How do you choose your bike??

joey100 · 08-01-2015 8:57am #1

So specialized have changed a good few from their triathlon 'team', Jordan Rapp and Jesse Thomas gone to Dimond and Jan Frodeno gone to canyon. Got me thinking, does it matter to people what pros cycle their bike, does it have an impact on what bike you choose to buy?

I know on slowtwitch fit seems to be king. That's the defining factor when choosing a bike but it's not the only one. How do people here choose what bike they buy? Do they look at what pros use it and their times? Colour? Fit? White paper data?

For me it came down to price really, both bikes I have were bought because I got what I consider a bargain on them. Some other people probably wouldn't have even looked at them based on what other bikes were available, don't have any regrets about the bikes either Just trying to figure out people's thought process when they buy a bike, especially a TT bike.

peter kern · 08-01-2015 10:03am

i think based on the hits of the thread you see that pros do influnece people ( in this case they validate a brand )
i would be very sure frodeno will get more money from canyon than the litltle s. and i think he will also have an bigger impact in sales than for the little s
given that the S athlete sponsoring in tri is pretty influenced by two Irish people we will short or long hear more about the little S thinking

Personally, as an ex Softride bike user I have to say is very happy beam bikes are coming back (especially for Irish roads they are marvelous )

but as with everything for some people the bike is a toy or status symbol ( an emotional decision) others go for price and very few buy based on the aerodynamics of a bike and fit on a bike.

tunney · 08-01-2015 10:08am

peter kern wrote: »

i think based on the hits of the thread you see that pros do influnece people ( in this case they validate a brand )
i would be very sure frodeno will get more money from canyon than the litltle s. and i think he will also have an bigger impact in sales than for the little s
given that the S athlete sponsoring in tri is pretty influenced by two Irish people we will short or long hear more about the little S thinking

Personally, as an ex Softride bike user I have to say is very happy beam bikes are coming back (especially for Irish roads they are marvelous )

but as with everything for some people the bike is a toy or status symbol ( an emotional decision) others go for price and very few buy based on the aerodynamics of a bike and fit on a bike.

Emmm much like the 2013 Kona winner I think a poll "which bike did XYZ ride in 2014" would prove your unfounded assertion in bold invalid.

peter kern · 08-01-2015 10:24am

i remember you asking jordan on race week should you use an 808 or disc wheel for austria .... so there was a choice that made less than a 1min difference that wrecked your head and you asked a pro ....and i think made the choice on his recommondation ...

mossym · 08-01-2015 10:26am

the decision list was

1: What could i get locally. my road bike is a rose, ordered online. so i'm not against buying bikes remotely. but for my tri bike i wanted the local shop involved. they knew me, had done a fitting there previously, so knew what my needs would be.
2: Price: had a range, narrowed it down to a few choices from what was left after 1 above
3: Fit: first tri bike. wanted something comfortable i could get used to aero position on, still new to tri, something i could grow into the sport with.
4: finish: something i could tweak myself if needed. standard components rather than bike specific brakes/levers
5: brand: very low on the priorities

ended up with a bike you see few enough of at races in Ireland at least. in lanzarote at the race i did they were everywhere. could i be faster on another bike? Maybe. am i glad i went the way i did? defnitely

desertcircus · 08-01-2015 10:27am

If the choices of the pros don't have an impact on purchasing decisions at an amateur level, then the bike companies are burning money by sponsoring them.

Sponsorship is also a pretty useful signalling mechanism to potential customers for the likes of Canyon: the lack of a dealer network means they need another indicator of quality and reliability, and while customer testimonials are useful, having your bike underneath top-tier competitors goes a long way to reassuring people that your brand can be taken seriously.

tunney · 08-01-2015 10:30am

peter kern wrote: »

i remember you asking jordan on race week should you use an 808 or disc wheel for austria .... so there was a choice that made less than a 1min difference that wrecked your head and you asked a pro ....and i think made the choice on his recommondation ...

Yes. I asked a pro what I should use based on his opinion. Not his sponsorship. Jordan Rap is well known for his in depth research backed opinions. This is very different to who sponsors him.

Plus I could probably tell you who rides what, but most would not.

tunney · 08-01-2015 10:31am

desertcircus wrote: »

If the choices of the pros don't have an impact on purchasing decisions at an amateur level, then the bike companies are burning money by sponsoring them.

Sponsorship is also a pretty useful signalling mechanism to potential customers for the likes of Canyon: the lack of a dealer network means they need another indicator of quality and reliability, and while customer testimonials are useful, having your bike underneath top-tier competitors goes a long way to reassuring people that your brand can be taken seriously.

Did you hear the word gullible was taken out of the dictionary?

Pros ride the bikes that pay them the most. Not the fastest or best quality.

peter kern · 08-01-2015 10:35am

tunney wrote: »

Yes. I asked a pro what I should use based on his opinion. Not his sponsorship. Jordan Rap is well known for his in depth research backed opinions. This is very different to who sponsors him.

Plus I could probably tell you who rides what, but most would not.

and this is why i say rapp is a very good ambassador and will influence buyers.

we are agreed then ;-0 ( its that simple sometimes ;-)

tunney · 08-01-2015 10:38am

peter kern wrote: »

and this is why i say rapp is a very good ambassador and will influence buyers.

we are agreed then ;-0 ( its that simple sometimes ;-)

No. I would have never based what I used, or use, on the brands he used. I am not that naive that his sponsorship is what pays his bills, not the race winnings.

I would let his opinion on either or questions where either both, or neither, of the options were from his sponsor.

Actually the more I think about it the more I realise that most people are that dumb that they will be influenced by sponsorship.

desertcircus · 08-01-2015 11:16am

tunney wrote: »

Did you hear the word gullible was taken out of the dictionary?

Pros ride the bikes that pay them the most. Not the fastest or best quality.

That's odd, I didn't claim otherwise. I said that bike companies wouldn't be paying the pros if their endorsements didn't impact on people's choices.

Regarding the signalling for quality: Canyon don't have to reassure customers that their bikes are better than everyone else's, just that their bikes are good enough for the pros to use them. It's not about signalling superiority: it's about signalling a certain level of quality. No matter how much a bike company offers, no serious athlete will sign on to ride a bike that leaves them at a significant disadvantage.

BennyMul · 08-01-2015 12:57pm

get a good bike fit and purchase a bike within your budget that allows you to get that position, even a second hand frame and build it up.

The way I personally look at these things, bike X is more aerodynamic than my planet x and thus faster,but based on my budget at the time the extra €€€ to gain a few min over 40K was not worth it and I would be better spent losing weight and training.

Do what Pro ride influence me, they did at one stage (ok I was 16/17) and that new groupset that saved 3lbs was well worth the spend, even do I have triple that in fat around my gut.
but not now possible because I cant afford what the pro's ride

Green&Red · 08-01-2015 2:04pm

I've always thought a right fit can be gotten on any bike with tweaking.
You get up on a bike that's different to your last and you think I could never get used to this, a week later you've forgotten what the last was like.
It's like driving abroad, you think you'll never get used to it but a week later it's odd to go back.

I would look at price, then research the bike and if I was happy with that then press the button. Have a Kelly's, a BMC and a Scott and love all three

Tom__JNR · 08-01-2015 2:34pm

Hypothetical situation:

Scott (the one used by Kienle) vs. Quintana Roo Cd 0.1

Would go with Scott. So for me, yes, sponsorship works!

P.s. Used bike to work scheme in 2014 for my bike so did not have this dilemma.

tunney · 08-01-2015 2:55pm

Green&Red wrote: »

I've always thought a right fit can be gotten on any bike with tweaking.
You get up on a bike that's different to your last and you think I could never get used to this, a week later you've forgotten what the last was like.
It's like driving abroad, you think you'll never get used to it but a week later it's odd to go back.

I would look at price, then research the bike and if I was happy with that then press the button. Have a Kelly's, a BMC and a Scott and love all three

Everybody is wrong sometime

tunney · 08-01-2015 2:56pm

Tom__JNR wrote: »

Hypothetical situation:

Scott (the one used by Kienle) vs. Quintana Roo Cd 0.1

Would go with Scott. So for me, yes, sponsorship works!

P.s. Used bike to work scheme in 2014 for my bike so did not have this dilemma.

Ah thats like saying

Kienle is banging a Victoria secret model but Macca is dating a pig.

You pick the VS model cause of Kienle?

Tom__JNR · 08-01-2015 3:07pm

tunney wrote: »

Ah thats like saying

Kienle is banging a Victoria secret model but Macca is dating a pig.

You pick the VS model cause of Kienle?

Actually I like the shape of QR.

Look tt frames put me off

rodneyr1981 · 08-01-2015 3:45pm

Green&Red wrote: »

I've always thought a right fit can be gotten on any bike with tweaking.
You get up on a bike that's different to your last and you think I could never get used to this, a week later you've forgotten what the last was like.
It's like driving abroad, you think you'll never get used to it but a week later it's odd to go back.

I would look at price, then research the bike and if I was happy with that then press the button. Have a Kelly's, a BMC and a Scott and love all three

Hi G&R,

Haven't seen u about here in awhile.
Would have to disagree. I had a felt b2 which per the frame size should have worked for me but had to change in the end. Got a proper fit fitting etc. But there was only so much which can be done.

mossym · 08-01-2015 4:01pm

Tom__JNR wrote: »

Hypothetical situation:

Scott (the one used by Kienle) vs. Quintana Roo Cd 0.1

Would go with Scott. So for me, yes, sponsorship works!

P.s. Used bike to work scheme in 2014 for my bike so did not have this dilemma.

how about this one. kienle's scott or freddy's p5?

edit: in the stock colours or his custom job, you decide

How do you choose your bike??

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