and paypal methods for payment remain open for business. I do wonder how many people have been snagged by this guy. My thoughts and best wishes go to them.

Thanks to this site and the OP for bringing this issue to light with OMM. Really, I thought it was just a miscommunication on my part with the owner, going back to the purchase of my front rack from him. This appears to be standard operating procedure and frankly, alot of explanation on Hammond's end is demanded.

Buyer beware. Stay far away.


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## ddoh (Jan 11, 2017)

I was curious, s o I went to The listing on BBB. Not good. One review:

I purchased 3 Sherpa front 29" 15mm Thru-Axel Rockshox with
clamps back on July 12 2018 Order number #8**2 from
oldmanmountain.com for $754.38 that includes shipping and
handling. Every time I check to see if its been sent it says
pending. It is now August 22 and I have not received my order.
I've made 6 attempts through email and called multiple times
and left messages and have yet to hear back form Channing
Hammond from Old Man Mountain.


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## bianpson (Feb 18, 2019)

I honestly think something happened to Channing, what ever those circumstances may be, and there is no one else involved to pull the plug on the website and shut it down. Probably at some point the site will get taken down once the fees to operate it dont get paid for a while, but if they are set up to auto pay and there is still money sitting in an account to draw from, then the site will stay live and take orders that wont get filled indefinitely....I dont really smell a rat here, I am thinking things went awry for Channing

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk


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## MikeTowpathTraveler (Aug 12, 2015)

He has a Facebook page, but I'm not on facebook, so; can't try to communcate there.

He and his family appear to be involved in the sport of Bonneville salt flats timed racing. An article on the family is here: https://issuu.com/santabarbaramag/docs/157_summer_2018 "Shifting Gears" is the article. No mention of any calamity befallen him within the article from last summer. Pretty sure someone in the family was aware of his business and could have stepped in to provide communications/refunds/product if something indeed had happened.

I do know the Felt Outfitter, a fat tired ebike, came with his front and rear racks. Nice looking bikes and the racks looked perfect on that bike. Seriously considered buying that bike as it was pretty much touring ready with those front and rear OMM racks. Instead I went with the Haibike Full FatSix, which was built with absolutely no provisions for mounting up front or rear racks. Enter my dealings with OMM. I've seen the Felt Outfitter ebike is no longer listed in the Felt catalog for 2018/2019. Bike Rumor had a story about Felt owner Jim Felt, who left the company after it was bought out last year; so it's fair to say the Outfitter was a casualty of that change in Felt Bikes ownership. I imagine a lot of business for Hammond got lost along the way with the discontinued Outfitter. Again, just conjecture on my part. And I really don't like conjecture. But I really feel more for people who put down big dollars for one or more of his racks as these things are 2-4 times more expensive than bike racks sold elsewhere and got nothing, zip, nada for their hard earned dollars.

And until things turn around and the owner makes himself available and open as to what happened....or folks get the product they ordered......then this thread is pretty darn important, especially to the unsuspecting people on this site considering an investment in one or two of these racks.....


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## TobyGadd (Sep 9, 2009)

MikeTowpathTraveler said:


> And until things turn around and the owner makes himself available and open as to what happened....or folks get the product they ordered......then this thread is pretty darn important, especially to the unsuspecting people on this site considering an investment in one or two of these racks.....


Agreed. I'm guessing that his merchant account will be suspended soon, based on the number of complaints filed with PayPal and credit card companies. I advise anyone who is still awaiting a rack to call their credit card company ASAP, so that they are aware of the issue and can lock things down accordingly.


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## velcipede (Feb 22, 2011)

Finally got word from my credit card company that they’ve resolved the dispute I filed and have refunded my charge for the non-existent product. OMM had a good rep for years, I hope they’re able to turn around whatever issues they’re having. At this point it comes across as negligence at best, and fraudulent at worst. Again, hope they’re able to return to reliability, but I’ll definitely never risk ordering from them again.


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## vikb (Sep 7, 2008)

velcipede said:


> Finally got word from my credit card company that they've resolved the dispute I filed and have refunded my charge.


Nice. I'm glad you got that resolved favourably.


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## MikeTowpathTraveler (Aug 12, 2015)

velcipede said:


> Finally got word from my credit card company that they've resolved the dispute I filed and have refunded my charge for the non-existent product. OMM had a good rep for years, I hope they're able to turn around whatever issues they're having. At this point it comes across as negligence at best, and fraudulent at worst. Again, hope they're able to return to reliability, but I'll definitely never risk ordering from them again.


Velcipede: That is great news. A word of thanks again to you for creating this thread. As individuals, we figure a lack of product or communication on Hammond's part was maybe just one of those things. Collectively though, it tells a different story when one finds it's happened to other folks as well.

I hope there are not many folks who get snared in by the website and commit to purchase. Buyer beware.

On another front, I was able to complete the rear OMM rack mount project, buying the rear rack used off of Ebay since the vendor was non-responsive to my request for info, etc. Replaced the plain steel hardware OMM supplies with their racks with stainless. Powder coated the plain aluminum rack supports. Happy with the end result, but knowing that it would not be possible without buying the rack, used, from a secondary source. It's a well made, well thought-out rack and a flat out shame that things have come to this point.


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## bianpson (Feb 18, 2019)

Yes it's a shame that OMM is for the time being defunct....as a complete aside, Towpath that looks like a bike Batman would roll if he had a fat bike. Cool ride....

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk


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## applehead110 (Jul 25, 2008)

Just visited the site and there is a massive disclaimer regarding not taking new orders.


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## TobyGadd (Sep 9, 2009)

applehead110 said:


> Just visited the site and there is a massive disclaimer regarding not taking new orders.


Thanks, just checked it out. No explanation or apology for screwing people. At least he's not taking more money from people. I'm guessing that his merchant account was finally cancelled.

I always try to be sympathetic and understanding when small businesses go through rough patches. But Old Man Mountain certainly seems to have jumped the shark.


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## Muirenn (Jun 17, 2013)

I ordered my OMM from Bike Touring News and it came in a day. (From Idaho. I live in South Carolina). Maybe the manufacturer is the type of company that prefers to deal with businesses.

I just checked, and Bike Touring News doesn’t have any listed on their site, but Modern Bikes does, and I’ve often ordered from them. Turn around is about a week. But they are reliable and reputable. 

https://www.modernbike.com/s?search=Old+man+mountain

Legally, a company is not supposed to charge you until they ship. I would dispute with PayPal or your banks, depending, and order elsewhere.

Guess I should have read the entire thread before posting. Oh well. Hope the guy is okay.


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## charcist (May 29, 2007)

Old Man Mountain was recently acquired by the great owners of Bend, OR-based The Robert Axle Project (RAP). If you had written off OMM for crummy service, give them another chance, as a small business is as much about the product as about the customer service provided by the business.

https://robertaxleproject.com/robert-axle-project-owners-acquire-old-man-mountain-products/


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## vikb (Sep 7, 2008)

charcist said:


> Old Man Mountain was recently acquired by the great owners of Bend, OR-based The Robert Axle Project (RAP). If you had written off OMM for crummy service, give them another chance, as a small business is as much about the product as about the customer service provided by the business.
> 
> https://robertaxleproject.com/robert-axle-project-owners-acquire-old-man-mountain-products/


That's good to hear. I'm glad OMM will live on in one form or another. I've got a few OMM racks in play. They are a great product.


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## MikeTowpathTraveler (Aug 12, 2015)

*Old Man Mountain is back! *

Just took a look at their new website a few moments ago and it appears that the good folks at The Robert Axle Project has Old Man Mountain up and running once again for fans of all traditional front and rear, frame mounted racks.

Just like on The Robert Axle Project site, they have an easy to use rack selector guide based on the bicycle you are using. It appears that OMM has discarded the use of plain steel hardware on the older racks sold and have gone to all stainless steel hardware.

Fans of this rack, especially for us thru-axle owners, are happy to see OMM back. I wish them nothing but great success!

Link: https://oldmanmountain.com/


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## vikb (Sep 7, 2008)

I'm sad for Channing the founder, but it's great that the company and their racks will live on. My OMM racks have served me well. :thumbsup:


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## TobyGadd (Sep 9, 2009)

Good to see that OMM racks are once again available! I hope that everyone who was screwed by Channing was properly reimbursed.


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## RobertAxle142 (Mar 19, 2013)

Hey all, I just wanted to reach out put our comments in on this thread. Yes, as the owners of The Robert Axle Project, this summer we purchased Old Man Mountain Products brand. We've supplied Channing our axles for his racks for years. In recent years he struggled to keep up with both the production and the service sides of the business and is very excited about having us take his brand forward and to provide the support it needs.

We have recognized for a long the time the great designs and products he produces, therefore we feel there is a good investment in this brand. We're looking forward to putting our values on customer service into OMM and growing into new products as well. Channing has provided refunds to any past customers that product was not delivered.

Please jump over to new website and have a look around. The racks frames are the same great designs, now we have simplified the fitment and ordering process focusing on the future with thru axle equipped bikes. Our Fit Kits are available to bring current OMM rack owners fitments for their new bikes. We do have a few QR skewer kits available for those customers as well, but that is not the focus as obviously most bikes have moved to thru axles at this point.

With OMM we are looking forward to supporting your gear on your cycling adventure and we're in it for the long haul. All puns intended.

Chris Kratsch: co-owner Old Man Mountain
https://oldmanmountain.com/

The story of RAP/OMM https://oldmanmountain.com/story/


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## TobyGadd (Sep 9, 2009)

RobertAxle142 said:


> Hey all, I just wanted to reach out put our comments in on this thread. Yes, as the owners of The Robert Axle Project, this summer we purchased Old Man Mountain Products brand. We've supplied Channing our axles for his racks for years. In recent years he struggled to keep up with both the production and the service sides of the business and is very excited about having us take his brand forward and to provide the support it needs.
> 
> We have recognized for a long the time the great designs and products he produces, therefore we feel there is a good investment in this brand. We're looking forward to putting our values on customer service into OMM and growing into new products as well. Channing has provided refunds to any past customers that product was not delivered.
> 
> ...


Good to hear that OMM appears to be in good hands!

Did your company take care of the customers who had issues such as not receiving their racks, etc.?


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## RobertAxle142 (Mar 19, 2013)

Yes, all previous customers have either received product or refunds from Channing, which ever they preferred.
We have product in stock and are shipping daily, it is a new era.


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## RobertAxle142 (Mar 19, 2013)

Vik,

I don't think there's need to feel sorry for Channing. Channing's attitude is not of defeat, rather he is excited about the possibilities of where his racks and his brand continue to explore. He's enjoying the benefits of a great new day job and steady pay check that is not in the cycling industry. And rightfully so, he's quite proud of his contribution to cycling world, creating the first full-strength racks designed for full suspension bikes. We're looking forward to creating new designs based on the Mule rack that you have posted previously. We will continue to produce his expedition-worthy Classic Sherpa racks.


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## Muirenn (Jun 17, 2013)

Suggestion, include Surly in the choice of bikes in the drop-down list when determining which rack you need. 

Not that I don’t already know...


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## TobyGadd (Sep 9, 2009)

RobertAxle142 said:


> Yes, all previous customers have either received product or refunds from Channing, which ever they preferred.
> We have product in stock and are shipping daily, it is a new era.


Thanks, great to hear.


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## mgb71 (Mar 5, 2020)

.


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## vikb (Sep 7, 2008)

That's too bad, I have a few OG OMM racks and they are well made. Hopefully the OMM V2 racks get their QC issues sorted as it was nice to hear they'd continue to be made.

I haven't seen a Surly rack I was keen on. The Surly Nice Rack I owned was heavy and not particularity well designed. It spent most of its life in my spares bin until I got rid of it.


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## Bikemusher (Jan 26, 2018)

I've placed several orders w/ OMM over the past few months for modifying my racks to fit new bikes. The customer service and delivery have left absolutely nothing to be desired. Chris is the man! I would not hesitate in ordering a rack or anything else from them.


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## mgb71 (Mar 5, 2020)

.


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## vikb (Sep 7, 2008)

I'm glad you got a rack without issues. :thumbsup: I got out on my OMM equipped bike for the first overnighter of the season recently. This rack ^^ is ~10 years old and going strong. I have moved it from bike to bike over the years fairly easily.


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## DStaley (Jun 25, 2011)

Ordered a rack for my 9:zero:7 from OMM on a Monday and it was delivered via FedEx the same week on Friday. The rack, thru axle, and fit kit quality appear to be top notch and the fit is excellent. I am very glad they are back up and running.


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