Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - Team Fuji

Alright Clydes, got a question for you because I'm a severe skeptic.

On Fuji's website, they advertise "Calling all riders" to sign up and see if you get accepted to Team Fuji to get "pro-discounts" on bikes and clothes and everything..

So I went ahead, submitted my info, and a compelling cover letter, and got a response back today telling me I was approved.

Now, really, was I approved, or is EVERYBODY approved. Anybody have any experience with this?

Nooch

I just sent one in on a lark to see if it is true...worst that happens is that they send mail to my spam address.

So long as you get discounts who cares how many people they accept.

well i checked it out....

best they've got for me is an SST 1.0 for $2999.00, marked down from $6000.

overpriced bikes, clothes, etc.....such a deal I can make for you...today only

So I replied to the e-mail explaining that , you know, I questioned the validity and what not, and got a very nice response back outlining points from my original application and more of an idea what they're all about -- not a racing team, per say, but a community of riders expanding brand recognition and what not...

I also mentioned that the price point for someone who's never owned a road bike before was just too high, and he told me they were adding some extra models at some lower price points -- hopefully the roubaix and newest series.

So we shall see what this brings.

Nooch

It's similar to what Team Tinley was to tri-racing back in the late 80s/early 90s. You signed up, and got discounts on all sorts of "team kit" gear with the Tinley logo plastered on it.

First of all, THANKS! I'm a huge Fuji fan and hadn't taken the time to look on their site lately, and I will be glad to sign up for this.

Secondly, to alay your fears, this is anything but a new concept. Lots of brands do something like this. The best way to get the word out is to pick some folks beyond just the pros and get your product into the standard user pool more. Everyone likes to ride what the pros ride, but cant afford that model. You can however afford the model your buddy is bragging about who just finished the bike portion of the triathlon 15 minutes faster than you.

One of the biggest places on the web for this is Loopd.com . I have 9 sponsors for the 2010 season, some with extremely substantial discounts (I just got a 120 helmet current model year for 40 from a top of the line manufacturer), others with lesser discounts (generally on smaller albums), and I absolutely love what I'm getting from being a member of the site so far. Not every manufacturer is looking to sponsor some big fat guy who has put in mostly below average triathlon scores, so I have been turned down by a few. And not everyone answers quickly as Fuji is purporting to do.

I don't know if they're still around, but Fuji did have a US Continental Pro team as recently as 2 years ago.

They have a bunch of sponsored CX athletes and Triathletes. I know they had a ProTour team sponsorship last year, but a lot of the riders got buster, so I dont think theyre still sponsoring. They had quite a few regional teams as well, but I dunno if they still had a continental team.

BTW, I got my sponsorship reply as well. I noticed they dont have any passive marketing stuff (stickers, clothes, etc.) available so I asked about it. Waiting to hear back

I too was approved today. I sent in an application Sunday. I'm a bit skeptical about this myself so searched "team fuji" here. I was hoping for some more affordable road bikes around $1000 at the discounted price, as you said the Roubaix's would be very nice. Though I am interested in the Fuji track Comp discounted to $699. I have heard you can get them 50 bucks cheaper but cant seem to find any on the web anymore so I'd probabley go with this. Also where are the discounted team kits?

I had a discussion with the Fuji person who seems to be heading this up, and he said the discounted team kits will be part of a bundle with kits, probably stickers, etc. that will be available at a really good price shortly. Theyre just putting this together, so we all need to be sure to be patient. I asked about a specific bike I wanted (lower end roadie) and we're getting it set up for a purchase in January. I think everyone should be sure to be very nice and cool with them about this because they dont have to be doing this, and the prices Im seeing seem to be lower than anything I can find online even. Plus they ship it to a local shop for you to buy it from, which gets that shop business, and you a great deal on a bike, you buy local, and everyone wins.