Patchelicious Posted January 26, 2015 Posted January 26, 2015 Just to balance this thread a bit - this pic shows why being a Spazzie is so popular :-)http://www.acultureofspeed.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/SpecializedMTB.jpgThat bike and kit is SOOOOOOOOOOO 2 years ago, clearly not a real Spazzie like me who needs the latest kit, the moment it arrives!
Spoke101 Posted January 26, 2015 Posted January 26, 2015 It does not matter what bike you ride, but if you you are rocking a $$$ bike and kit but can't even do a simple drop off you gonna look like a chop.I don't really want to weigh in on this thread to much, but yes I once shared your same point of view. Then I stoped caring. If someone wants the best and can afford it who am I to say he/she doesn't need/deserve it or doesn't do the bike justice. Maybe he/she just wants light weight and great performance.What matters is that are happy and enjoy riding. As to the above statement, does that mean only racing drivers should be allowed to drive a Ferrari, lamborghini, Porsche?
Don Sol Posted January 27, 2015 Posted January 27, 2015 As much as I believe you have a valid point, I also believe you have a bit of a chip on your shoulder regarding the brand. Let me start with Burry, can we just let him rest in peace and leave him out of this debate rather please. Moving on to Sauser, he rode for Cannondale many years back and got himself a nice Olympic medal on that bike, thanks to that the Lefty was taken a bit more serious by the general public and the "off balance naysayers" Now interestingly , Cadel Evans was also a Cannondale athlete at the time ,but nobody remembers the brand for Cadel's exploits, so yes if I was going to try and market my product in the past 15 years, Sauser would have been my #1 choice . Santa Cruz, who do they have to thank, yes that's right Juliana Furtado .A good brand as well.I think we can all come to one conclusion, in this competitive world of cycling and sales thereof you only set yourself up for one heck of a failure if you produce anything sub-standard.So in short, most bikes are exceptionally good. Now let's look at Mike Sinyard, had nothing and started his company from nothing, went through some bad patches and turned the company around with the Turbo tyre.He then got his good old mates who are close to his hometown of Morgan Hill to help him develop the Brain.Boom and suddenly we have an incredibly groundbreaking product that really works and works it's way around all the weaknesses of the rear triangle which we find in ALL full suspension bikes. This gets featured in Popular Mechanics and suddenly the entire world wants a pice of it.The fellow creators of the Brain failed quite miserably with their Terralogic design (but that's a discussion for an entire other month) All that said, what does Sinyard do to sell his products, that's right he markets the brand.Think American Flyers with Kevin Costner and if you ever watched Seinfeld there is a concept store that made it's way in to numerous episodes. I was privileged to sit with Mike and watch the Tour De France with him on a screen at breakfast one morning, this could have been around 2004 if I recall correctly.There were no teams in the tour on the bikes but numerous riders with his helmets and shoes, the joy and pride in his face was priceless . Now I do believe they have gotten to a point where they have reached a plato in being innovative, let's be very honest, there is only so much one can do to the humble bicycle, I mean let's think about why bicycles were invented, for transport really, getting from A to B. But to finish off with this, yes Mike Sinyrad is an incredible marketing man, but he is also very humble, and has a passion for cycling like few other cycling brands and their feast of directorships .And let's not forget who the true ambassador of the brand really is, the one and only King and grandfather of mountain biking ,Mr. Ned Overend .My previous comments on this topic you will notice I have in fact a fair bit of respect for the sworks brand. They have a mega engineering initiative. I think they look the part. I definitely don't have a chip on my shoulder about this brand. Ive ridden them on a small scale. I have no issue regarding the clothing spez owner have blah blah... as discussed to death here. My sole argument is they are way over priced for the components. And its pretty obvious they shop around for the best deal from the suppliers. SRAM rear derailer. Shimano front derailer. Another brand for brakes. If I could afford it I would buy just a frame. Anyhow, im super happy with my bike. As far as Burry goes, I say his name with utmost respect. And he and his folks will remain in mine and my families thoughts for the rest of our days.
rawbone Posted January 27, 2015 Posted January 27, 2015 Some Specialized stuff is just good. I have a friend who has a Santa Cruz Nomad and just yesterday he was saying how incredible his new Specialized MTB shorts were
MTBeer Posted January 27, 2015 Posted January 27, 2015 Some Specialized stuff is just good. I have a friend who has a Santa Cruz Nomad and just yesterday he was saying how incredible his new Specialized MTB shorts were yes, their 750ml water-bottles are also the bomb. I fit at least 1 litre into mine.
Hackster Posted January 27, 2015 Posted January 27, 2015 I used to make jokes about the S-Works riders I passed while riding my old Giant. Yesterday I took delivery of a new Camber Evo. Now I'm trying to work out who's going to be making jokes about me.
Wyatt Earp Posted January 27, 2015 Posted January 27, 2015 My previous comments on this topic you will notice I have in fact a fair bit of respect for the sworks brand. They have a mega engineering initiative. I think they look the part. I definitely don't have a chip on my shoulder about this brand. Ive ridden them on a small scale. I have no issue regarding the clothing spez owner have blah blah... as discussed to death here. My sole argument is they are way over priced for the components. And its pretty obvious they shop around for the best deal from the suppliers. SRAM rear derailer. Shimano front derailer. Another brand for brakes. If I could afford it I would buy just a frame. Anyhow, im super happy with my bike. As far as Burry goes, I say his name with utmost respect. And he and his folks will remain in mine and my families thoughts for the rest of our days.I agree with you on the pricing, and they are not the only ones riding that bandwagon .I don't have a single Specialized bike at the moment, in actual fact most of my bikes are pretty plain .I get all sorts of looks from guys with their high end super hitec bikes when I pitch for a ride, one can see that there is a fair amount of prejudice, but it's like when you take a rubber duck and dip it underwater and you take it out again, the water just rolls off .
Danger Dassie Posted January 27, 2015 Posted January 27, 2015 My previous comments on this topic you will notice I have in fact a fair bit of respect for the sworks brand. They have a mega engineering initiative. I think they look the part. I definitely don't have a chip on my shoulder about this brand. Ive ridden them on a small scale. I have no issue regarding the clothing spez owner have blah blah... as discussed to death here. My sole argument is they are way over priced for the components. And its pretty obvious they shop around for the best deal from the suppliers. SRAM rear derailer. Shimano front derailer. Another brand for brakes. If I could afford it I would buy just a frame. Anyhow, im super happy with my bike. As far as Burry goes, I say his name with utmost respect. And he and his folks will remain in mine and my families thoughts for the rest of our days. Provide an example? Personally feel this whole 'overpriced' issue many have is when looking at the S-Works and elite range with all the carbon bling. In which case the pricing is pretty much within the same realm as most other brands. On their more mid range bikes the spec and pricing is very competitive, Carve and the Epic Comp being a case in point.In fact much of the apparel from the big S is also very competitively priced and exceptionally good stuff. Although I've found some of the products aren't that robust over time and tend to wear quicker. Reckon a lot of the perception, especially on pricing is simply down to the big S being a victim of their own success and marketing.
Headshot Posted January 29, 2015 Posted January 29, 2015 I wore my Spaz shoes last night and they were great. The saddle was comfy too - also Spaz. Just sayin. :-)
_David_ Posted January 29, 2015 Posted January 29, 2015 Interesting article on BikeRadar. "Take a guess as to how many mountain bikes have scored full marks recently on BikeRadar? Historically, very few mountain bikes have managed to impress our testers enough to achieve our maximum rating of five stars. However, the ones that have and are still available to buy you’ll find on this very page" http://www.bikeradar.com/mtb/gear/article/best-mountain-bikes-42904/
Hairy Posted January 29, 2015 Posted January 29, 2015 Interesting article on BikeRadar. "Take a guess as to how many mountain bikes have scored full marks recently on BikeRadar? Historically, very few mountain bikes have managed to impress our testers enough to achieve our maximum rating of five stars. However, the ones that have and are still available to buy you’ll find on this very page" http://www.bikeradar.com/mtb/gear/article/best-mountain-bikes-42904/Loottttssss of 5 star rated bikes on bike radar, what was your point again? http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/frames/mountain-bike/product/review-on-one-lynskey-ti-456-08-31339/http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/bikes/mountain-bikes/product/review-morewood-zula-10-frame-only-36443/http://www.bikeradar.com/mtb/gear/category/bikes/mountain-bikes/hardtail/product/review-scott-scale-710-13-47370/http://www.bikeradar.com/mtb/gear/category/bikes/mountain-bikes/full-suspension/product/review-giant-anthem-x-29er-1-13-47170/http://www.bikeradar.com/mtb/gear/category/bikes/mountain-bikes/full-suspension/product/review-whyte-t-129-s-13-47173/http://www.bikeradar.com/mtb/gear/category/bikes/mountain-bikes/product/review-voodoo-hoodoo-12-46194/http://www.bikeradar.com/mtb/gear/category/bikes/mountain-bikes/product/review-santa-cruz-tallboy-ltc-12-frame-fork-shock-46568/
Headshot Posted January 29, 2015 Posted January 29, 2015 Based on the sheer no. of 5* ratings I'd say Bike Radar are trying to make sure their test fleet is regularly topped up by big business :-)
Headshot Posted January 30, 2015 Posted January 30, 2015 Ha I knew it, its true.... http://www.pinkbike.com/news/opinion-show-me-the-money.html
MTBeer Posted January 30, 2015 Posted January 30, 2015 I wore my Spaz shoes last night and they were great. The saddle was comfy too - also Spaz. Just sayin. :-) I'm wearing my spaz underpant right now, and damn I get a woody just thinking about it.
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