LesterOfPuppets

I imagine it makes sense for Nike, and would guess they have higher markup and unit sales.

BrockLee

I hear ya. Thanks for your comments, but you used WAY too many acronyms for me to understand exactly what you're saying. OP, TIG, HS...

LesterOfPuppets

OP = orig. post.
TIG = tungsten inert gas, a welding method, cheaper than brazed, lugged frames.
HS = headset

I took out most of that post cuz I thought we were talking about $1000 bikes, but even with robot TIG building I doubt Panasonic could do a $700 complete with 27 color options.

Many companies used to offer color choice on high end bikes but not on cheaper ones. For instance you used to be able to pick your color on a Schwinn Paramount, but you only got one or two choices on a Prologue, Peleton, Tempo, etc.

dynaryder

Ship them where? The US? Do you know how much it would cost to have them painted and assembled here? You'd prolly double the cost of them. I'd love to see companies build bikes here,but bikes do not have the economies of scale that cars do.

Also note,color is a personal choice. Most of my fleet is black/grey/silver,and I'm fine with that. If you really like a bike,but don't like the color,just repaint it yourself. Don't want to do that? Order custom. Look up the prices of Gunnar/Waterford and compare them to Trek/Spec/Giant/etc.

quicktrigger

HAHAHA!!!! You contradict yourself. First you say, it would double the cost, then you say just repaint it. Oh, and look how much more color is available from Giant as whole over crap-Trek-tastic. Specialized does a much better job than crap-Trek-tastic. Oh, and you forgot Lynskey and their custom paint jobs. There is a beautiful one in a local bike shop.

Sorry, I don't buy the BS line that an AUTOMATED paint line as indicated above would double the cost. Doesn't cost much to pay someone $10/hr to hang frames, and then unload them. As for assemble, already though about that. That could be modified as well to make it quicker, otherwise, do both in freaking Mexico just across the border. Things are getting chummy with Cuba, do it there. Labor is SUPER CHEAP there... Haiti could use the jobs... Jamaica man...all very close by in shipping terms. Oops, there goes your double the cost crap again. Plus I never said that it would not cost you anything at all. But this BS that it can't be done is just that, BS. When you can have single one off copies of books printed, with little cost penalty, then this can be managed. Also if Lowes and Home Depot, through an automated process, can give you any custom color you want, match any custom color you want IN THE US, then it can be done. Oh, and that paint isn't a $1000/gallon as it would be if people bought into your fallacies.

Next the ideal of expecting you to spend a grand, two grand, more on a bike that you hate the way it looks is completely f-ing ridiculous. If it is so freaking ridiculously hard (which it ain't) o provide some color choices, as you would have everyone believe, then why do all the major brands do it on the women specific lines, which are a much smaller market. And why can Bikes Direct do the below?

https://www.facebook.com/12219986436...204368/?type=1
https://www.facebook.com/12219986436...969368/?type=1
https://www.facebook.com/12219986436...264368/?type=1

These are much lower volume, full CF roadies. However freaking crap-Trek-tastic can only offer 1-2 non black/gray bikes for men on their entire FX line, and none of them have disc brakes.

The reality is that you like the way it is. Plenty of evidence that it can be done without exorbitant cost. Nobody said you couldn't have your dull grey, black whatever. As you said, color is a personal choice, so why the hell are you so gungho on dictating that choice? Possible you have a vested interest (don't know/don't care). Human eyes can sense a great many more colors than that, and I intend to use those sensors. If a company is so short sighted to try to dictate to potential customers in a competitive market, then they deserve to wither and die (crapTrektastic).

QT

Triaxtremec

i was thinking of taking mine apart and having it powder coated just to change it up for and not longer have some of the nicks i've put in it over the years. Did a little research and looks like it can be down under $100 in any color and finish I'd like.

quicktrigger

That is really the only valid time, unless you want custom airbrushed graffics or similar.

QT

mustang1

+1.

I prefer flamboyant colours for every alternate bike I get. So one bike will have "grown up" colours, the next will be flamboyant and so on. However I havent found any bikes, like OP mentioned, that are flamboyantly coloured. I recall before 2006, I used to buy bikes based mainly on style plus colour (eg, road bike, red) but I didnt care which road bike I got as long as it was in my price range. I had no brand loyalty and didnt know a dm thing about component groups or wheels. Back then, a bike was a bike, either drop bars, or mtb. Pick your style, choose your color, done.

These days when I see some of the colors available for female-specific bikes, I rather like them. Still, customized steel might be the way to go, but that's too much money for me as I prefer buying low-end bikes.

LesterOfPuppets

Might not double the cost, but painting in USA is much more expensive than painting in China. Because of labor (even if using robot sprayers) and costs of meeting environmental reqs.

Jamaica seems really unreasonable, sending frames around Africa or through Panama??? Lotta extra transpo costs there.

Darth Lefty 

We are still planning to powder coat my wife's Raleigh, which came in an ugly brown-tinged gunmetal with brown and silver decals. It's going to be aqua or sea foam or something like that and have a sea turtle head badge instead of the unreasonably cheap version of the Raleigh badge that is there now.

jt02gt

Reading this thread is starting to resemble the football sites I frequent. Looking like a bunch of armchair CEO's.

Grey.

If you can show me one Specialized or Giant bike that comes in more than two colors i'll be impressed. 90% of the Sirrus range is black and grey, I don't know what you're on about honestly.

quicktrigger

Yes I agree it would be more expensive to paint in the US than China, but doubtfully very much more expensive than Taiwan (much much higher labor costs etc), and several of our bikes were made in Taiwan. Just the same I would not be opposed to adding an extra $75 for a series of optional additional paint setups.

As for extra shipping costs. That is a good fair point, but there are high volume ocean shipments already to these regions. Plus shipping containers on container ships on these routes are going to be far cheaper than transport by truck across the US as now occurs. Even wiping all these things aside, then Mexico still works just fine.

QT

quicktrigger

Now "THERE'S" and enlightening comment.

quicktrigger

While that is correct on two colors per model, but they are not just black/grey either. Much better than Trek's BS black or Grey over virtually the entire line men's FX line. I'm sure Trek does this so that they have to order two frame colors so they get a price cut from the manufacturer, so as to inflate profit margins. Just the same I only used Specialized/Giant as better than Trek and others, not as the way to go. As for 90% of the Sirrus line only in Black/Grey...... you might want to look again.

Specialized Bicycle Components in Red.
Specialized Bicycle Components in Orange.
Specialized Bicycle Components in Magenta.
Specialized Bicycle Components in Cyan.
Specialized Bicycle Components in Green.
Specialized Bicycle Components in Red/Black.

Doesn't look like 90% of the line to me. Maybe 50%. At least there is some options here, unlike Trek's crap colors.

Saw a $5k Trek a few weeks ago. Came in exactly Grey, and nothing else. $5k for the privilege of ZERO choice. STUPID business model.

Contrast, friend just bought a $6K Transitions Mt Bike a few weeks ago. Tiny company in comparison to Trek, with a small market share, in a very small market for that level of mountain bike. But they still offered two choices in color, and they weren't Black and Grey either, but Black and Orange. He bought the Orange one.

And if you don't honestly know what I and others have been typing about, then why are you and others trying to using everything you can to try to convince us that it is the only possible way? Basically Trek and Cannondale for that matter, seem to have the attitude that we are lucky that they are willing to sell us a bike at all.

I get that some people don't like the attitude of the stance. I get that I go after the point aggressively when someone spouts total BS, that is by design. I also get that there are many that aren't as analytical will fall for the BS. Also get that sitting down and shutting up about it will not improve the situation in any way. And any bike company that has a clue will be on these forums with an eye as to what their public perception is. Some people will hate my attitude, just as they HATE Bikes Direct and just as many local business owners HATE any online shopping. Others will love the attitude. I was raised in the sciences, and taking a point of view and defending it is just part of the process. So no great whoppey-do either way.

QT

MRT2

Your point seems to be that Trek bikes are boring. I am inclined to agree for reasons beyond just boring paint jobs. Just take your business elsewhere.

mapeiboy

I did exactly that when I ordered my Colnago EP frame from a UK bike shop . After the frame is made to my size in Italy they shipped it to a paint shop in Belgium to have it painted in team Mapei color with no cost to me . The whole thing costed me less then if I have it done here in NA .

LesterOfPuppets

This 2012 Crux livery already has a cult following:



I wish they'd do this one without any red on it. Mango + yellow is HOT!

Grey.

I was exagerrating when I said 90%, my mistake.

That said, I assumed you were exagerrating as well since the point you're trying to make still eludes me. Every bike above the Sirrus Elite Disc only comes in one color, that's 6 bikes out of 15. Maybe you like the black color that Specialized gives you better than Trek but you're arguing preference not "science" or fact, you just like what they force on you a bit better.

Furthermore, there are 15 bikes in the Sirrus range compared to 9 in the FX Series. The bikes on the lower price bracket of the FX Series (namely the 7.1, 7.2 and 7.3) each have Blue, Red, and Green options respectively. The other 6 that are further up the price bracket only have one color option and come in White, Grey and Black. (For the 2015 Model Year) That sounds awfully similar to what Specialized is doing with the Sirrus, and the fact that they have more colors can be attributed to the fact that they have more bikes. How about the grand total of 3 bikes Giant has in the Escape series? Are you really implying that every company should produce as many bikes as Specialized does? This is under the assumption that you agree two colors per models is typical. I would point out that Trek has up to 5 colors per model in certain regions.

I'm not going to be buying a Neon Pink Sirrus any time soon (which you curiously called "Magenta" even though it says Pink right on the page) but as long as the option is there (even if it's a bike you'll never buy) that in some way makes Specialized a better company, by your logic.

I have no problem with you arguing a point, but you're weighing the company rather than the bikes they sell and saying that you hope they "wither and die" is, to be blunt, childish. Where do you get this idea that they have some kind of "attitude" at all? That's the stupidest thing i've ever read, are you a cyclist or a market analyst?

All i'm seeing here is preference. You prefer the choices other companies give you and you're trying to make the data fit the point you want to argue, and what a coincidence that you own two Specialized bikes. Your whole arguement boils down to brand favoritism. The fact is that Specialized or Giant or any other brand gives you no greater amount of choices on the color of your bike than Trek does, you just have a preference. That's all well and good, but don't take your preferences and tell me they're facts. Bear in mind, this is data from one market year. If you want to drag out bikes from the last 10 years and see who had more options, be my guest.

Wilfred Laurier

Many custom builders will bend over backwards to get the colour you want, but this is a service you pay for.

I agree that most bike pain schemes leave are not too exciting. Sometimes they get it right, though.

etw

I remember the days when you could order a car from GM with any range of options, colors, interior. This was in the days before they began selling various packages of options. I am sure in either case, it is about cost and profit.

fietsbob

Start you own Bike Importing Corporation , then You can choose the colors as You're the CEO.

quicktrigger

Let see, where are the disc brakes on any of those? Where are any other "upgrades" that has anything but the same crap colors? Oh and good damn luck finding any of them with any color. Plus if you look at their webpage, they will list green/gray, and you clik on the link and it's grey with a couple square inches of green. Then that is just three models. But beyond that, I have also said that Giant/Specialized are hardly the model, but you continue to conveniently ignore that, as well as conveniently ignore that they do better on WSD which are a much smaller market, and conveniently ignore that that much smaller players in the bike market do better. Lastly, those "regions" do't do a bit of damn good if your not in that "region" and since the US is probable the largest market, all the more evidence that it is just stupid BS arrogance. Make a hell of allot of sense that they can offer five colors in Thailand, but two in the US. How many bikes do they sale in Thailand compared to the US. Just another BS excuse.

As for "one model year".... HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!! So the hell what? Didn't know I could go into the LBS and buy Trek's from 1977??? What a complete and utterly ridiculous argument that is... kinda like saying I went bankrupt in 1995, but I lived great before that.

I could not care any less what damn color you ride. However, if you don't know what the color Magenta looks like, well that is not my issue. I use CAD programs almost daily, and that is magenta. But I guess when you run out of other psuedo-logic arguements, then you have to go with what is left. So Ok, it's Pink in your eyes. Whoppty-do!!! Guess that makes everything else right in your world. What's next, grammar police? Spelling Nazi? Not arguing in 16th century Latin, the only REAL language? Again, why can small players do a better job than mighty Trek?

Personal attack!!!! YEAH!!!! I WIN!!!!! Personal attacks are the white flag of surrender. They come out when they know their other arguments have been discredited. Must have really hit "home" in some fashion.

I'LL PUT IT IN BOLD THIS TIME TO HELP YOU FIND IT! Again, the one you KEEP ignoring. My Mountain bike came from Bikes Direct. I had four color options for the same bike, and final cost was $200 LESS for a slightly better bike, than for the comparable Trek/Cannondale. Why can tiny BD do it, and mighty Trek can't?. I did look when I was buying, and gave them a true shot. But didn't take long to hit that dull iceberg again.
QT

quicktrigger

Oooo, those are nice. Especially like the yellow on blue. My road bike is somewhat similar to the orange one. Doesn't have the red, nor the white highlights, but close in color otherwise. As I tell people, on the road I want to be bright as freaking possible. Hard not to be seen as possible. Blood belongs inside, not outside.

Thanks for those pics.
QT

quicktrigger

Fair observation, and I can easily see why you would get that ideal.

Mostly, they are just an easy well known target with some personal experience that has highlighted them. When starting to look at bikes last year, I went top the Trek dealer first. Told them flat NO BLACK/GRAY/SILVER, and that pretty much meant they had nothing. Got the same from Cannondale. was told, black only to a certain level, then it's gray. There is now an additional color on some of those models on the Cannondale site, that weren't there when I was first looking. Don't know the story behind that, just know was told there was no other option but black/gray for the entire "Quick" line, but there was some color in other lines that did not fit my needs.

Similar story when looking at mountain bikes a few weeks later. Gave them both a chance again. dullberg hit immediately for Trek again. Cannondale had a yellow option that I liked........ 5 months later. They had one in yellow in store, but the wrong size.

So I guess I use Trek all the time because they hit the exact same rock in two separate bike searches. Cannondale did as well, but not in the same fashion. Specialized did't fit the bill either, unless I spent more to get in the Pitch line. But at least it was an options, and the Pitch line is colorful. Since this was a second bike just to ride with friends, and keep at work, I didn't want to sink a bigger chunk into it.

Side note. The $5K Trek I mentioned was on CL. Seller even made mention of the dullness and adding as much color as he could elsewhere. Many people get conned into just this kind of purchase.

And yes, I did take my business elsewhere.

QT