Win on Sunday, Sell on Monday

[54ny77]

Any folks who work in a Specialized shop care to comment on sales based on the 1-2 TDF finish on Specialized bikes?

I guess I could ask the same of Trek dealers, if the RS team g.c. will drive the sale of a metric shit tonne of Madone's....

[dcpdpayne]

I’m sure that there is a positive correlation between winning and bike sales. I recently went to help a friend look for his first “real bike.” We went to four or five LBS that sold Trek, each and every one of them used something like “This is almost the same bike that Lance won his Tours on.” I was there to help as a BS filter for him, and stayed quiet while the sales person was giving their sales pitch. Still, it must work for a large part of the buying public as I heard the “Lance” pitch on everything from 2.1 series aluminum bike to a 6.7 SSL Madone. I’m sure if it didn’t work, they’d have stopped doing it.

I'm sure that now the sales pitch would include the "S" 1-2 at the TDF

[spicoli]

Specialized has been taking over a big chunk of the the market for the past couple years. Specialized sold through almost everything they had this year with regard to S-Works products. The stuff is still pretty hard to get sizing on, almost everything from SL3's to shoes is spotty stock right now according to my buds. I am pretty sure they hit the Trek nation pretty hard and the 1-2 TDF is a big shot in the arm for "S".

[winmonster]

That's how the sponsorship thing is supposed to work, no?

[rabo]

If I look at my friends purchases it is bikesdirect that get the sales, for a halve the cost of a similar S.

[JeffS]

If I look at my friends purchases it is bikesdirect that get the sales, for a halve the cost of a similar S.

It all works out in the end, since the resale value of a BD frame quickly approaches zero.


Mostly treks around here. People seem to like my Giant, but didn't know what to make of things like the Vagen or Gaulzetti.

[Erik.Lazdins]

Last couple of years the majority of road bikes I see out being ridden are Specialized

[false_aesthetic]

I'm embarrassed to admit this but the TdF has made me seriously consider a Specialized.

Never before though. Never cared whether or not a stage or tour was won on whatever bike.

This year . . . well, maybe its just A.S.

[quickag]

From the few bikes I've actually ridden, I really like the Specialized stuff. But in the same vein as the CK thread this weekend, I'd rather buy a GZ or a Spooky when the time comes. If Skeletors ever get level top tubes, of course.

Spec stuff is nice...doesn't make zertz any less gay, though.

[Zimmermanbicycle]

They ride what they are paid to ride, A.C. could have won on anything in the peloton A.S. could have been second on anything in the peloton.
I'm not knocking Specialized here,I think their bikes are terrific (and in the interest of full disclosure I've done a fair amount of work for them in the last three years) I just think that at that level the bikes are pretty similar, any differences are pretty subtle, it's not like motoGP where someone may be down 15-20 HP or another team hasn't sorted how the chassis handles the new 220HP motor etc.
-Eric Z

[Jef58]

It is rare to see a bicycle commercial on mainstream primetime television, so this type of marketing may be there best opportunity to advertise to the general public.
That said, do any of the builders here get business from doing team bikes, and exposure from local or regional races, etc?

[EricKeller]

It is rare to see a bicycle commercial on mainstream primetime television, so this type of marketing may be there best opportunity to advertise to the general public.
That said, do any of the builders here get business from doing team bikes, and exposure from local or regional races, etc?

I think you can probably see evidence of that happening on this forum.

[Saab2000]

I think you can probably see evidence of that happening on this forum.

The most visible sponsor of bike racing on this forum is not currently taking orders.

[TACSTS]

I'm not sure if the 1-2 TdF finish will even be noticable at my nearest S dealer. They seem to be moving a TON of those things with or without a GT win. I prefer my custom bikes, but I have no problems with Specializeds. I've actually owned and ridden quite a few. My first non dept-store bike was a Rockhopper. Have had a Cro-Mo Allez, a Langster fixie, and currently still have a E5 S-Works built up w/ Rival as a "beater". It works pretty good for me and looks good, single color paint much better than crazy carbon superbike "graffics". But I do share the disdain over the general salivating masses extolling the virtues of T500 vs. T300 carbon layups on thier new Roubaix.

Also Zertz is a load and looks stupid, atmo.

[TACSTS]

The most visible sponsor of bike racing on this forum is not currently taking orders.

Now that I think about it several custom builders have a decent presence in sponsering race teams. Here's who I have:

Sachs
IF
Vanilla/Speedvagen
Rock Lobster

Seems like mainly a CX thing.

[anthonymaietta]

I made 6 frames for Team CF; a local team raising awareness of what you can do with cycstic fibrosis. The boys are ear to ear happy with them, spread the word and I have seen sales as a result.

[sailor]

I want a specialized like the one Todd Wells rode to XC nats, too bad they will be 9 grand, ill stick with my custom road bike though

[962]

this is pretty sweet

Picture 5.jpg

I do like their off-road stuff.

[rabo]

[QUOTE=JeffS;216411]It all works out in the end, since the resale value of a BD frame quickly approaches zero.

Does anybody really consider the resale of a bike frame as a purchase decision?
Not plugging bikesdirect but you can not buy the fork and derrailleurs of their 29'r for the price of their bike.
Specialized frames are probably welded on the same line.