Don't call it a comeback - Serotta

[Tony]

[QUOTE=Burnette;2297786]Ben is right that direct sales is the way to go. Canyon is here and Trek and the rest have added staff to also go in that direction.




I agree, seeing more folks going that direction with their purchase.
I Just purchased a YT Jeffsy carbon pro race, you get so much more for your money! https://web.mail.comcast.net/service...d=72275&part=2
Their 2017 bikes were sold out fairly quickly.

YT story
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KW6ofE5v9c

[echelon_john]

Serotta spec'd and patented MUNIMULA cockpit is available as a $750 upcharge.

[texbike]

Giving this some thought, as shallow as it is, perhaps SDS should offer retro paint schemes like the fluorescent Pink/Purple and Pink/Orange fade paint jobs that they offered in the 90s and prominently display them in their ads and marketing. Those colors are popular again and perhaps it would make the bikes "standout" in the wild and get more attention.

Apologies for the borrowed image, but it illustrates the perfect paint job that I was referring to...

Texbike

[FlashUNC]

Originally Posted by sandyrs

The geometry chart is also nearly useless.

I brought it up at launch as well and got told a bit I didn't know what I was talking about. When even Giant is posting stack and reach numbers on their geometry charts, I don't get the data they've posted or the size range descriptors they opted for. You provide Inseam with Cycling Shoes numbers, but not stack and reach? Wha?

Just seems like a cluttered mess that should be a strong talking point -- look, we make 11 different sizes instead of 3! -- is instead "Well, I am an MM, an ML, or an MLL.

Why is the number equivalent of an MM a 53/53 and the MLL just a 56. Shouldn't that be 53 and 56, or 53/53 and 56/56?

Baffling.

[jmoore]

"Looking back over my years in the business, most of the time the decisions I made because it felt right to me, without particularly worrying about how well it would be received, usually were the most successful things I did. I’ve had to remind myself of that."

Hooo-boy.

I wish an MBA student would do a thesis on the history of Serotta and where the missteps were that led to the downfall. Would be fascinating to read.

[572cv]

Originally Posted by echelon_john

Serotta spec'd and patented MUNIMULA cockpit is available as a $750 upcharge.

Wasn't MUNIMULA the name of the dangerous alien planet in 'Ruff and Ready'?

(note: actually, a very old cartoon reference....)

[djg21]

Originally Posted by benb

He always got it but it seems like just making a tall and short version of each size is a huge start.

E.x. 56S and 56L or whatever.

One for people with longer legs, one for people with shorter legs. People with long legs who want to get super low can get the S version and people with short legs who want the bars really high can get the L version and other people can get the one that matches most with their proportions.

Of course that totally clashes with the whole "Let's go from 5 sizes to 3 sizes to save even more money" thing with some of the compact frames.

Like Allied does? It makes a 58 and a 58+ with a head tube that is 2cm taller for instance. I just ordered an Alpha last evening.

With compact frame design, there is much less of a need for a custom frame to obtain an acceptable fit. I’m not sure what value it has to discuss fit for one of these bikes with Serotta. I assume he helps pick the proper sized production frame and recommends a stem length and bar width?

[benb]

Originally Posted by djg21

Like Allied does? It makes a 58 and a 58+ with a head tube that is 2cm taller for instance. I just ordered an Alpha last evening.

With compact frame design, there is much less of a need for a custom frame to obtain an acceptable fit. I’m not sure what value it has to discuss fit for one of these bikes with Serotta. I assume he helps pick the proper sized production frame and recommends a stem length and bar width?

Yah there have been plenty of other manufacturers who "got it", Serotta just seemed to have stuck with it right through the height of the whole "sell as few sizes as possible" wave. IIRC Colnago always had some extra sizes. Trek started doing it more recently again, etc..

Of course it was never as much of an issue with quills I guess. (I only had 1 bike with a quill stem due to when I got into cycling.)

[djg21]

Originally Posted by benb

He always got it but it seems like just making a tall and short version of each size is a huge start.

E.x. 56S and 56L or whatever.

One for people with longer legs, one for people with shorter legs. People with long legs who want to get super low can get the S version and people with short legs who want the bars really high can get the L version and other people can get the one that matches most with their proportions.

Of course that totally clashes with the whole "Let's go from 5 sizes to 3 sizes to save even more money" thing with some of the compact frames.

Originally Posted by benb

Yah there have been plenty of other manufacturers who "got it", Serotta just seemed to have stuck with it right through the height of the whole "sell as few sizes as possible" wave. IIRC Colnago always had some extra sizes. Trek started doing it more recently again, etc..

Of course it was never as much of an issue with quills I guess. (I only had 1 bike with a quill stem due to when I got into cycling.)

I don’t think it was quills per se, but the materials and design of the stems. When I started riding, the stems used were old cinnelli aluminum quill stems. If you used a stem much longer that 110mm, they would flex wildly. I easily could move my bars up and down about an inch each way just by pressuring them. It was a revelation when the chromo Salsa stems became available. The new stems are obviously a lot more robust and far stiffer than those old quill stems.

[Ti Designs]

Originally Posted by Burnette

Ben is right that direct sales is the way to go. Canyon is here and Trek and the rest have added staff to also go in that direction.

'Cause your average internet jockey knows so much about fitting and bike set-up...

[Burnette]

Originally Posted by Ti Designs

'Cause your average internet jockey knows so much about fitting and bike set-up...

Because the average bicycle shop did so poorly at it themselves.

Ti, it's already here if you read the industry news. Bike makers are staffing for it as we write.

And you should be glad. For there will indeed be a need just for bicycle service and fit shops down the road ,your niche will grow because of it.

No, you don't need a bike shop to order a bike.

[Burnette]

Originally Posted by texbike

Giving this some thought, as shallow as it is, perhaps SDS should offer retro paint schemes like the fluorescent Pink/Purple and Pink/Orange fade paint jobs that they offered in the 90s and prominently display them in their ads and marketing. Those colors are popular again and perhaps it would make the bikes "standout" in the wild and get more attention.

Apologies for the borrowed image, but it illustrates the perfect paint job that I was referring to...

Texbike

If all you have to hang your hat on is paint colors though you're not long for this world.

[HenryA]

Originally Posted by Ti Designs

'Cause your average internet jockey knows so much about fitting and bike set-up...

Wahahahahaha!

[oldpotatoe]

Again I hope the crew reads this stuff and not just assume Ben is some sort of biz zues....

[texbike]

Originally Posted by Burnette

If all you have to hang your hat on is paint colors though you're not long for this world.

Honestly, there isn't much else there to differentiate them...

Texbike