Why is the Campagnolo WRL discounted?

[nmrt]

Curious -- Campy WRL equipped bike discounted 50% while the 12-speed Di2 DA is not. Anyone else seeing this is any other bikes brand apart from Cervelo? Is there something else going on or just a retailer blowing out stock and it happens to be Campy WRL?

Or is this how Campy "sells everything it makes"?

[m_sasso]

Likely too good to be true!

[RedRider]

If you are referring to the Campagnolo equipt Cervelo it reflects the lack of OEM interest.
I work in a Campagnolo Pro Shop and rarely is a Campagnolo "factory" bike a big seller. This is a target market issue rather than a quality problem. Trek doesn't even offer a Campagnolo option for their Project One bikes. The limited edition Specialized SWorks Aethos WRL was marked down, online, a short time after launch.
We sell a lot of Campagnolo bikes and upgrades but it's on custom and frame up builds. Typically an older customer...

[cgolvin]

Man, were I in the market I'd consider buying it and flipping the frameset, cockpit, and wheels.

Edit: my mistake.

[galgal]

If Excel would offer a C64 w/Campy SR WR for 50% off.....

[huck*this]

A real deal. My buddy picked one up. The discount could be due to making a bunch for a team that never picked them up and now looking to sell off dead stock at cost. For example, he asked to have the bars and stem swapped for something that better suits him and they wanted a boatload of money. So my guess is just blow out the stock and move on.

Pretty unique color.

[KonaSS]

Even the Ultegra Di2 version is $9k. If this doesn't prove that Campy has totally lost the US market, I don't know what else does.

Yes, I am sure they sell a few aftermarket groups to some very specialized markets for custom builds (literally like a handful of people on this forum). But if you can't sell your top of the line group spec'd on a stock frame for the same price as an equally spec'd Ultegra bike.....you have a serious problem.

[Mark McM]

Originally Posted by huck*this

A real deal. My buddy picked one up. The discount could be due to making a bunch for a team that never picked them up and now looking to sell off dead stock at cost. For example, he asked to have the bars and stem swapped for something that better suits him and they wanted a boatload of money. So my guess is just blow out the stock and move on.

What team would use a Cervelo R5 with Super Record WRL unless they were sponsored by Campagnolo. Do any of Campagnolo's sponsored team use Cervelo bikes? If it were a team, you might also expect some type of team logos on the bikes. And they probably wouldn't make a full range of sizes from 48 - 58 cm - a men's team might use sizes 52 cm - 58 cm, and a women's team might use 48 cm - 54 cm, but it seems unlikely that any pro team would use the full range of sizes.

As others said, my guess is that these were made up as special editions, but they didn't sell nearly as well as expected, so they're trying to sell dead inventory. There's little money to be made by selling these bikes at such a steep discount, so its not surprising that they won't make component substitutions, as that would reduce Excel's slim margin ever further. (And if you say, "how much time and effort would it be to swap a stem?", any internally cabled bike has extra cost associated with stem swap compared to external cabling.)

[Mark McM]

Originally Posted by RedRider

If you are referring to the Campagnolo equipt Cervelo it reflects the lack of OEM interest.
I work in a Campagnolo Pro Shop and rarely is a Campagnolo "factory" bike a big seller. This is a target market issue rather than a quality problem. Trek doesn't even offer a Campagnolo option for their Project One bikes. The limited edition Specialized SWorks Aethos WRL was marked down, online, a short time after launch.
We sell a lot of Campagnolo bikes and upgrades but it's on custom and frame up builds. Typically an older customer...

I don't doubt that the average Super Record WRL buyer is looking to buy a custom/bespoke bike, and not merely an "off-the-shelf" bike. But how many groups can they sell that way, and what price would have to be charged for what has to be a low volume product (and one that requires a high level of personal service as is often demanded by buyers of bespoke bikes)?

It's entirely possible that these bike weren't created as part of Campagnolo's marketing efforts, but instead were a miscalculation by Cervelo. But such public displays of product discounting so soon after a super-high-end group set is released doesn't help the brand's image at all.

[Clean39T]

Originally Posted by Mark McM

I don't doubt that the average Super Record WRL buyer is looking to buy a custom/bespoke bike, and not merely an "off-the-shelf" bike. But how many groups can they sell that way, and what price would have to be charged for what has to be a low volume product (and one that requires a high level of personal service as is often demanded by buyers of bespoke bikes)?

It's entirely possible that these bike weren't created as part of Campagnolo's marketing efforts, but instead were a miscalculation by Cervelo. But such public displays of product discounting so soon after a super-high-end group set is released doesn't help the brand's image at all.

Is it the groupset being devalued or the wheelset, frameset, and finishing kit?

Multiple Cervelo models have been 30/40/50% off in recent months, mostly w SRAM.. they must be in trouble too.

[vespasianus]

Originally Posted by Clean39T

Is it the groupset being devalued or the wheelset, frameset, and finishing kit?

Multiple Cervelo models have been 30/40/50% off in recent months, mostly w SRAM.. they must be in trouble too.

Yup. You can find great deals on lots f Cervelo models (ie. SRAM AXS). The desire to bash Campag on these forums is a little much.

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by KonaSS

Even the Ultegra Di2 version is $9k. If this doesn't prove that Campy has totally lost the US market, I don't know what else does.

Yes, I am sure they sell a few aftermarket groups to some very specialized markets for custom builds (literally like a handful of people on this forum). But if you can't sell your top of the line group spec'd on a stock frame for the same price as an equally spec'd Ultegra bike.....you have a serious problem.

A smallish MO place dumping excess inventory of one bike 'proves' that Campagnolo has 'lost' the US market...righto...

Ya know, Campagnolo DOES sell a 'few' aftermarket groups...who woud've thunk it...

I guess Campagnolo is goin' out of biz again...

[jamesdak]

Discounted or not, I look at that price and like freak! I can't imagine spending that much on a bike...

[KonaSS]

Originally Posted by oldpotatoe

A smallish MO place dumping excess inventory of one bike 'proves' that Campagnolo has 'lost' the US market...righto...

Ya know, Campagnolo DOES sell a 'few' aftermarket groups...who woud've thunk it...

I guess Campagnolo is goin' out of biz again...

I just don't see that they have a strategy in the US that supports their business model. I get you don't have to be an OEM player. Lots of companies focus on aftermarket only (but seems most of them WANT to be OEM players if they get a chance.)

But to be an aftermarket player, and to be the "Rolex" of cycling components, you have to have name recognition and perceived value. Outside of this forum and some microcosms in Boulder and a few similar cities, no one knows of this stuff. You don't see it on bikes. I don't see any advertising.

My n=1 is that I live in a small/mid size town. My bike club pulls in 30 riders on a big group ride. I would bet only 3-4 of the older riders really know who Campagnolo is. No one other than myself would be familiar with the features/price or even existence of the new WRL. Now most of the riders have only started in the last 10 years. But I am guessing these riders are not too different from newer riders across the country.

So if someone can explain to me how Campy in the US has a long term plan, I would love to hear it. I am sure my sample size is too small. They aren't selling 1 out of every 30 groups. But what does that number need to be? 1 in 1000? 1 in 10,000? I don't know how they get there when they aren't consideration set in the population that I see.

[jamesdak]

Originally Posted by KonaSS

Outside of this forum and some microcosms in Boulder and a few similar cities, no one knows of this stuff. You don't see it on bikes. I don't see any advertising.

Come on, do you really believe people don't know Campagnolo?? Over the past dozen years the majority of the 60+ bikes I've passed on have gone to the younger crowd. They almost all unanimously gush, and coo, and generally freak out over the Campagnolo stuff I have. They certainly know the name and the reputation of high-end quality parts. I've never had a single Campagnolo bike being sold locally languish like the Shimano equipped ones.