Hi all
I was at Santa Cruz 70.3 last weekend, and I noticed that pros bike rack (around 30 people) had no single cervelo (well, may be there were couple that I haven’t spotted) but basically at most 10% of the bikes were Cervelo.
This is very different from what you see among AGs and Kona bike count (where Cervelo dominates with 25% of the bikes).
Why is Cervelo not popular at all among pros and is so popular among AGs? Is it due to sponsorships that require pro athletes to stick to the brand ?
Cervelo is Common amongst the pro’s, and they are very selective of who they sponsor. Also, Kona is right around the corner, pro’s have bigger fish to fry than going to another 70.3 probably.
Youngtano, I don’t get the logic of your second sentence. Irregardless of how far away is Kona, this race had ~30 pros and there were almost no single cervelo on the pros bike rack.
I’m not sure if it’s a issue with popularity as much as it is with sponsor dollars. Cervelo used to sponsor quite a few athletes, but haven’t done so with same frequency (possibly due to new ownership???).
AGers, on the other hand, have the freedom to get whatever we want! Cervelo markets pretty heavily in the tri market and has the numbers to show for it as a result.
As an aside…I think the Kona bike count doesn’t quite tell the whole story. Many people who race there are repeat athletes who either bring the same Cervelo they had the year before, or upgraded to their latest and greatest because they love the brand. I’d be more interested in the count of first timers who had a Cervelo and/or returning athletes who had another brand before and switched.
Think of Rudy Project’s claim of being the most popular helmet at Kona. That is true…BUT the company gave away helmets to everyone participating a few years ago. It boosted their numbers in the field and they regularly will use the information in their marketing materials.
Better pros that have qualified for Kona probabaly weren’t racing. Cervelo only sponsors select pros and not a lot of them.
Theirs limited sponsor money, they decide to spend it on a select few, instead of a bunch.
Cervelo used to sponsor quite a few athletes, but haven’t done so with same frequency (possibly due to new ownership???).
Possibly due to the extremely poor financial return that sponsoring (most) professional triathlete provides for a manufacturer.
Better pros that have qualified for Kona probabaly weren’t racing. Cervelo only sponsors select pros and not a lot of them.
Theirs limited sponsor money, they decide to spend it on a select few, instead of a bunch.
YEP!!!
Cervelo used to sponsor quite a few athletes, but haven’t done so with same frequency (possibly due to new ownership???).
Possibly due to the extremely poor financial return that sponsoring (most) professional triathlete provides for a manufacturer.
That as well! If anything, I’ve noticed Cervelo push their road bikes more then anything. Triathlon is still a very fringe sport and bike companies probably get more bang for their bucks if they sponsor teams or events instead of individuals.
Because the P5 is a pain in the ass to travel with?
There is an ebb and flow to this at the micro and macro levels.
Let’s face it, at the consumer level in the triathlon market Cervelo is very well established. They are reasonably to very well known. I’m sure many non-Cervelo dealers get regularly asked, “Do you sell Cervelo?” Consequently the need to market, the brand now, via sponsoring Pros, may not be as high as it was say 10 years ago!
There is an ebb and flow to this at the micro and macro levels.
Let’s face it, at the consumer level in the triathlon market Cervelo is very well established. They are reasonably to very well known. I’m sure many non-Cervelo dealers get regularly asked, “Do you sell Cervelo?” Consequently the need to market, the brand now, via sponsoring Pros, may not be as high as it was say 10 years ago!
I have been surprised at the number of AG athletes on Cervelo considering locally only one small shop, small volume dealer sells Cervelo.
Cervelo used to sponsor quite a few athletes, but haven’t done so with same frequency (possibly due to new ownership???).
Possibly due to the extremely poor financial return that sponsoring (most) professional triathlete provides for a manufacturer.
A lot of what you say could be called trolling, but this is so true.
There is an ebb and flow to this at the micro and macro levels.
Let’s face it, at the consumer level in the triathlon market Cervelo is very well established. They are reasonably to very well known. I’m sure many non-Cervelo dealers get regularly asked, “Do you sell Cervelo?” Consequently the need to market, the brand now, via sponsoring Pros, may not be as high as it was say 10 years ago!
I have been surprised at the number of AG athletes on Cervelo considering locally only one small shop, small volume dealer sells Cervelo.
Whether it’s marketing or just that they typically get pretty solid reviews year after year. Somehow they’re convincing age grouper they’re the bike to have. Whatever they’ve done it’s worked on me. I have a 2014 Cervelo P2. I love it. It’s the only triathlon bike I’ve ever owned but it fits well and I like it a bunch. The engine that drives it needs a lot of work.
There is an ebb and flow to this at the micro and macro levels.
Let’s face it, at the consumer level in the triathlon market Cervelo is very well established. They are reasonably to very well known. I’m sure many non-Cervelo dealers get regularly asked, “Do you sell Cervelo?” Consequently the need to market, the brand now, via sponsoring Pros, may not be as high as it was say 10 years ago!
I have been surprised at the number of AG athletes on Cervelo considering locally only one small shop, small volume dealer sells Cervelo.
Whether it’s marketing or just that they typically get pretty solid reviews year after year. Somehow they’re convincing age grouper they’re the bike to have. Whatever they’ve done it’s worked on me. I have a 2014 Cervelo P2. I love it. It’s the only triathlon bike I’ve ever owned but it fits well and I like it a bunch. The engine that drives it needs a lot of work.
Yep, my P2C is old as dirt and still I don’t come close to deserving a better bike.
because it’s basically impossible to get sponsored by them (i am a pro, fwiw). (from what i hear) they will only consider sponsorship if you’ve won a regional or world championship race. i tried to initiate a relationship with them to pursue sponsorship at a later date and couldn’t even get a response from them.
Cervelo does limited sponsorship in triathlon these days. They are sponsoring World Tour cycling teams, and that’s sucking up a lot of the marketing budget.
It may not be quite as simple as this but,
AGs buy and ride buy the best bike they can afford,
PROs ride the best bike they’re given/loaned/discounted
.
It may not be quite as simple as this but,
AGs buy and ride buy the best bike they can afford,
PROs ride the best bike they’re given/loaned/discounted
Or possibly, AGs are much more susceptible to marketing claims?
**They are sponsoring World Tour cycling teams, and that’s sucking up a lot of the marketing budget. **
Yes they are, but they are doing less of this now on a dollar basis when they had their own team - The Cervelo Test Team, back a few years ago. That was, for them at the time, based on their size, a HUGE chunk of money!
Here’s another reality. Marketing dollars/resources spent on the road side of a bicycle brands business spill over onto the triathlon side. Why? Many triathletes follow road cycling, VERY closely. However, the it’s not the same at all in reverse - few if any road cyclists follow what’s going on in triathlon!
That might be another reason, why you see a brand like Cervelo doing less specifically in triathlon - triathletes SEE Mark Cavendish winning on the bike!
In fact, it’s a key reason for the massive run-up in the sales and success of Cervelo through the 00’s when they sponsored Team CSC, and CSC went from a lower ranked team, to the #1 ranked UCI Road Team and winning most of the major races, including the Tour de France (Sastre) riding Cervelo.
There is an ebb and flow to this at the micro and macro levels.
Let’s face it, at the consumer level in the triathlon market Cervelo is very well established. They are reasonably to very well known. I’m sure many non-Cervelo dealers get regularly asked, “Do you sell Cervelo?” Consequently the need to market, the brand now, via sponsoring Pros, may not be as high as it was say 10 years ago!
I have been surprised at the number of AG athletes on Cervelo considering locally only one small shop, small volume dealer sells Cervelo.
Whether it’s marketing or just that they typically get pretty solid reviews year after year. Somehow they’re convincing age grouper they’re the bike to have. Whatever they’ve done it’s worked on me. I have a 2014 Cervelo P2. I love it. It’s the only triathlon bike I’ve ever owned but it fits well and I like it a bunch. The engine that drives it needs a lot of work.
Yep, my P2C is old as dirt and still I don’t come close to deserving a better bike.
I used to own a P2C, LOVED the bike… Found a ridiculously great deal on the P5 when my LBS got stuck with a 10spd Di2 when Shimano switched to the 11spd version… Felt I wasn’t good enough for the bike as you do now… Well, it took a couple of years of hard work, and I solved that problem! Nothing like sticking a carrot in front of yourself to ante up your game!