Mavic, groupsets, and business strategy (was Equipment: when are we going to see the SRAM groupset?)

in message , Simon
Brooke ') wrote:

Following up to my own post. Bad form, I know...

From my equipment analysis of this year's Giro, yesterday:

Campgnolo:
Bikes Tyres Wheels
BOUYGUES TELECOM Time Michelin Campagnolo
COFIDIS Wilier Vittoria Mavic
DAVITAMON-LOTTO Ridley ? Campagnolo
LIQUIGAS-BIANCHI Bianchi Vittoria Campagnolo

Shimano:
FRANÇAISE DES JEUX Lapierre Michelin Shimano
GEROLSTEINER Specialized Schwalbe Mavic
MILRAM Colnago Panaracer Shimano
RABOBANK Colnago Vittoria Shimano
T-MOBILE Giant Continental Shimano

I identified only two teams using Mavic wheels. That's got to be a blow
to Mavic, who must make a fair proportion of their sales out of their
historical association with top level racing. Furthermore, with three
out of eight Campag groupset teams whose wheels I identified using
Campag wheels, and three out of seven Shimano groupset teams whose
wheels I identified using Shimano wheels, it looks like theres's some
pressure from the groupset suppliers to use their wheels.

Not that I'm saying there's anything wrong with Campag or Shimano wheels,
of course. But from Mavic's point of view, it seemed that their strategy
after the debacle of the Mektronic shifters was to concentrate on
wheels, and I think that's backfiring on them. They make good brakes;
they make good chains, they have a history of making good derailleurs. I
think they need to buy or partner with Specialites TA or Stronglight,
produce new derailleurs and shifters, and sell a groupset. Without a
groupset, they become just another acquisition target for SRAM.

If we had four competing groupset vendors in the race bike market, we
might see some interesting innovations. Granted there were technical
problems with the Mektronic system as well as political ones, it doesn't
seem to me that we're very far from electronically controlled,
mechanically actuated shifting now.

--
(Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

;; Woz: 'All the best people in life seem to like LINUX.'
;; URL:http://www.woz.org/woz/cresponses/response03.html

On Tue, 23 May 2006 09:42:11 +0100, Simon Brooke
wrote:

it looks like theres's some
pressure from the groupset suppliers to use their wheels.

Not that I'm saying there's anything wrong with Campag or Shimano wheels,
of course. But from Mavic's point of view, it seemed that their strategy
after the debacle of the Mektronic shifters was to concentrate on
wheels, and I think that's backfiring on them.

The strategy should be judged by sales, not by the appearances of
marketing (sponsorship) programs.

JT

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In article ,
says...

I identified only two teams using Mavic wheels. That's got to be a blow
to Mavic, who must make a fair proportion of their sales out of their
historical association with top level racing.

Here in the USA they don't seem to be suffering. They Ksyrium line of
wheels is doing very well. It almost seems like 30% of all the local racers
use them.

Furthermore, with three
out of eight Campag groupset teams whose wheels I identified using
Campag wheels, and three out of seven Shimano groupset teams whose
wheels I identified using Shimano wheels, it looks like theres's some
pressure from the groupset suppliers to use their wheels.

If pressure=money, then you are probably right.
-----------------
Alex

in message , Bob
') wrote:

On Tue, 23 May 2006 09:42:11 +0100, Simon Brooke
wrote:

I
think they need to buy or partner with Specialites TA or Stronglight,
produce new derailleurs and shifters, and sell a groupset.

Spidel anyone ?

Sorry, too gnomic for me.

Are Spidel still in business? In any case, Spidel used to make precisely
the same sorts of things that Mavic make. What Mavic don't have is a
chainset.

--
(Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

;; better than your average performing pineapple

Alex Rodriguez writes:

In article ,
says...

I identified only two teams using Mavic wheels. That's got to be a blow
to Mavic, who must make a fair proportion of their sales out of their
historical association with top level racing.

Here in the USA they don't seem to be suffering. They Ksyrium line of
wheels is doing very well. It almost seems like 30% of all the local racers
use them.

In my opinion, MAVIC might want to do something before products like
this Niobium rim one eat them alive :

http://store.interlocracing.com/carorims.html

Let's see, 8% lighter rim + 33% less money = 100% more intelligent purchase.

- Don Gillies
San Diego, CA

Spidel was never a actual company per se. Spidel was a alliance of
french parts companies.Spidel was a alliance between, Maillard,
Stronglight and Simplex. I never understood why Stronglight never
purchased a crankset or brake comapany.

In article .com,
wrote:

Spidel was never a actual company per se. Spidel was a alliance of
french parts companies.Spidel was a alliance between, Maillard,
Stronglight and Simplex. I never understood why Stronglight never
purchased a crankset or brake comapany.

Stronglight made/makes cranks. See:

http://images.google.com/images?q=st...earch+Image s

--
tanx,
Howard

Never take a tenant with a monkey.

remove YOUR SHOES to reply, ok?

in message .com,
') wrote:

Spidel was never a actual company per se. Spidel was a alliance of
french parts companies.Spidel was a alliance between, Maillard,
Stronglight and Simplex. I never understood why Stronglight never
purchased a crankset or brake comapany.

Stronglight /are/ a crankset company, surely? I have a 22 year old
Stronglight crankset on one of the bikes in this house, and I wouldn't
at all mind one of their current production 'Pulsion' doubles.

--
(Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

;; this is not a .sig

schrieb:

Spidel was never a actual company per se. Spidel was a alliance of
french parts companies.Spidel was a alliance between, Maillard,
Stronglight and Simplex. I never understood why Stronglight never
purchased a crankset or brake comapany.

Absolutely right. Besides other projects, spidel established a Gruppo
called stc (selection tricolore course) , which would include the
finest parts the once (alas!) huge french bicycle industry produced.
Among the names now gone into history a Huret, Simplex, Laprade
(seat posts), Ideale (Saddles), Mafac (Brakes), Sedis (Chains),
Maillard (Pedals and Hubs). The famous Highend Peugeot PX/PY Models
were assembled with spidel-parts only, they won the Tour de France
several times. So spidel could by right be named a collection of the
creme de la creme of components.
Best regards from Hamburg, Thorsten

I believe that Spidel was controlled by Peugeot, but I am not certain.
I was disappointed when SRAM (Was Sach's) purchased Maillard and Sedis.
At the time Sedis and Maillard were both leaders in their field. The
problem was that when SRAM acquired them they discarded some of their
best technology. At the time Maillard was the number one hub comapany
and Sedis was the number one chain company.

There is still some odd parts comanies like Gipeeme and Ofmega that
have their own gruppos. I am suprised thatt these companies still
exist. Ofmega was acquired by Campy, when Campaganolo made the
transtion over to the Record-C era components. Some the early Record-C
components are almost identical to the Ofmega stuff.

toddio wrote:
schrieb:

Spidel was never a actual company per se. Spidel was a alliance of
french parts companies.Spidel was a alliance between, Maillard,
Stronglight and Simplex. I never understood why Stronglight never
purchased a crankset or brake comapany.

Absolutely right. Besides other projects, spidel established a Gruppo
called stc (selection tricolore course) , which would include the
finest parts the once (alas!) huge french bicycle industry produced.
Among the names now gone into history a Huret, Simplex, Laprade
(seat posts), Ideale (Saddles), Mafac (Brakes), Sedis (Chains),
Maillard (Pedals and Hubs). The famous Highend Peugeot PX/PY Models
were assembled with spidel-parts only, they won the Tour de France
several times. So spidel could by right be named a collection of the
creme de la creme of components.
Best regards from Hamburg, Thorsten