Ewwww....

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Never been big into Cannondales, but no company deserves this:

"Cannondale announces acquisition by Dorel Industries, Ltd.

Cannondale announced that it has been acquired by Dorel Industries,
Ltd., a Montreal, Canada-based 'global consumer products company' with
US$1.8B in total sales last year. Dorel purchased Cannondale from a
division of Pegasus Capital Advisors for a reported US$190-200M in
cash but the final value of the transaction will be determined pending
the report of Cannondale's annual earnings ending June 30, 2008. Also
included in the sale is Canada-based cycling, running, and triathlon
clothing manufacturer Sugoi Performance Apparel.

Dorel adds Cannondale to its impressive portfolio of bicycle holdings
which already includes Pacific Cycle, parent company of the GT,
Mongoose, and Schwinn brand names. With this most recent acquisition,
Dorel will now reorganize its so-called Recreational/Leisure segment
into two distinct bicycle divisions: one to specifically address the
needs of the independent bicycle dealer (IBD) channel and the other
dealing exclusively with mass market, or 'big box', outlets such as
Wal-Mart....":

Rest of article at http://www.cyclingnews.com/tech.php?id=tech/2008/news/02-05.

Scott

On Feb 5, 3:55 pm, Scott Gordo <blubberp...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Never been big into Cannondales, but no company deserves this:
>
> "Cannondale announces acquisition by Dorel Industries, Ltd.
>
> Cannondale announced that it has been acquired by Dorel Industries,
> Ltd., a Montreal, Canada-based 'global consumer products company' with
> US$1.8B in total sales last year. Dorel purchased Cannondale from a
> division of Pegasus Capital Advisors for a reported US$190-200M in
> cash but the final value of the transaction will be determined pending
> the report of Cannondale's annual earnings ending June 30, 2008. Also
> included in the sale is Canada-based cycling, running, and triathlon
> clothing manufacturer Sugoi Performance Apparel.
>
> Dorel adds Cannondale to its impressive portfolio of bicycle holdings
> which already includes Pacific Cycle, parent company of the GT,
> Mongoose, and Schwinn brand names. With this most recent acquisition,
> Dorel will now reorganize its so-called Recreational/Leisure segment
> into two distinct bicycle divisions: one to specifically address the
> needs of the independent bicycle dealer (IBD) channel and the other
> dealing exclusively with mass market, or 'big box', outlets such as
> Wal-Mart....":
>
> Rest of article athttp://www.cyclingnews.com/tech.php?id=tech/2008/news/02-05.
>
> Scott

Ack you beat me by seconds ....

R

Scott Gordo wrote:
> Never been big into Cannondales, but no company deserves this:
>
> "Cannondale announces acquisition by Dorel Industries, Ltd.
>
> Cannondale announced that it has been acquired by Dorel Industries,
> Ltd., a Montreal, Canada-based 'global consumer products company' with
> US$1.8B in total sales last year. Dorel purchased Cannondale from a
> division of Pegasus Capital Advisors for a reported US$190-200M in
> cash but the final value of the transaction will be determined pending
> the report of Cannondale's annual earnings ending June 30, 2008. Also
> included in the sale is Canada-based cycling, running, and triathlon
> clothing manufacturer Sugoi Performance Apparel.
>
> Dorel adds Cannondale to its impressive portfolio of bicycle holdings
> which already includes Pacific Cycle, parent company of the GT,
> Mongoose, and Schwinn brand names. With this most recent acquisition,
> Dorel will now reorganize its so-called Recreational/Leisure segment
> into two distinct bicycle divisions: one to specifically address the
> needs of the independent bicycle dealer (IBD) channel and the other
> dealing exclusively with mass market, or 'big box', outlets such as
> Wal-Mart....":
>
> Rest of article at http://www.cyclingnews.com/tech.php?id=tech/2008/news/02-05.
>
> Scott

A fate worse than death. "To the PAIN!"

Matt

On Feb 5, 6:13 pm, MattB <somedud...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> Scott Gordo wrote:
> > Never been big into Cannondales, but no company deserves this:
>
> > "Cannondale announces acquisition by Dorel Industries, Ltd.
>
> > Cannondale announced that it has been acquired by Dorel Industries,
> > Ltd., a Montreal, Canada-based 'global consumer products company' with
> > US$1.8B in total sales last year. Dorel purchased Cannondale from a
> > division of Pegasus Capital Advisors for a reported US$190-200M in
> > cash but the final value of the transaction will be determined pending
> > the report of Cannondale's annual earnings ending June 30, 2008. Also
> > included in the sale is Canada-based cycling, running, and triathlon
> > clothing manufacturer Sugoi Performance Apparel.
>
> > Dorel adds Cannondale to its impressive portfolio of bicycle holdings
> > which already includes Pacific Cycle, parent company of the GT,
> > Mongoose, and Schwinn brand names. With this most recent acquisition,
> > Dorel will now reorganize its so-called Recreational/Leisure segment
> > into two distinct bicycle divisions: one to specifically address the
> > needs of the independent bicycle dealer (IBD) channel and the other
> > dealing exclusively with mass market, or 'big box', outlets such as
> > Wal-Mart....":
>
> > Rest of article athttp://www.cyclingnews.com/tech.php?id=tech/2008/news/02-05.
>
> > Scott
>
> A fate worse than death. "To the PAIN!"
>
> Matt- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

Seriously. I've never owned a Cdale nor swooned over one, but, man,
this news made me throw up in my mouth a little. We have entered the
age of the Wallondale.

/s

On Tue, 5 Feb 2008 15:41:29 -0800 (PST), Scott Gordo
<blubberpuss@gmail.com> wrote:

>
>Seriously. I've never owned a Cdale nor swooned over one, but, man,
>this news made me throw up in my mouth a little. We have entered the
>age of the Wallondale.

"Another one bites the dust. And another one sells, and another one
sells. And another one bites the dust".

On Feb 5, 4:14 pm, still just me <wheeledBobNOS...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> On Tue, 5 Feb 2008 15:41:29 -0800 (PST), Scott Gordo
>
> <blubberp...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> >Seriously. I've never owned a Cdale nor swooned over one, but, man,
> >this news made me throw up in my mouth a little. We have entered the
> >age of the Wallondale.
>
> "Another one bites the dust. And another one sells, and another one
> sells. And another one bites the dust".

What I take away from the press release is that Pacific Cycles will
continue with its low-end bikes through high volume dealers, and
Cannondale will continue in its current niche selling higher quality
bikes through LBS. Cannondale bit the dust years ago and was
purchased out of bankruptcy by its primary creditor Pegasus Parners --
a venture captital group. Pegasus decided to maintain the value of
the brand by keeping key managers and most of the production in the
US. Dorel says its going to do to the same thing. If you believe the
press release, Cannondale is not headed for Walmart, and it would not
make sense to devalue the brand by selling it mass market. -- Jay
Beattie.

On Feb 5, 8:45 pm, Chalo <chalo.col...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Jay Beattie wrote:
>
> > What I take away from the press release is that Pacific Cycles will
> > continue with its low-end bikes through high volume dealers, and
> > Cannondale will continue in its current niche selling higher quality
> > bikes through LBS.
>
> I think we can expect a major expansion of Cannondale's recent
> practice of having some of its frames manufactured overseas.  An
> aluminum Cannondale used to be a qualitatively different thing than an
> aluminum Trek, Giant, Redline, etc.  That's probably going to
> change.
>
> > If you believe the
> > press release, Cannondale is not headed for Walmart, and it would not
> > make sense to devalue the brand by selling it mass market.
>
> It didn't make sense for them to do it to Mongoose, GT, or worst of
> all, Schwinn.  But they did.  I think their track record speaks louder
> than their press release about where this is all going.
>
> If Dorel/Pacific think it is better for the bottom line to keep the
> Cannondale brand exclusive to the LBS market, then they will.  If they
> think it will be more profitable for the brand to be retailed through
> nationwide sporting goods chain stores, they'll do that.  And have no
> doubt-- if they think there's more money in selling $150 "Cannondales"
> at Wally World, they will do that.
>
> What I would not count on in any case is for the new owners to
> continue to uphold the few quality distinctions Cannondale has managed
> to retain-- or USA frame production, for that matter.
>
> Chalo

right! hard times are upon the needy and Dorel is to the rescue.
Cannondale's designwork was always worth a look: aesthetic tubing,
raceful, made a statement, communicated.
Does that sell to Everyman?

On Feb 6, 1:45 am, Chalo <chalo.col...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Jay Beattie wrote:
>
> > What I take away from the press release is that Pacific Cycles will
> > continue with its low-end bikes through high volume dealers, and
> > Cannondale will continue in its current niche selling higher quality
> > bikes through LBS.
>
> I think we can expect a major expansion of Cannondale's recent
> practice of having some of its frames manufactured overseas.  An
> aluminum Cannondale used to be a qualitatively different thing than an
> aluminum Trek, Giant, Redline, etc.  That's probably going to
> change.
>
> > If you believe the
> > press release, Cannondale is not headed for Walmart, and it would not
> > make sense to devalue the brand by selling it mass market.
>
> It didn't make sense for them to do it to Mongoose, GT, or worst of
> all, Schwinn.  But they did.  I think their track record speaks louder
> than their press release about where this is all going.
>
> If Dorel/Pacific think it is better for the bottom line to keep the
> Cannondale brand exclusive to the LBS market, then they will.  If they
> think it will be more profitable for the brand to be retailed through
> nationwide sporting goods chain stores, they'll do that.  And have no
> doubt-- if they think there's more money in selling $150 "Cannondales"
> at Wally World, they will do that.
>
> What I would not count on in any case is for the new owners to
> continue to uphold the few quality distinctions Cannondale has managed
> to retain-- or USA frame production, for that matter.
>
> Chalo

Is Cannondale so distinguished a brand that it is worth saving? (This
is not a rhetorical question; I just know nothing about Cannondale.)

Is it necessarily a bad thing to kick a sliding brand around a bit?
(This is a rhetorical question. I know the answer. It is, No.)

There are good conglomerates and bad conglomerates. Some of the
world's finest bikes come from good conglomerates.

A few decades ago, Raleigh was shit, it's bikes were shit, it's
reputation was shit. It was sold to a conglomerate who thought they
could milk the name. They came a cropper. Raleigh was sold to a good
conglomerate and now the name is slowly coming to mean something
again.

Perhaps Cannondale comes out of the process leaner, meaner and once
more honest, two or three owners down the road. If not, is it really
such a hardship that another lowball bike assembler has bitten the
dust?

Andre Jute
Economist & Darwinist

On Feb 5, 8:03 pm, datakoll <datak...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> On Feb 5, 8:45 pm, Chalo <chalo.col...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>
>
> > Jay Beattie wrote:
>
> > > What I take away from the press release is that Pacific Cycles will
> > > continue with its low-end bikes through high volume dealers, and
> > > Cannondale will continue in its current niche selling higher quality
> > > bikes through LBS.
>
> > I think we can expect a major expansion of Cannondale's recent
> > practice of having some of its frames manufactured overseas.  An
> > aluminum Cannondale used to be a qualitatively different thing than an
> > aluminum Trek, Giant, Redline, etc.  That's probably going to
> > change.
>
> > > If you believe the
> > > press release, Cannondale is not headed for Walmart, and it would not
> > > make sense to devalue the brand by selling it mass market.
>
> > It didn't make sense for them to do it to Mongoose, GT, or worst of
> > all, Schwinn.  But they did.  I think their track record speaks louder
> > than their press release about where this is all going.
>
> > If Dorel/Pacific think it is better for the bottom line to keep the
> > Cannondale brand exclusive to the LBS market, then they will.  If they
> > think it will be more profitable for the brand to be retailed through
> > nationwide sporting goods chain stores, they'll do that.  And have no
> > doubt-- if they think there's more money in selling $150 "Cannondales"
> > at Wally World, they will do that.
>
> > What I would not count on in any case is for the new owners to
> > continue to uphold the few quality distinctions Cannondale has managed
> > to retain-- or USA frame production, for that matter.
>
> > Chalo
>
> right! hard times are upon the needy and Dorel is to the rescue.
> Cannondale's designwork was always worth a look: aesthetic tubing,
> raceful, made a statement, communicated.

I guesss you don't recall the early (1983-84) C'dales, eh? Some of the
ugliest bikes ever made, they looked like they were made in a basement
by a drunk in a hurry.



> Does that sell to Everyman?

Sure, cheap BSOs with "Cannondale" festooned all over the frame will
fly outta Wally World, Target, etc., at least for a few years.

On Feb 6, 3:12 am, Ozark Bicycle
<bicycleatel...@ozarkbicycleservice.com> wrote:

> I guesss you don't recall the early (1983-84) C'dales, eh? Some of the
> ugliest bikes ever made, they looked like they were made in a basement
> by a drunk in a hurry.

I had one of those. A metallic sea-foam green one (Built up with
Ofmega Mistral, Nisi Laser, Concor, Modolo, and white Looks). When I
took it to Italy, the folks there called it "the pregnant" bike.

I think the later models slimmed down a bit, and other bikes widened,
so they don't seem so huge now, but back in the day it was like a bike
from space.

Joseph

On Tue, 5 Feb 2008 14:55:10 -0800 (PST), Scott Gordo
<blubberpuss@gmail.com> may have said:

>Never been big into Cannondales, but no company deserves this:
>
>"Cannondale announces acquisition by Dorel Industries, Ltd.
>
>Cannondale announced that it has been acquired by Dorel Industries,
>Ltd., a Montreal, Canada-based 'global consumer products company' with
>US$1.8B in total sales last year. Dorel purchased Cannondale from a
>division of Pegasus Capital Advisors for a reported US$190-200M in
>cash but the final value of the transaction will be determined pending
>the report of Cannondale's annual earnings ending June 30, 2008. Also
>included in the sale is Canada-based cycling, running, and triathlon
>clothing manufacturer Sugoi Performance Apparel.
>
>Dorel adds Cannondale to its impressive portfolio of bicycle holdings
>which already includes Pacific Cycle, parent company of the GT,
>Mongoose, and Schwinn brand names. With this most recent acquisition,
>Dorel will now reorganize its so-called Recreational/Leisure segment
>into two distinct bicycle divisions: one to specifically address the
>needs of the independent bicycle dealer (IBD) channel and the other
>dealing exclusively with mass market, or 'big box', outlets such as
>Wal-Mart....":

So, anybody want to guess how long it'll be before Waldales show up to
complement the Walgeese and the Schwinnstickers[1] in the rack at
VoldeMart?



[1] I regard the "Schwinn" bikes sold at Wal-Mart as being little or
nothing more than commodity-level BSOs with a Schwinn sticker applied.

--
My email address is antispammed; pull WEEDS if replying via e-mail.
Typoes are not a bug, they're a feature.
Words processed in a facility that contains nuts.

On Feb 6, 1:58 am, "joseph.santanie...@gmail.com"
<joseph.santanie...@gmail.com> wrote:
> On Feb 6, 3:12 am, Ozark Bicycle
>
> <bicycleatel...@ozarkbicycleservice.com> wrote:
> > I guesss you don't recall the early (1983-84) C'dales, eh? Some of the
> > ugliest bikes ever made, they looked like they were made in a basement
> > by a drunk in a hurry.
>
> I had one of those. A metallic sea-foam green one (Built up with
> Ofmega Mistral, Nisi Laser, Concor, Modolo, and white Looks). When I
> took it to Italy, the folks there called it  "the pregnant" bike.

It wasn't only the "fat tubes"; the early C'dales had hideous, lumpy
welds and tubes that were bowed during the heat treating process
(alignment was kept reasonable by putting the frame in a jig during
the heat treating, so a frame could be sorta in alignment but still
have noticeably bowed tubes). There were other issues, as well. By
~1986, the welds, at least, looked better.

>
> I think the later models slimmed down a bit, and other bikes widened,
> so they don't seem so huge now, but back in the day it was like a bike
> from space.
>

As fatter tubes became the norm, the early C'dales no longer stood
out.

I had forgotten just how really ugly the early C'dale production was
until about 4-5 years ago, when I came across a guy riding an '83
ST500, their first production bike. "Ewwww", indeed!

On Feb 6, 12:59 pm, Ozark Bicycle
<bicycleatel...@ozarkbicycleservice.com> wrote:
> On Feb 6, 1:58 am, "joseph.santanie...@gmail.com"
>
> <joseph.santanie...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > On Feb 6, 3:12 am, Ozark Bicycle
>
> > <bicycleatel...@ozarkbicycleservice.com> wrote:
> > > I guesss you don't recall the early (1983-84) C'dales, eh? Some of the
> > > ugliest bikes ever made, they looked like they were made in a basement
> > > by a drunk in a hurry.
>
> > I had one of those. A metallic sea-foam green one (Built up with
> > Ofmega Mistral, Nisi Laser, Concor, Modolo, and white Looks). When I
> > took it to Italy, the folks there called it  "the pregnant" bike.
>
> It wasn't only the "fat tubes"; the early C'dales had hideous, lumpy
> welds and tubes that were bowed during the heat treating process
> (alignment was kept reasonable by putting the frame in a jig during
> the heat treating, so a frame could be sorta in alignment but still
> have noticeably bowed tubes). There were other issues, as well. By
> ~1986, the welds, at least, looked better.
>
>
>
> > I think the later models slimmed down a bit, and other bikes widened,
> > so they don't seem so huge now, but back in the day it was like a bike
> > from space.
>
> As fatter tubes became the norm, the early C'dales no longer stood
> out.
>
> I had forgotten just how really ugly the early C'dale production was
> until about 4-5 years ago, when I came across a guy riding an '83
> ST500, their first production bike. "Ewwww", indeed!

I had ridiculously narrow Avocet Fasgrip 19's too. The 80's was one of
those transition periods where things looked particularly Frankenstein
as old blended with new.

Joseph

joseph.santaniello@gmail.com aka Joseph Santaniello wrote:
> ...
> I had ridiculously narrow Avocet Fasgrip 19's too. The 80's was one of
> those transition periods where things looked particularly Frankenstein
> as old blended with new.
>
19 mm is a silly width for a tire anywhere but the velodrome. At any
pressure that can be used on real roads, a 23 mm tire will have lower
combined rolling and aerodynamic resistance than anything narrower
(assuming similar casing and tread), even at the speeds professionals ride.

--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
The weather is here, wish you were beautiful

On Feb 6, 6:12 am, "joseph.santanie...@gmail.com"
<joseph.santanie...@gmail.com> wrote:
> On Feb 6, 12:59 pm, Ozark Bicycle
>
>
>
> <bicycleatel...@ozarkbicycleservice.com> wrote:
> > On Feb 6, 1:58 am, "joseph.santanie...@gmail.com"
>
> > <joseph.santanie...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > > On Feb 6, 3:12 am, Ozark Bicycle
>
> > > <bicycleatel...@ozarkbicycleservice.com> wrote:
> > > > I guesss you don't recall the early (1983-84) C'dales, eh? Some of the
> > > > ugliest bikes ever made, they looked like they were made in a basement
> > > > by a drunk in a hurry.
>
> > > I had one of those. A metallic sea-foam green one (Built up with
> > > Ofmega Mistral, Nisi Laser, Concor, Modolo, and white Looks). When I
> > > took it to Italy, the folks there called it  "the pregnant" bike.
>
> > It wasn't only the "fat tubes"; the early C'dales had hideous, lumpy
> > welds and tubes that were bowed during the heat treating process
> > (alignment was kept reasonable by putting the frame in a jig during
> > the heat treating, so a frame could be sorta in alignment but still
> > have noticeably bowed tubes). There were other issues, as well. By
> > ~1986, the welds, at least, looked better.
>
> > > I think the later models slimmed down a bit, and other bikes widened,
> > > so they don't seem so huge now, but back in the day it was like a bike
> > > from space.
>
> > As fatter tubes became the norm, the early C'dales no longer stood
> > out.
>
> > I had forgotten just how really ugly the early C'dale production was
> > until about 4-5 years ago, when I came across a guy riding an '83
> > ST500, their first production bike. "Ewwww", indeed!
>
> I had ridiculously narrow Avocet Fasgrip 19's too. The 80's was one of
> those transition periods where things looked particularly Frankenstein
> as old blended with new.
>

Way back when, I rode with a guy on an early C'dale "racing
bike" (SR900?). He used those silly, 18-19mm wide Specialized Turbos
on the stock, 36 spoke box rims, which seemed a bit wider than the
tires. He rode a C'dale 'cuz, as a big guy, he wanted a "stiff" frame.
With those tires and his size, pinch flats were more than a common
occurance, even at 130+ psi. The bike looked silly, too, with those
big, fat (red) tubes perched upon those skinny 'lil tires.

On Wed, 06 Feb 2008 07:01:20 -0600, Tom Sherman
<sunsetss0003@REMOVETHISyahoo.com> wrote:

>19 mm is a silly width for a tire anywhere but the velodrome.

Anywhere? For anyone? For any purpose?

Wow.

On Feb 5, 6:13 pm, MattB <somedud...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> Scott Gordo wrote:
> > Never been big into Cannondales, but no company deserves this:
>
> > "Cannondale announces acquisition by Dorel Industries, Ltd.
>
> > Cannondale announced that it has been acquired by Dorel Industries,
> > Ltd., a Montreal, Canada-based 'global consumer products company' with
> > US$1.8B in total sales last year. Dorel purchased Cannondale from a
> > division of Pegasus Capital Advisors for a reported US$190-200M in
> > cash but the final value of the transaction will be determined pending
> > the report of Cannondale's annual earnings ending June 30, 2008. Also
> > included in the sale is Canada-based cycling, running, and triathlon
> > clothing manufacturer Sugoi Performance Apparel.
>
> > Dorel adds Cannondale to its impressive portfolio of bicycle holdings
> > which already includes Pacific Cycle, parent company of the GT,
> > Mongoose, and Schwinn brand names. With this most recent acquisition,
> > Dorel will now reorganize its so-called Recreational/Leisure segment
> > into two distinct bicycle divisions: one to specifically address the
> > needs of the independent bicycle dealer (IBD) channel and the other
> > dealing exclusively with mass market, or 'big box', outlets such as
> > Wal-Mart....":
>
> > Rest of article athttp://www.cyclingnews.com/tech.php?id=tech/2008/news/02-05.
>
> > Scott
>
> A fate worse than death. "To the PAIN!"
>
> Matt- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

The first thing you will lose will be your status, now below all else.
Then your QA at the outsourcing. Next your material quality...

Not a huge crack'n'fail fan, but bad news none the less.

On Feb 6, 3:59 am, Ozark Bicycle
<bicycleatel...@ozarkbicycleservice.com> wrote:
> On Feb 6, 1:58 am, "joseph.santanie...@gmail.com"
>
> <joseph.santanie...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > On Feb 6, 3:12 am, Ozark Bicycle
>
> > <bicycleatel...@ozarkbicycleservice.com> wrote:
> > > I guesss you don't recall the early (1983-84) C'dales, eh? Some of the
> > > ugliest bikes ever made, they looked like they were made in a basement
> > > by a drunk in a hurry.
>
> > I had one of those. A metallic sea-foam green one (Built up with
> > Ofmega Mistral, Nisi Laser, Concor, Modolo, and white Looks). When I
> > took it to Italy, the folks there called it  "the pregnant" bike.
>
> It wasn't only the "fat tubes"; the early C'dales had hideous, lumpy
> welds and tubes that were bowed during the heat treating process
> (alignment was kept reasonable by putting the frame in a jig during
> the heat treating, so a frame could be sorta in alignment but still
> have noticeably bowed tubes). There were other issues, as well. By
> ~1986, the welds, at least, looked better.
>
>
>
> > I think the later models slimmed down a bit, and other bikes widened,
> > so they don't seem so huge now, but back in the day it was like a bike
> > from space.
>
> As fatter tubes became the norm, the early C'dales no longer stood
> out.
>
> I had forgotten just how really ugly the early C'dale production was
> until about 4-5 years ago, when I came across a guy riding an '83
> ST500, their first production bike. "Ewwww", indeed!

I had one, and it rode better than my custom steel frame and weighed
a pound less. In a 63cm frame, the big tubes gave it a nice
proportionality. I broke the derailleur hanger in a freak accident
and replaced the frame free on warranty with a spiffy Black Lightening
frame that I raced and rode for twenty years until it fell apart.
Compared to current production Al frames, those things were bomb
proof. -- Jay Beattie.

On Feb 5, 5:45 pm, Chalo <chalo.col...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Jay Beattie wrote:
>
> > What I take away from the press release is that Pacific Cycles will
> > continue with its low-end bikes through high volume dealers, and
> > Cannondale will continue in its current niche selling higher quality
> > bikes through LBS.
>
> I think we can expect a major expansion of Cannondale's recent
> practice of having some of its frames manufactured overseas.  An
> aluminum Cannondale used to be a qualitatively different thing than an
> aluminum Trek, Giant, Redline, etc.  That's probably going to
> change.

Not according to the full news release, and even if they do move more
production to Asia, that would be in keeping with all of the
manufacturers including Trek, at least its low end products.


> It didn't make sense for them to do it to Mongoose, GT, or worst of
> all, Schwinn.  But they did.  I think their track record speaks louder
> than their press release about where this is all going.

Schwinn was never a premium brand. It was always a plumbing pipe,
boat anchor brand that sold through its own stores until the company
was driven in to the ground by feuding family members and competition
ffrom overseas -- and then sold three (or four) times out of various
bankruptcies. We may have all sorts of warm and fuzzy feelings about
Paramounts, but those were the wall ornaments at the local Schwinn
shop and not typical of the usual Schwinn production. I think that
the current Asian Schwinns put out by Pacific are better than any
Varsity I ever rode. And Dorel says in its press release that it is
going to fluff up the GT brand and make that part of its top tier LBS
offerings.


> If Dorel/Pacific think it is better for the bottom line to keep the
> Cannondale brand exclusive to the LBS market, then they will.  If they
> think it will be more profitable for the brand to be retailed through
> nationwide sporting goods chain stores, they'll do that.  And have no
> doubt-- if they think there's more money in selling $150 "Cannondales"
> at Wally World, they will do that.

True, business is business -- but why would someone want to compete at
the lowest end of the market with narrowest margins? That does not
make sense. Dorel already has brands in that market, and it looks to
be following the usual course of purchasing a premium brand in an
effort to increase its margins. This is a very common way to go.
Ford owns Jag, Volvo and Land Rover and maintains those brands.
Harman owns Mark Levinson and maintains that brand. There are many
other examples.

>
> What I would not count on in any case is for the new owners to
> continue to uphold the few quality distinctions Cannondale has managed
> to retain-- or USA frame production, for that matter.
>

You may be right, but with the current state of the dollar, it may not
make sense to move production of Al frames overseas immediately. It
is the rare American manufacturer that has kept production here, and I
don't think there is any guaranty that even the most traditionally
Amereican of manufacturers will keep its production here, sad to
say.-- Jay Beattie.

"John Forrest Tomlinson" <usenetremove@jt10000.com> wrote in message
news:38djq3pn0ouej9d8kbkt8aknruhm14rd4v@4ax.com...
> On Wed, 06 Feb 2008 07:01:20 -0600, Tom Sherman
> <sunsetss0003@REMOVETHISyahoo.com> wrote:
>>19 mm is a silly width for a tire anywhere but the velodrome.
>
> Anywhere? For anyone? For any purpose?
>
> Wow.

There was a time when very narrow tires were the norm. I rode them myself.
And geez, did they knock you around. I'm not sure what we were trying to get
with those tires, but there were a lot of them out there. 18c even in some
cases.

For aerodynamic reasons, it's best to have a tire that matches the width of
the rim. US Postal was very big on this. Rims at the time were fairly
narrow, and they *could* have chosen to go with a narrower tire to match the
rim they were provided with (by Trek). But instead they asked (ok, demanded)
for wider rims to match their 22-23c tubulars.

Saying 19mm tires have no purpose anywhere but a velodrome isn't true, but
they certainly don't serve the purpose most think (delivering greater
efficiency on normal roads). The OP was probably just reacting to that
still-very-large group of people who think narrower always equals faster.

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReactionBicycles.com