Originally Posted by
embankmentlb
Campagnolo has the same problem General Motors has. Like GM they make some outstanding high end products but their entry level products are crap or maybe just perceived to be crap. They need to address this.
Shimano has a reputation like Toyota. A Corolla is as reliable as a Tundra.
The person that buys his first bike with Sora will most likely buy his second bike with Ultegra & I can't blame them. Why take the chance to go Campy?
Wrong analogy. Apple versus Dell would be closer but not quite.
In product development there is a short view and a long view. Short view is about cutting costs and holding large marketshare with low price but low margin. As we are now seeing with reshoring, that can be a very dangerous position to take. Once costs can no longer go down, margin becomes even thinner. It's a tough spot for the long term. Long view is is to generate revenue by innovation. You will always attract the 15% early adopters. You will also gain marketshare by redefining it with your innovation. If you include the ipad, Apple holds the largest marketshare for personal computers. Unthinkable only 5 years ago.
The problem with Campagnolo is that the bicycle industry is so mature, there maybe isn't much room for innovation going forward. They were also hit a bit by SRAM taking a bit of their innovation crown. But my crystal ball sucks as I have yet to hit the lotto. There may be a great deal of innovation remaining and if there is, I'd bet on Campagnolo over Shimano in the long run unless Shimano really changes their tune.