Curious as to why do some bike companys (Cervelo, Felt) offer their bikes as both complete builds and frame sets and others ( Trek, Cannondale) don’t?
No set answer really. Lots of reasons, any one of which (or combination of) can be the reason. A couple of examples:
SKU management: You automatically increase the number of products you need to carry. For bigger companies, that can be a hassle that is not worth the return.Bigger companies get better pricing on components (based on their overall company purchases). For smaller companies, frames can be easier and more profitable, but recognize they need to offer complete bikes as well.Dealer support - Dealers may prefer to sell complete bikes vs. having to build frames, especially intricate proprietary designs such as SC, etc.
One frame sold is one less bike sold.
One frame sold is one less bike sold.
Another valid reason - less revenue generated for a sale.
However, aren’t you also looking at margin contribution? If a frame sale generates higher margin, and the volume is sufficient, you may be able to drive more profit with fewer sales.
FYI : Cannondale does sell framesets on most bikes
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Trek does offer all top Madone and SC frame sets.
Most shops don’t sell them because the difference in price between a frame and a complete doesn’t make sense. You can usually buy a complete, part it out and end up with a free pair of wheels, or something to that effect. As a consumer wanting a custom build, unless you just need a replacement frame, you’d be better off to buy a bike closest to the spec you like and make changes. Think about how much it would cost to buy a car in parts, same deal. Not to mention the duty/tax savings for a bike company who builds/assembles the bike in the US.
Thanks for everyone’s input. All good info.
Trek does offer all top Madone and SC frame sets.
Most shops don’t sell them because the difference in price between a frame and a complete doesn’t make sense. You can usually buy a complete, part it out and end up with a free pair of wheels, or something to that effect. As a consumer wanting a custom build, unless you just need a replacement frame, you’d be better off to buy a bike closest to the spec you like and make changes. Think about how much it would cost to buy a car in parts, same deal. Not to mention the duty/tax savings for a bike company who builds/assembles the bike in the US.
+1 here. Components are expensive and you receive them at a large discount when buying a full bike.