HSG Bikes

[1centaur]

Originally Posted by stevep

huge assumption, no?
serotta is long established with a group of top notch long time staff members who are well paid by industry standards.
how does that compare to parlee?
i dont know calfees operation.

the frame is not the tubing. raw materials are a relatively small part of the cost of a top notch frame.

Totally correct in every respect. My point was mostly about the cost of domestically produced tubing. Once that's off the table, there is a chance that Serotta's employees are either great in number vs. how many frames are produced compared with others, or so well paid as to overcome the greater level of cost spreading via a fairly large production level. Neither is required for "domestic production," but we could explain price point by those and perhaps many other factors.

[soulspinner]

Originally Posted by litespeeder3

Where did serotta get this "high speed geometry"? Does a frame builder just out of the blue decide to begin building "great" racing frames without having any history of building racing frames? Oh ya, that's how Colnago and Time started to build great racing frames. These frame builders just decided one day that they were going to build a "high speed geometry" frame out of thin air. NOT! It takes a history of racing and innovation and endless wind tunnel testing and CAAD designs to come up with a great racing geometry. How does a company with a business model of building frames for fat old slow guys go about building a "high speed geometry" frame?

The frame building industry is always making claims of new technological innovations that promise to make the cyclist go faster and climb better. But this serotta HSG has got to be the most surprising and outlandish claim that I have heard in all of my years as a racer. So what's next? Is subaru going to announce tomorrow that they are building a sports car that is on par with Porsche? Or perhaps Pontiac is getting ready to announce a new line of BMWs. Any frame builder can make outrageous claims but only a fool would mistake such claims for real innovation.

Great racing geometry was around before wind tunnels and CAD machines....have you been in the figgy pudding?

[stevep]

i await the wit and wisdom of litespeeder4

my father used to say... the empty drum makes the most noise...
he is proved correct over and over.

[mso]

HSG - It's a marketing tool to sell stock bikes and capture a more "race" oriented rider. They're probably riders out there that whom own a custom Serotta that matchs the race geometry before it became a stock geometry. It's really not some great innovation. It's just a more aggresive geometry similiar to many stock frames.

[Ozz]

Originally Posted by Smiley

... HSG is just a way to get dealers to put stuff on the floor that they can sell with no client requested options. ...

Here's Some instant Gratification

[Ti Designs]

Originally Posted by litespeeder3

How does a company with a business model of building frames for fat old slow guys go about building a "high speed geometry" frame?

So if my picture is on page 21 of the 42 page Serotta '06 catalog, does that make me the fat old slow guy centerfold? Is it an exclusive club or can bald, ugly, stupid guys get Serotta bikes too?

[Serotta_James]

High School Girls
Hurts So Good
Have Some Grits

Naming bikes and model lines has never really been the strongest facet of our company. Making the best bikes we know how to make is the foundation and guiding light of this company.

HSG is a moniker that delineates a series of stock bikes that are designed for the needs and wants of competitive riders. We know (generally) what these characteristics are because we have been building custom race bikes for a long time. We also had quite a bit of dealer requests for and subsequent involvement on developing these products. So, they're certainly not materializing out of the void.

I don't care for the name much either, but the bikes are pretty sweet.

[Skrawny]

.... when are you bringing them out here?

-s

[saab2000]

Originally Posted by Serotta_James

High School Girls
Hurts So Good
Have Some Grits

Naming bikes and model lines has never really been the strongest facet of our company. Making the best bikes we know how to make is the foundation and guiding light of this company.

HSG is a moniker that delineates a series of stock bikes that are designed for the needs and wants of competitive riders. We know (generally) what these characteristics are because we have been building custom race bikes for a long time. We also had quite a bit of dealer requests for and subsequent involvement on developing these products. So, they're certainly not materializing out of the void.

I don't care for the name much either, but the bikes are pretty sweet.

We all know that. But the troll is trying to pick a fight and knows that he can get some people lit up.

I'll have the carbon HSG please, with Campagnolo Borat wheels and the new neato crank. S'il vous plait.

[Serotta_James]

Originally Posted by Skrawny

.... when are you bringing them out here?

-s

February.
Which one do you want to ride?

James

[mike p]

"I don't care for the name much either, but the bikes are pretty sweet."

Next time have a forum contest, I'm sure we could give a new model a proper name.

Mike

[saab2000]

Originally Posted by mike p

"I don't care for the name much either, but the bikes are pretty sweet."

Next time have a forum contest, I'm sure we could give a new model a proper name.

Mike

That's a good idea.

I like the name of mine: Colorado III - Third generation of the Colorado I guess.

I also think "Atlanta" is good. So is "Legend".

HSG is not bad, though it reminds me a bit too much of a food preservative.

[mike p]

"HSG is not bad, though it reminds me a bit too much of a food preservative."

Zackly, that's what I thought ever since I first heard it.

Mike

[davids]

I think the HSG line is a great idea. I think more options for stock bikes makes sense - 90% of us can be successfully fit for them, and are probably better off trusting Kelly Bedford than our local fitter. Remember - Up until a few years ago, Serotta wasn't emphasizing their custom options as much, and featured standard geos prominently in their marketing.

This seems to me like having it both ways - A significant selection of stock geo bikes, with limited finish options, at a lower price point than their full-on customs. And a corresponding selection of completely customizable frames for those who need unusual geos, or choose to pay a premium for other custom features.

I approve.

And Litespeeder# has demonstrated that he's not only a dumb@ss provocateur, but an unrepentant anti-Semite. He deserves to be shunned, completely and utterly.

[saab2000]

I approve too.

My only question is whether or not by accepting the stock geo and sizes and stock finishes, are we getting the best of the rest? For example, does the Ti HSG have Serotta's best tubesets? Does the carbon HSG have the same tubesets as the Meivici?

This I would like to know.