Out of curiousity, are you going to suggest that more retailers should be like specialized and lock themselves into the dealer-centric model that leaves the company massively exposed once those dealers struggle to compete in the new marketplace?
I’m sincerely curious what you suggest should be the model. Nike swung with an increased emphasis on the DTC route, and that scared (and pissed off) their retailers, and are finding DTC is pretty difficult when it comes to supplying massive volumes across such a large product line. So they claim to be pivoting back to wholesale.
But those local retailers are still going to struggle to compete with the specialty DTC product brands that don’t have these huge legacy supply chains and massive economies of scale built into the product lines.
I’m really not sure what the answer for these big brands is other than eventually they will be shadows of what they once were.
But those local retailers are still going to struggle to compete with the specialty DTC product brands that don’t have these huge legacy supply chains and massive economies of scale built into the product lines.
That model doesn’t seem to work either, judging by the full graveyards. I don’t blame a brand for going DTC, as there aren’t enough specialty retail outlets left to keep them afloat. Most DTC brands don’t control the means of production, so they are either taking Chinese schlock and branding it, taking Chinese schlock and tweaking it, or submitting themselves to the grist mill of trying to find a legitimate manufacturer.
The well-entrenched, well-established brands try to do it all - a little eCom, a little DTC, a little retail. So not only do they piss off their partners in each channel, they essentially compete with themselves across channels. It’s an unstable, unsustainable mess.
I know what a healthy manufacturer-distributor-retailer relationship looks like, but getting there from here is probably impossible. The barrier of entry for new players to enter the market is too low, the damage a single unscrupulous or desperate (or both) player can do is too large, and the quality differentiation between excellent and terrible is too indiscernable.
I genuinely don’t know enough about those industries to be able to compare.
I know that, at least in golf’s case, it’s possible to milk bad business models a long time when the sport is growing.
I do know this: cycling is one of the few industries left that has many players operating under a very similar model that they did 50 years ago. And that’s something to be proud of. Lots of folks have exhorted them to “change” over the years, and almost every one of the changes they recommended have been shown to be a dead end.
Your LBS deserves your business and a hug. Because generally, they aren’t getting enough of either one.
No, S, T, and G have not “moved on”. They’ve tried to introduce stability in their largest markets.
I don’t believe it will produce the same profits they were already getting.
Canyon is not, and won’t be, immune to the same realities, either. I haven’t followed them closely for a few years, but I know the bulk of their purchasers do so because they think they are getting more for less. Canyon passes along the cost of gruppo at cost and cuts out middle men. They can live only until one of the big, quality brands commit to the same model.
In my 15 years of industry awareness, I’ve been told the LBS was dying for the same reasons time and time again. Many tried to be clever…coffee shops (remember that LBS fad?), craft beers, and on and on. The ones that live stuck to good fundamentals and low overhead.
I think the same thing about ketone iq. I can’t seem to watch anything without an advertisement for ketone iq and all big names but does any average age grouper actually use it? Ive never even seen it in person or anyone using it. When I see something over advertised I always assume it is over hyped. Maybe I’m wrong though
Ketone IQ … ketones may or may not have value, the emerging evidence seems to be on the side of some value for recovery, especially if you’re overreaching… but Keyone IQ barely raises ketone levels, it’s completely useless.
All good here! I’m in between jobs at the moment - tech is in rough shape at the moment if you don’t have a seat in the current game of musical chairs. But I’ve had a great run for the past 5 years. Crafting my own stuff too.
This is true to a certain extent. CarMax may be more expensive. However, it does not sell used cars at prices that so exorbitant that it consistently makes you think, ‘might as well buy new’.
I’m pretty much the ideal candidate for TPC. I don’t like haggling, taking much risk, or really even thinking all that much about a big purchase. I’ll pay extra to keep it simple and for peace of mind. I actually look only at CarMax when shopping for cars. But every time I looked at bikes on the TPC website I was like, “wow, expensive!!”.
I like a much more aggressive position. I just installed a forward seat post on my Shiv so my saddle position is damn near directly over the bottom bracket. Can’t say for certain, but that Argon looks pretty similar. I have seen an Argon E-112 frame for sale and I wouldn’t even consider that frame because of how far back the seat angle is. Lower might be an issue. I do need a bit more stack. My old back and neck just can’t stand being cranked over too far for hours on end.
And for what it’s worth, I know they post on the site their prices aren’t negotiable. But I figure if they’re about to close up shop, I might as well ask. Might get a response on Monday. We shall see.
Ok, but not in xs the seat tube angle is 76-78 (you change the head of seat post) so the same 78degree of speed concept , e118 and pretty much everything. It may look different, but isn’t.
End yes, the e118 is really low at the front. That is the key difference.