Old 08-05-14, 09:55 PM
  #20  
no1mad 
Thunder Whisperer
 
no1mad's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: NE OK
Posts: 8,843

Bikes: '06 Kona Smoke

Mentioned: 6 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 275 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 6 Times in 2 Posts
Originally Posted by labatt
I apologize if I offended you in some way. Of course quality is number one, but so is providing simple conveniences and thoughtful additions that make life easier. We're not looking for technological advances or trendiness. As a matter of fact, our initial designs are clean and VERY classic. But - we are interested in sweating the details... and going to groups for input is always better than just assuming you know what everyone wants. That would be egotistical of us. We'd love to pay people for their help, but we're self-funded out of our own pockets, self-capitalized and running grassroots on building a bike for the people by the people. Sincerely. Honestly. I can also tell you this - we're tired of bikes being built and sold that are gorgeous but useless, ride poorly and cost a huge amount. Our mantra is function before form, and value based. Affordable, high quality, thoughtfully built and delivered bikes. I mentioned we want a fanatical fanbase. You don't build that by caring about profit and trendiness first.
Instead of trying to recreate Specialized right out of the box (they were in accessories/small parts before slapping their logos on Giant/Merida frames), you should design your frame to readily accept a wide variety of accessories. You could always contract with other established companies to slap your logo on a given widget- Wald gets their logo'd bags from Inertia Designs, for example and I think Relevate makes bags for Salsa.

Otherwise, if you're trying to develop the "perfectly equipped bike" for the masses... you're doomed. What I want in a recreational bike is not what I use for commuting. And like another said, I really don't want to have to pay a premium for your accessories that are included with the bike and then turn around and strip them because they have little use for my tastes/needs.

If you're thinking about integrated lighting, forget it- nobody can agree on a standard of how much light or flash pattern is best.
__________________
Community guidelines
no1mad is offline