TIME frames, bikes

[merckxman]

The following excerpt from a bike-eu.com article:
"“the frames and bikes sales under the Time brand have dropped by almost half in the past year. We are still facing too high costs. Our limited production capacities do not allow us to offer competitive prices against high end bikes competitors which design their products in countries with low manufacturing costs....... The French group does not exclude downsizing, closing or selling the Gajary facility and stopping the production of carbon frames....... The company should release more details about its strategy soon, but the decision could be delayed due to the Covid-19. "

[Clean39T]

Originally Posted by merckxman

The following excerpt from a bike-eu.com article:

"“the frames and bikes sales under the Time brand have dropped by almost half in the past year. We are still facing too high costs. Our limited production capacities do not allow us to offer competitive prices against high end bikes competitors which design their products in countries with low manufacturing costs....... The French group does not exclude downsizing, closing or selling the Gajary facility and stopping the production of carbon frames....... The company should release more details about its strategy soon, but the decision could be delayed due to the Covid-19. "

That's incredibly sad. I hope they can hold on long enough to see what's on the other side of this covid situation.

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[jpritchet74]

That's really sad indeed.

But I do have to say that I haven't even considered a Time or a Look frame in over 15 years.....

[zzy]

This is what happens when a ski company buys a bike company and wants a bigger profit. They have already moved most production to Asia. I'm sad to ses this but it was inevitable. But it's a shame but Time produced some of the nicest riding bikes around and wove their own carbon.

[ibis]

Sad. I have some friends from the days when I worked for LOOK, who moved over to TIME when the owners of LOOK sold. They are incredibly smart and talented. I hope they can push through.

[Clean39T]

Their sizing doesn't work for me that well, but I'm still kicking myself for passing up on a Time Scylon in the French scheme (3K weave and red/blue/white highlights) when they were on sale for ~$1500 at Merlin last year or so.

I wish time would do like Colnago and produce one or two more traditional framesets, along with bars, in house, that showcase their heritage and unique design and process - and let the rest get outsourced. I would pay up for a Time designed/built standard road frame/fork that highlights their carbon layup/weave, safety, etc. Something like an Allied Alfa, but built in France.

[FlashUNC]

Shame, they make the best production carbon bikes on the planet.

[bicycletricycle]

The pursuit of excellence rarely yields much profit.

[texbike]

Originally Posted by merckxman

The following excerpt from a bike-eu.com article:
"“the frames and bikes sales under the Time brand have dropped by almost half in the past year. We are still facing too high costs. Our limited production capacities do not allow us to offer competitive prices against high end bikes competitors which design their products in countries with low manufacturing costs....... The French group does not exclude downsizing, closing or selling the Gajary facility and stopping the production of carbon frames....... The company should release more details about its strategy soon, but the decision could be delayed due to the Covid-19. "

That's too bad. However, this is a tough time to be a builder of carbon bikes on a medium to large scale. There's VERY little differentiation at the end of the day. Time's most recent models just don't really stand out in the current, crowded carbon market. Smaller shops like a Crumpton, Allied, or maybe even a Parlee have a better chance in my opinion. It seems like a race to the bottom in a very commoditized space. I feel for those with premium offerings that can't REALLY differentiate their offerings or adequately justify a price premium when the actual differences in functionality are so narrow. This all existed prior to the current C19 environment of course, but it's going to be even tougher now and will probably get worse for the next 9-18 months.

Originally Posted by Clean39T

I wish time would do like Colnago and produce one or two more traditional framesets, along with bars, in house, that showcase their heritage and unique design and process - and let the rest get outsourced. I would pay up for a Time designed/built standard road frame/fork that highlights their carbon layup/weave, safety, etc. Something like an Allied Alfa, but built in France.

Time did do that for a while. Maybe they still do. It's a good model - Colnago, Parlee, and Trek have all done this as well. Take the halo approach to the product line with your top products produced domestically and their reputation extending to your lower line offerings that are produced offshore. However, Time has always been very niche anyway. You probably need a more recognizable name to make that work.

Texbike

[prototoast]

These bikes always look really interesting to me, but there was always something a little bit off that made them a hard sell. The geometry didn't quite work for me, tire clearance often seemed to be an issue, and lots of seatmasts with proprietary hardware. There might be a few good deals floating around from time to time, but at baseline they have just been too expensive to justify if the bike wasn't exactly what I needed.

I hope they can continue the business, because I think they add some real value particularly with their unique manufacturing process, but they may either need to become a smaller brand appealing to a more targeted audience. Or they need some more accessible entry point to help build a stream of customers.

[nobuseri]

Sad to hear. The older, Boonen era VXR*/ProTeam/ULTeam bikes were baller framesets. Producing their own carbon to make framesets.

The baller frames are costly, but not surprisingly so given the overhead/fabrication process. Hard to compete with the go-to production process today.

I hope they can try to stay afloat in some way.

[herb5998]

Really well made frames (I owned 3), the quality was great, and I really like the QuickSet headset, although some of the early ones had issues. Hopefully they can find a way to scale down appropriately, cut the range down (not that it's huge now).

Also a big fan of their pedals, so I hope that stays around as well, probably an easier margin compared to the frames, but really good.

[lavi]

Dang. I guess not totally surprising.

My VXRS was one of my most favorite bikes. Ever. Will likely remain in my top 5.

[jemoryl]

Always liked their bikes and was impressed how they made them 'from scratch' in France. Didn't have good distribution in the US from what I could see. I continue to use their pedals.

Speaking of French made frames, I haven't heard anything about Cyfac in a long time. Always wanted to own one of those (but since I buy about 1 frame every 8 years....).

[8eh3iub]

Originally Posted by jemoryl

Always liked their bikes and was impressed how they made them 'from scratch' in France. Didn't have good distribution in the US from what I could see. I continue to use their pedals.

Speaking of French made frames, I haven't heard anything about Cyfac in a long time. Always wanted to own one of those (but since I buy about 1 frame every 8 years....).

Cyfac has evolved a bit...

https://cyclingtips.com/2020/02/bike...ostiff-gravel/