gsindela

Wondering what US cyclists are awaiting the Canyon arrival?

Their bikes get a TON of love from the other side of the pond. If I hadn't pulled the trigger earlier this year on a NOS Storck, I probably would have waited.

PepeM

I'll believe it when I see it.

WhyFi

I think that people are not holding their breath at this point. When they go live and reports of orders being filled in a timely fashion become regular, I think that there will be more interest.

indyfabz

When I see it I'll believe it.

datlas 

Yes.

noodle soup

I couldn't care less about Canyon possibly coming to the US.

reggieray

Exceedingly unlikely to happen.

Are Canyon frames manufactured in Germany or Asia?

Hiro11

Asia, like everyone else.

One general point here: high end direct sales brands like Canyon, YT, Commencal, Propain, Bulls, KTM, Whyte and any number of small UK brands like Genesis simply dominate in Europe. These brands offer very cool, upscale bikes at a reasonable price with cutting edge technology and great quality. As a result, almost everyone in Europe buying a high end bike buys the bike online. Meanwhile, here in the states almost no major brand sells direct and there are almost no dedicated direct-sales brands at the high end. For a country that is addicted to online shopping, it's treally odd to see almost no bikes being sold online. Sure, we have BikesDirect and slightly suspicious low end brands like Fezzari and Stradelli but that's about it. People see the generally fly-by-night character of these online-only brands and and we get endless threads about "supporting your LBS". It's interesting how the culture is so different. I think this is going to change very quickly once quality direct-sales brands start becoming readily available here in the US.

merlinextraligh

Meh, Canyon bikes are kinda like Coors Beer.

When I was growing up, you couldn't get Coors east of the Mississippi. So it had this aura, and was highly desired. When it became distributed nationwide, we quickly learned it was nothing special.

Canyon benefits in the U.S. from the same forbidden fruit phenomena.

I think if you asked most European cyclists they'd view Canyon as not particularly special, as will U.S. cyclists after the Coors effect wears off.

gsindela

well said.

PepeM

Do you have a reference for that?

Dan333SP

I think the "cool" factor in the US is somewhat enhanced because the GCN guys usually have at least 1 Canyon in their stable, so it's like watching someone ride around on unobtanium.

merlinextraligh

I think that may in part be the relative level of affluence. The U.S. is richer than Europe, on average. We have more disposable income and are more willing to spend it in an LBS with service warranty support, hand holding, etc. included.

European cyclists with less disposable income are likely to be more price conscious.

If you look around Europe, there are not nearly the number of expensive bikes being ridden or in Bike shops, as you see in the U.S.

redfooj

Not true. They enjoy a good reputation in the UK and also here in central Europe. Both in terms of mass appeal, and also as provider of desirable, high-end models (cf slx, aeroad, etc)

PepeM

Those poor Europeans riding their entry level Looks, Lapierres, Colnagos, etc. Nothing like the bombastic American brands like Trek and Felt.

merlinextraligh

I didn't say they had a bad reputation, but that they're not something special.

How would you compare Canyon to Colnago, Merckx, Pinarello, Willier, Specialized, Cervelo, etc.?

merlinextraligh

Have you ridden in Europe much? Its not like you see new Colnagos all over the place.

PepeM

I don't see many around here either.

merlinextraligh

Having ridden in France, Italy, Spain, England, Switzerland, and Hungary, I was rather struck that you're more likely to see high end Italian bikes in the U.S.

You're much more likely to see "serious cyclists" there riding what we would consider beaters.

The gap may be closing as many parts of Europe become more affluent ( the `quality of the car stock in Europe has definitely improved in the years I've been going there, and it may be happening with bikes as well) but my observation has definitely been they buy less expensive, and ride older, bikes than we do in the U.S.

PepeM

My guess is that way more people ride over there, as opposed to being a fairly elitist sport over here.

In any case, I was just wondering where is the evidence to support that 'almost everyone in Europe buying a high end bike buys the bike online.'

redfooj

Pinarello = high end; rare

Cervelo = high end

Merckx = no longer on radar for modern frames (just like e.g. DeRosa)

Wilier = niche in the same way Orbea or Look is

Colnago = actually hard to find here. Not sure how much their recent absence from the protour (vs Pinarello) plays a part. Seen loads and loads of them around Spain.

My personal opinion atleast is that it's viewed in almost the exact same way as Specialized-- A common but positive brand image at all price points going up to the raciest level.

Trek has little market share despite official trek store and decent distribution network.

Cannondale is Cannondale

Focus and Fuji is 1-step below mainstream a la Jamis.

Rose are really the ones with a bit of skepticism along the vein of "magazines says it's good but it's for the guys who want to experiment"

merlinextraligh

^ Ok, kinda my point. I'm not getting terribly excited if Specialized were newly available in the U.S., when I can already pick from all those others. Hence, the reaction to Canyon being available in the U.S., Meh.

VinceB

I'm waiting to see the US pricing. Doing a straight conversion of their online prices from EUR to USD makes their bikes look very attractive. For example, their non-high-mod Ultimate with Ultegra Di2 is $500 cheaper, and noticeably better specced than the equivalent from Trek/Spesh/Cannondale. If that pricing holds up (or improves), I'd have a hard time passing that up if I were in the market for a new bike.

logical

I know quite a few people who are holding off on buying new bikes for the spring/summer because they know Canyon is coming around summer time.

I personally think they are some of the best looking bikes out there even if they arent available here in the US. If they can keep their prices right when they sell them here in the states they will sell a ton of them. I honestly dont know what took them so long to start selling their bikes here.

gsindela

Exactly what I was thinking. Their business model should be successful here, IMHO.