serotta.com

[jpw]

A few tweaks.

[54ny77]

When viewed on an android phone, it looks.....well...I don't know how it looks since it won't scale or scroll. Totally unfunctional.

Serotta as bike maker:10 of 10.
Serotta as marketer/online presence: .0000000001.

[Andrewlcox]

When viewed on an android phone, it looks.....well...I don't know how it looks since it won't scale or scroll. Totally unfunctional.

Serotta as bike maker:10 of 10.
Serotta as marketer/online presence: .0000000001.

+1

I went to look for info on their forks but can't find a link to anything F3 or S3 related. How are they going to sell $700+ forks if they don't show customers their wares?

I looked last night and then again today and it did change but still no link to forks. I would also like to see them sell swag again.

[veloduffer]

It won't load, except the heading/menu bar, on my IE8. :confused:

[54ny77]

Serotta's new scaled down biz model sure as heck better depend on superstar dealers who can sell the story, the bike and the brand to the buyer (whether they're knowledgeable or not), because the web presence sucks so bad it's beyond ridiculous.

That said, I've ridden my Ottrott only once so far (just recently completed the build, don't give me grief!), and lemme tell ya, them boys in Saratoga know how to build a bike. I was blown away with how smooth it is. And the paint/finish work--honestly, doesn't get any better. Cant wait to get more miles on it.

[pdmtong]

It won't load, except the heading/menu bar, on my IE8. :confused:

yup, all I got too

[buldogge]

Works on Firefox 3.6.28...but...nothing to write home about.

-Mark in St. Louis

[cuda2k]

Sent them an email with 8 points about their website that pretty much sums up what I saw that was in need of immediate improvement. I'll see if I get any response beyond 'Out of the office' auto-responder.

I think the site is built on Flash, which is probably why phone browsers are failing to load it.

[Germany_chris]

It's better, but he still doesn't "get it"

[jpw]

It's better, but he still doesn't "get it"

True. He gets building frames and forks. He needs someone who gets web and marketing. Who is doing the website - do we know?

[Jason E]

"Legend
(Leh-Jend)
We don't want to assume...​"

c'mon...:rolleyes:

[Andrewlcox]

"Legend
(Leh-Jend)
We don't want to assume...​"

c'mon...:rolleyes:

Last night the CDA used an incorrect phonetical spelling but they fixed it today.

[BCS]

They have spelled their carbon/ti bike Otrrott.
Is this still the soft launch of the website? Still lame

The Otrrott is our BEST-RIDING.
​
Individually engineered and crafted to bring out the champion in you. Titanium and carbon have unique qualities that produce a bike that is light, stiff and infinitely tunable, but also durable and resilient. The Ottrott really reflects our heritage of craftsmanship

[54ny77]

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Aaz6RWn_XNU/T1t5ZXyIg6I/AAAAAAAAA0M/hZ9GK9EKtzM/s1600/big-lebowski-gif.gif

They have spelled their carbon/ti bike Otrrott.
Is this still the soft launch of the website? Still lame

The Otrrott is our BEST-RIDING.
​
Individually engineered and crafted to bring out the champion in you. Titanium and carbon have unique qualities that produce a bike that is light, stiff and infinitely tunable, but also durable and resilient. The Ottrott really reflects our heritage of craftsmanship

[jpw]

At the bottom of the home page;

"© 2012 Serotta Competition Bicycles. All rights reserved. We build bikes... not websites."

We know.

[Elefantino]

"© 2012 Serotta Competition Bicycles. All rights reserved. We build bikes... not websites."
At least they haven't lost their sense of humor, whereas I sense we have lost our patience atmo.

Too bad.

[William]

The wide range of forum participants have talked about what they felt were issues with Serotta and their public interface for years now. The writing was on the wall but the company wasn't listening. I'm not suggesting that they do what ever the forumites thought they should, but that there has been an obvious problem and the SEROTTA forum was a good voice/sounding board to I.D. and tackle issues. Many companies pay big dollars for the kind of feedback and customer demographic information archived here. The king had no clothes on and didn't listen to the murmuring of the admiring fans. It's true that they "build bikes....not websites". Unfortunately their website to me gives the impression of...

http://www.shuttertours.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/nofashion.jpg


Some voices have and will pop up saying that the customers have no business telling them what to do. On how to build bikes... I agree.

On how their message is coming across to the public, I disagree.

On how their image is being projected to, and perceived by the public? I disagree.

On their pricing compared to the competition? I disagree.

Ultimately it is John and Jane Q. Public who will decide the fate of Serotta. Most of the people on this forum have been longtime fans with more invested into that company over the years then the average Joe, and its pretty clear that many here are dismayed by the image being projected. I wish them the best but I'm just left shaking my head right now.








William

[Keith A]

Well said William.

[Ahneida Ride]

Amen William ...

[UKBROOKLYN]

Hey Ben, if I could afford to have someone build me a bike i would hire you. Thats what you do. You are an expert.
If I needed a website I would hire someone to do that. An expert.

[Climb01742]

in the world today, your website, to varying degrees, IS your business. if serotta wishes to continue to not build a world-class website, their days of building world class bikes are numbered.

[BCS]

in the world today, your website, to varying degrees, IS your business. if serotta wishes to continue to not build a world-class website, their days of building world class bikes are numbered.


This simple statement is so true. I find it incomprehensible that no one in the Serotta inner circle grasps this. They need to spend some time on the internet checking out bikeporn. I have never seen a Firefly on the road but based on their web presence in addition to their pedigree, I would buy one in a heartbeat.

[UKBROOKLYN]

What was wrong with the old website design ?? They could have just edited out the bikes they no longer sell..

[SamIAm]

This simple statement is so true. I find it incomprehensible that no one in the Serotta inner circle grasps this. They need to spend some time on the internet checking out bikeporn. I have never seen a Firefly on the road but based on their web presence in addition to their pedigree, I would buy one in a heartbeat.

I can only understand this as some kind of bunker mentality. That website is an absolute embarassment. They might as well just shut it down and go with a Flickr account showing their current work, if they have any.

[54ny77]

They need a 1 page placeholder, badly. That's all.

Post a gorgeous picture of a Meivici, contact info, logo, and that's it.

Oh and maybe a click through page for a list of dealers.



I can only understand this as some kind of bunker mentality. That website is an absolute embarassment. They might as well just shut it down and go with a Flickr account showing their current work, if they have any.

[redir]

One of the things I like to do when designing a web site is to look at the competition.

[54ny77]

http://www.angelfire.com/super/badwebs/

;)

[Mr. Squirrel]

i saw mr. woodchuck again today. he was quite adamant. he may be nuts.

mr. squirrel

[Germany_chris]

I'd bribe an actual web designer with a frame or something..There is enough love for Serotta to for someone to do it on the side..

If Mr. Serotta would spend and evening or two surfing the net looking at builders websites he would see that his looks like a bad Rapha commercial.

[fiamme red]

Their blog seems to be no longer active. :confused:

http://www.serotta.com/apps/blog

[Fixed]

what would the american bike world be without serotta ?
hope i don't have to find out
cheers best of luck to them :)

[William]

I'm beginning to believe (as much as I hate to admit it) that the Squirrel was on to something. I'm hoping that there are no Chi-rotta's coming down the pike.:eek:





William

[Keith A]

Their blog seems to be no longer active. :confused:

http://www.serotta.com/apps/blogIt's moved to http://www.serotta.com/#!Blog|chvx, but there's no information there.

[SamIAm]

I'd bribe an actual web designer with a frame or something..There is enough love for Serotta to for someone to do it on the side..

If Mr. Serotta would spend and evening or two surfing the net looking at builders websites he would see that his looks like a bad Rapha commercial.

I think they need to aim higher. It is not a web designer that they need, it is a good man of business.

[firerescuefin]

When Myopia sets in, some people wear the criticism they receive as a badge of honor..."we build bikes, not websites"...like somehow it's a positive contrast in comparison to a competitor.

Not having a good website in this industry for a company like Serotta is like a DH in baseball not being able to hit a fastball.....your not going to be long for the league.

[fiamme red]

When Myopia sets in, some people wear the criticism they receive as a badge of honor..."we build bikes, not websites"...like somehow it's a positive contrast in comparison to a competitor.They could have built a simple and straightforward website, with helpful information and some nice photos, but instead they decided to get fancy and go with Flash. :help:

[lovethesport]

If you are expecting to stay in business, you can not have a total disregard
for your loyal customer base. It is one thing if you are selling Murray bikes at your local Sport Authority,but for Serotta to continue to let this disaster is beyond comprehension... unless they are about to sell out or go out of business!

[William]

If you are expecting to stay in business, you can not have a total disregard
for your loyal customer base. It is one thing if you are selling Murray bikes at your local Sport Authority,but for Serotta to continue to let this disaster is beyond comprehension... unless they are about to sell out or go out of business!


Blue Horseshoe loves Anacott Steel.





William

[UKBROOKLYN]

That is supposed to be cute ?? A sarcastic stab at their loyal fan base...

Not cute .. not funny... Hire someone who does..

[jr59]

Blue Horseshoe loves Anacott Steel.





William

While their website leave a little to be desired;

This is very funny! :)

[ahsere]

I don't know if it's related, but a few months back I crashed my Legend Ti and I sent a few messages (or the same one a few times) to the email address that appears in their website, asking them to give me an estimate for the repairs. Still waiting for a response. And I could not find a phone number where to call them. I loved the bike, but I decided to forget about the repairs and bought myself another frame with the money I might have used in repairing what was my all time favorite bike. In contrast, when I needed touch up paint for my Waterford a couple of months ago, I called the number in their website and this very nice woman answered the phone right away, looked up the serial number in their database, told me the exact paint I needed, and took my order, all in two minutes. Another time I contacted Waterford asking some questions about an older frame that I bought on ebay, and I got an email back the next day from Richard Schwinn himself, or from whoever answers emails for him. Now that's the kind of attention that one expects from a company that produces top notch luxury goods, like Serotta. Serotta needs to step up their online presence and their CS, IMO. That's a big part of what they are, and many great framebuilders ended up closing shop for their lack of marketing and CS skills. Maybe mine is an isolated case, but these kind of things add up and hurt a company's reputation little by little.

[echelon_john]

This explains a lot about their decline and current situation:

http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-204_162-574353.html

[Germany_chris]

I think they need to aim higher. It is not a web designer that they need, it is a good man of business.

I agree that it's probably time for a business manager but then I don't know what Serotta's finances look like. What I do know is that the website looks like bad, and to people in the 25-40 age bracket your website defines your business. Does Mr. Serotta have son or daughter? I know he's just a bit younger than my own father, maybe they could help. I know he has a face book page but it's just that a page, I get updates on my wall from Mr. Strong about builds and such, and Mr. Sachs about whatever stikes him. I see very little from Serotta Sport.

I think people today need to be woo'd (SP?) more than in the past because information doesn't come monthly in a bike mag, I can search the world in just a few seconds. My opinion is that young people tend to be less brand loyal than our parents with the exception of religion; cars and computers. I unlike most people don't think Serotta's prices are out of line with the rest of the custom/boutique makers, yes there are cheaper and few more expensive but it's like that in all other industries.

I could probably go on about perceived clannishness of cyclists and such but these are things that are really no different than they were in the past..

Firefly and Vanilla are young and hip.

Gordon defines touring bikes.

Sachs is the king of cross and an icon.

Parlee is carbon, Moots is Ti.

What is Serotta? He is an icon, knows carbon and Ti better than most and builds mature road bike but what is Serotta? What do they need to be going forward? The man himself needs to answer them and move forward, for now though I decent website is the start.

[ORMojo]

We build bikes... not websites.

We appear to be agreeing with both parts of this statement, but at this point the real question is do they know how to sell bikes?

[UKBROOKLYN]

Serotta famed for building bikes that look like they could go faster backwards builds a website that defines their brand.

[1centaur]

After reading this whole thread I had to go back and look at the website - all pages (on a computer, not a phone). It was not the disaster I expected, though it's not an efficient selling machine. It lays out the basic reasons Serotta has always used to sell its bikes, and the navigation is simple. Its biggest lacks are better and more photography (that alone would increase its selling power by 200%) of the product in various settings and in different paint schemes. Links to YouTube videos of the build process and of people riding Serotta would be great. The site lacks reasons to make you want to go back to it several times as you think about what to buy; they need to get out of their own heads and into the heads of customers, and the best way to do that is interview their dealers about why people choose Serotta when their fitter has given them the knowledge to buy any bike that fits. It's always good to remember that people don't buy based on what you say, they buy based on what they hear. Get in their heads and then trigger that thought process on the site.

[firerescuefin]

Serotta famed for building bikes that look like they could go faster backwards builds a website that defines their brand.

If they were famed for building "faster backwards" bikes, there would be no outrage. They custom build bikes. Not everyone can, nor wants to ride bikes that look fit for a young Andy Schleck. Faster backwards is what comes out of people's mouths who are more focused on perception than functionality.

The company has a rich tradition that started in racing, supporting the first American professional team of any significance.

Bikes like the Meivici and Ottrott are cutting edge bikes that are the pinnacle of craftsmanship....still.

Anyone can put a website together.....not eveyone can establish a rich history and a legacy of great bikes.

Hence the outrage

[fiamme red]

It won't load, except the heading/menu bar, on my IE8. :confused:Same for me.

[pdmtong]

Using IE8, I get the home page headers but no content, and nothing on the sub-pages.

Using firefox. I can see every page.

What is the problem here and is it on my end (windows machine)?

[ORMojo]

Everything (such as it is) seems to be working on IE9.

[jpw]

From looking at the website you would never know that Serotta does make both a Pave fat tire version of its models and a coupled travel bike. In this info age people don't want to have to pick up the phone to call a dealer or the manufacturer to tease out these basis details. I'm personally not in need of exquisite photos (I know what a bike looks like), but a concise text description of what is optionally available would be of some help.

I've met with Ben and we had a convivial chat. He seems like a thoroughly amiable and decent person. I must be missing something then about the mindset of the company. It doesn't add up.

[BumbleBeeDave]

. . . that problems in viewing between various browsers--or versions of browsers--or between desktop and mobile--is not all that unusual. There are so many standards and they keep changing so frequently that you could have significant content viewing problems seeing today's brand new page with a browser that's only one version out of date.

As for this . . .

Serotta famed for building bikes that look like they could go faster backwards builds a website that defines their brand.

. . . cheap shot and you are saying a lot more about yourself and your perception of what a "real" cyclist should be than you are saying about Serotta. Just because some people have physical limitations that prevent them from riding with a 12 inch saddle-to-bar drop doesn't mean they should have no right to ride a custom or high quality bike.

BBD

[William]

I've met with Ben and we had a convivial chat. He seems like a thoroughly amiable and decent person. I must be missing something then about the mindset of the company. It doesn't add up.

I've met and talked with Ben in person at the Open House Weekend in 05. Very pleasant person to talk with and bent over backwards to resolve an issue I was having with the company at the time. They've also had a history of really going out of their way to have good CS. What's happening now doesn't add up to me as well....unless they are just hanging on by a string, unable to throw resources at these issues waiting for something to happen, or someone to step up? Who knows?








William

[Sandy]

I tend to be very loyal to people, especially those who treat others (including myself and family) well. I also want small businesses to succeed, as I operated one and know the difficulties a small business operator has competing with the medium to large ones in the same field. My experiences with Serotta have been excellent, with both Ben Serotta and Kelly Bedford (at Serotta at the time) being remarkably kind and caring, especially to my wife, who is a non-cyclist. Kelly gave me and my wife an inordinate amount of time when I went to Serotta to test ride an Ottrott some years back, and Ben Serotta was remarkably compassionate and caring to my wife at a time she was not feeling well. Serotta produced a stellar product and was remarkably well respected.

I look now and feel sad and more concerned about the future of Serotta, and those workers still involved . No need to add any specific comments about the website, as many in the forum have articulated very well the state and importance of such. I do not look now at the actual reality of the website but at why that reality could occur. Apparently Ben Serotta's focus must be/have been on even larger considerations than the website at this time, and his time may be may not be focused on the exceedingly important aspects of customer/website/dealer/interaction/Serotta communication, all obviously crucial in moving the company forward efficiently, effectively, and financially. Apparently, the company, at this point, has been downsized, with significantly fewer workers and models. Whether Ben Serotta's model will work in the future is unknown, but our knowledge of precisely what is occurring within the company, that compels certain seemingly unreasonable actions, is also unknown to most.

I think Serotta is still in a state of flux. Whether there is an infusion of capital into the business, as some have speculated, we do not know. I had a 1998 CSI and presently have a 2004 Ottrott ST and a 2008 all steel CDA (may be my favorite)- all wonderful bikes. I may purchase a sloping top tube new bike able to accommodate 700X25 and significantly larger tires, and which has a larger trail than my present bikes, as I am over 70 and have not been riding for over 4 years (started back). I want to be loyal to the wonderful people at Serotta but I do not have the necessary confidence at this time in the company. Who would build my bike, paint it etc.? How long would it take to deliver it, what would the payment schedule be for my purchase? How efficient would the entire process be, and why pay Serotta's price when other equally well built bikes could be purchased and delivered in a shorter time frame with few if any of the above concerns?


I hope Ben Serotta and company ultimately succeed, personally and financially. The website is not my major concern. The concern is what are the factors that allow such to exist. What are the problems that are manifested in the website presentation? The website is simply the symptom. Will Serotta's business model, whatever that evolves to, allow the company to be successful?


Sandy

[fiamme red]

. . . that problems in viewing between various browsers--or versions of browsers--or between desktop and mobile--is not all that unusual. There are so many standards and they keep changing so frequently that you could have significant content viewing problems seeing today's brand new page with a browser that's only one version out of date.There are far too many people who are still using IE8 to be casually dismissed as "out of date."

[BumbleBeeDave]

There are far too many people who are still using IE8 to be casually dismissed as "out of date."

. . . and the common sense answer. But I have run into too many IT pros who have little sympathy to those of us who are not early adopters, or users who still have dial-up (and that's a much higher percentage than you might think.)

BBD

[Elefantino]

Serotta famed for building bikes that look like they could go faster backwards ...
Perhaps you're thinking of the fame of a different Serotta.

[UKBROOKLYN]

No one can ever make alight hearted comment about the Sacred Serotta..

Thank god I didn't mention anything about Dentists.. oh wait did I say that out loud..

[BumbleBeeDave]

No one can ever make alight hearted comment about the Sacred Serotta..

Thank god I didn't mention anything about Dentists.. oh wait did I say that out loud..

. . . hadn't been used so obviously derisively in the past it would be no big deal. But it has assumed a meaning of talking about who fits in to a select clique as much as it talks about bike design. "Faster backwards" bikes are talked about as objects of scorn--and the inference is that scorn sloshes over onto the people who ride them.

BBD

[UKBROOKLYN]

Listen all I am sorry really did not mean to offend anyone.. I just know that those are a couple of things that are jokingly said about Serottas and it seemed to fit the general whats up with this website thread...

Hope no one took it personally.

[Climb01742]

a thread drift...but fascinating choice a business made about IE...

http://techcrunch.com/2012/04/01/bootstrapped-startup-saves-over-100k-by-dropping-ie/?grcc=33333Z98ZtrendingZ0

[billspreston]

I built a nice website for a ti builder last year in exchange for a bike. A few weeks back I sent a short email to the gents at Serotta proposing a similar idea and I never heard back.

They either don't care about the quality of the website, don't have the capital to fund a new one, or (hopefully) are already in the process of building something new.

I imagine they are tired of hearing about it, hence the cheeky disclaimer in the footer and I can't really blame them there. This dead horse has been beaten. Having said that, I do agree with the majority of the comments. Hopefully the business can get re-organized as a whole and a new website will trickle down soon.

[jpw]

The 'news' and 'blog' sections are under construction. No news is good news, but a blog without an entry is not a blog.

[OTB]

Signature Cycles (http://www.signaturecycles.com/sources/mobile/portfolio.php?id=4&art=1#_portfolio_4) does a great job of showing off their bikes - and they're IN NY.

[A1CKot]

I built a nice website for a ti builder last year in exchange for a bike. A few weeks back I sent a short email to the gents at Serotta proposing a similar idea and I never heard back.

They either don't care about the quality of the website, don't have the capital to fund a new one, or (hopefully) are already in the process of building something new.

I imagine they are tired of hearing about it, hence the cheeky disclaimer in the footer and I can't really blame them there. This dead horse has been beaten. Having said that, I do agree with the majority of the comments. Hopefully the business can get re-organized as a whole and a new website will trickle down soon.

Lol. I hadn't noticed this until you mentioned it.
"© 2012 Serotta Competition Bicycles. All rights reserved. We build bikes... not websites."

[rounder]

I tend to be very loyal to people, especially those who treat others (including myself and family) well. I also want small businesses to succeed, as I operated one and know the difficulties a small business operator has competing with the medium to large ones in the same field. My experiences with Serotta have been excellent, with both Ben Serotta and Kelly Bedford (at Serotta at the time) being remarkably kind and caring, especially to my wife, who is a non-cyclist. Kelly gave me and my wife an inordinate amount of time when I went to Serotta to test ride an Ottrott some years back, and Ben Serotta was remarkably compassionate and caring to my wife at a time she was not feeling well. Serotta produced a stellar product and was remarkably well respected.

I look now and feel sad and more concerned about the future of Serotta, and those workers still involved . No need to add any specific comments about the website, as many in the forum have articulated very well the state and importance of such. I do not look now at the actual reality of the website but at why that reality could occur. Apparently Ben Serotta's focus must be/have been on even larger considerations than the website at this time, and his time may be may not be focused on the exceedingly important aspects of customer/website/dealer/interaction/Serotta communication, all obviously crucial in moving the company forward efficiently, effectively, and financially. Apparently, the company, at this point, has been downsized, with significantly fewer workers and models. Whether Ben Serotta's model will work in the future is unknown, but our knowledge of precisely what is occurring within the company, that compels certain seemingly unreasonable actions, is also unknown to most.

I think Serotta is still in a state of flux. Whether there is an infusion of capital into the business, as some have speculated, we do not know. I had a 1998 CSI and presently have a 2004 Ottrott ST and a 2008 all steel CDA (may be my favorite)- all wonderful bikes. I may purchase a sloping top tube new bike able to accommodate 700X25 and significantly larger tires, and which has a larger trail than my present bikes, as I am over 70 and have not been riding for over 4 years (started back). I want to be loyal to the wonderful people at Serotta but I do not have the necessary confidence at this time in the company. Who would build my bike, paint it etc.? How long would it take to deliver it, what would the payment schedule be for my purchase? How efficient would the entire process be, and why pay Serotta's price when other equally well built bikes could be purchased and delivered in a shorter time frame with few if any of the above concerns?


I hope Ben Serotta and company ultimately succeed, personally and financially. The website is not my major concern. The concern is what are the factors that allow such to exist. What are the problems that are manifested in the website presentation? The website is simply the symptom. Will Serotta's business model, whatever that evolves to, allow the company to be successful?


Sandy

Good post Sandy.