New Specialized Website

[Running Mommy]

Heck, I'd love to go into it, but Specialized attorneys would prolly come after me.- Not kidding!
And no, it's not the reps.
Being in the biz now I see the behind the scene's stuff, and it's very cut throat.
Let's just say that I think of Specialized as the bike company equiv. of wal mart. Not the cheap goods/china thing, but the big fish trying to squash any and all competition at all costs. - Including the cost of their own dealers.

Currently it seems as if they are going after cannondale.I guess they see the acquisition by Dorel as a threat??

Of course Trek isn't innocent either. I just read an article in a trade rag about how upset some of the Austin Trek dealers are. Apparently Lance's new shop is going to be within 3 miles on either side of two different shops.

Bike shops work hard to fight for territory. Heck, I don't even HAVE competition and I had to go through a process with all my dealer agreements before I could carry their lines. And when you sign on the dotted line you agree to do a certain dollar figure a year with them. Imagine competing with LANCE??!! OY! My head spins just thinking about it.

BUt yeah, when we were opening up our shop I was determined that I wanted to be independant. I didn't want anyone to tell ME what to carry- or what NOT to carry. The two biggest fish are known in the industry to push their dealers around. If I decide I want to carry a certain brand I don't want to be worried that they will cancel my contract and demand payment in full immediately- or take me to court.

Yes, Specialized is a fine bike. Like I said, we have bought many over the years. I hear their saddle system is great. But for ME as a dealer, I'm just not going to drink their kool-aid.

[SadieKate]

I don't wanna know the issue - I ride a Specialized - ignorance is BLISS I prefer to believe that you just have cr@ppy reps - Yes, that's it!!

It's not the product; it is the way the company does business with the shops and the reps are just the poor messengers. Forcing shops to devote far too great a percentage of their inventory to Specialized doesn't begin to recognize the demand consumers place on the LBS to provide diverse products - and that shops need diversity for economic reasons.

Think about the fact that nearly every LBS carries a ton of PI clothing and not much else. How frustrated do you get that you never get the opportunity to touch and feel the myriad other brands? And now that Shimano has bought PI? I only see it becoming worse.

Shimano actually ended up in court because they tried to force bike companies to spec entire groups on their bikes as OEM. They lost.

I see Specialized going the same route. And when you're talking the independent shops, it becomes an onerous sledgehammer approach to doing business. As a consumer, I buy the Bar Phat because I can't find an equal product. Other than that, I don't buy Specialized products any longer.

[Running Mommy]

Yeah, SK you hit it on the head.
And recently the purchase of Zipp wheels by Sram prompted a govt. probe. Funny, bike company aquisitions have never raised the eyebrows of the ftc before?? My guess is that Shimano has someone on the inside. Just a WAG but Shimano cannot be happy with all of srams strategic acquisitions as of late...???

As for apparel choices. I hear ya SK! I would like to carry Sheebeest, but Veltec their parent company requires such a huge buy in that I just can't.

So for women I'm leaning towards the smaller companies. Skirt sports, dude girl, harlot, etc....

[SadieKate]

Well, since it was SRAM that took Shimano to court over the OEM/group issue and SRAM is making big inroads into the road market and they have a larger and getting larger huge chunk of the MTB market, is it any surprise that Shimano may be behind the FTC move?

[gnat23]

I worry about the pink-haired kiddo's elbows.

My elbows are fine, thanks.

(We were on rollers on demo bikes, with not exactly with a lot of time for proper fit. I was more worried about falling off right in front of the camera!)

-- gnat!

[chickwhorips]

My elbows are fine, thanks.

(We were on rollers on demo bikes, with not exactly with a lot of time for proper fit. I was more worried about falling off right in front of the camera!)

How long did you have to ride and make sure you didn't fall?

[VeloVT]

oh well now that makes me feel like a jerk . (pulls foot from mouth). I know I'm scared to death to even think about rollers. and I'm sure if there were a video of me for others to idly watch there would be plenty of problems to point out.

[gnat23]

No worries! Just wanted to point out that we were just kinda having fun with it, as it was just like 15 minutes in front of a green screen "acting" on the bike like we were really outdoors. I don't think we were intending to be the be-all-end-all of form, for sure!

-- gnat! (Personally, I wanted them to make it look like I was in space with Star Wars ships zipping around me)

[KnottedYet]

Yay, Gnat! You are famous!!

I'm so glad that wasn't YOUR bike! (and that your elbows didn't suffer!) How did you feel on that bike? Did you feel like you had your elbows locked?

Did that bike feel like your own bike, or did it feel like the fit was off?

(I'm obsessed with fit issues right now, it's a sickness, I know...)

I think it would've been very cool to have spaceships and stuff roaring around you.

[gnat23]

KnottedYet:

The big secret is that I've only been on a mountain bike one other time in my life! I've been only a roadie for 15+ years now, so I dare say that *any* mountain bike was going to feel weird to me. I guess just with the hair and the tattoos that I fit more the "look" of a mountain bike rider?

That, and I can't remember anything about my elbows or legs or anything else about how I felt on the bike during the shoot except that I was nervous and excited and giddy. Professional model, I ain't!

That being said, between the motion capture session, oogling all the pretty bikes they had to show off, and talking with the other ladies there, I became inspired to save up for one of those full-suspension Specialized Safires. Then I'll be able to have a half-way decent conversation about mountain bike fit!

-- gnat! (I'm personally just thrilled that I was allowed to be part of this, and I'm not like a size 2 or a hired model, I'm just a real gal that gets funny tan lines and awesome calves, you know?)

[KnottedYet]

Where did you do this? How did you get involved? And... when you get that bike we want PICTURES!

(I wanna see you on a road bike now, too! With the spaceships!)

[velogirl]

My elbows are fine, thanks.

(We were on rollers on demo bikes, with not exactly with a lot of time for proper fit. I was more worried about falling off right in front of the camera!)

-- gnat!

I thought that was you, Gnat. How did you end up with that gig? I recognized a few others too.

[velogirl]

Where did you do this? How did you get involved? And... when you get that bike we want PICTURES!

(I wanna see you on a road bike now, too! With the spaceships!)

and she looks great on her road bike! I did her fit, so I know.....

[7rider]

Where did you do this? How did you get involved? And... when you get that bike we want PICTURES!

(I wanna see you on a road bike now, too! With the spaceships!)

Yes!!!
Inquiring minds want to know, Gnat, how you got to be a Specialized supermodel!!!

[gnat23]

Eep! Nothing too exciting, I'm afraid. I've been dating someone who works at Specialized, and one day I got a panicked call: "You're a size medium, right? Can you take a day off work?"

-- gnat! (certainly no free bikes, and they won't let me buy one of those swanky hot pink women's racing kits since I don't, you know, race or anything)