oneradtec

I noticed that the Trek 1200 road bike for 2006 happens to sport the same paint job as the 2005 version. I found this curious....so I called Trek.

I asked someone at Trek why ?..and the person at the other end of the line(Trek) said it may be because of this...or it could be because of that..blah blah blah. so I said please don't give me any BS..because this is Trek I am talking to. If you don't know then no one knows. I can't belive that the person I was talking to from Trek was trying to BS her way through my question...as If I was a total idiot. I'm not an idiot....I am actually a loyal Trek customer since 1989.

So finally I get transferred to some fat guy in a suit who probably doesn't even ride bikes. He tells me that they have done some market studies and they believe that this is a more effecient way of doing business. I basically got him to admit that by not introducing new paint on new models this was a more effective and effecient way of managing inventories...which they are copying from the ski industry. Now they can take their left over 2005 inventory and reintroduce them as 2006 models. What is more...your local Trek dealer can now take a 2005 that has been on the floor for 14 months and rebadge it as a 2006 model...and raise the price as well. You will never know about it.

For Trek...its all about the bottom line. They now care more about HOW MUCH they make than WHAT they make...as in the bikes. It all comes down to the bottom line. I admire Starbucks...because even though they have gotten huge over the years...they still pour coffee down the drain if it has been sitting more than a few minutes. They want to ensure that the coffee that reaches your cup is fresh and up to their high standards even if it means throwing away coffee that could otherwise be sold. Well...I guesss Trek has decided to let the coffee sit on the burner. Who cares if your coffee isn't fresh. It's all about the bottom line.

It takes years to build a good reputation....but it takes 15 minutes to destroy it. I have been a loyal Trek fan for 15 years. My first road bike was a Trek...after watching Greg Lemond win the Tour de France in 1989. Well...in that 15 minute phone conversation with Trek..my rose colored opinions about the Trek bike company were completely shattered!

Phatman

I think you're worrying about this too much.

the madone is a good bike, as is the 1200. I dont see how you can be out of touch with cyclists if you still make a good product.

EdZ

Amen...

Crazy-B

How do you know it was a fat guy in a suit if you were on the phone? Troll???

oneradtec

trickery, trickery, trickery!

xSandmaNx

dude everyone is about the bottom line. nobody does something to lose money... I hate it when people get upset when companies do something to increase their profits... profits are, after all, the only reason a company exists in the first place.

It all comes down to where the company's core competence lies... starbucks' is in fresh, tasty coffee. Trek's is in amking quality bikes, not in changing paint, catering to picky customers, or even allowing bikers to distinguish year models by color. By concentrating on just making quality bikes, they can offer a better product, offer it cheaper, and make more money doing so. It's capitalism, baby

oneradtec

Obviously someone doing market studies, copying the ski industry, and focusing on squeezing pennies down to the financial reports are not the same guys that used to work at Trek back in 1989...when you had to leave a message because the employees were either out on a ride or building the bikes. Probably some fat guy in a suit....an MBA from Harvard?

wagathon

And, if they'd changed the color to . . . orange, for instance . . . all would be Ok in your world? Sometimes, a company has to be able to cut a few potential customers loose when their expectations are outside the company's philosophy. And, you are just making up arguments when you accuse Trek of abetting the "rebadge" of "old" models to cheat customers.

Propofol

What's the big deal? If it's the exact same frame and components, who cares if it's labeled 2005 or 2006? It's not as if bikes go bad sitting on the shelf like food.

Simple solution: if you don't like it, then don't buy a Trek. Problem solved.

oneradtec

Yea...but the bigger you get the more you worry less about what you make...and more about how much you make. This is why many people prefer to drink crafted microbrewed beers instead of Budweiser or Miller.

Listen....no one was a bigger Trek loyalist than me. I just think they are losing touch. That's my opinion.

jamlo21

Perhaphs its just me, but your rant makes little sense.

According to what you're saying, if Trek took the same bike and put a different paint scheme on it and called it the new 2006 model you would be happy. Why does this matter? The reality is, their bikes do not really undergo any drastic change from year to year except for the paint scheme. I have a 2002 Trek 5200. Its identical to the 2001 and 2003 5200 (I think they discountinued it temporarily in 2004). So what? I'm sure they've been doing this for years. I'm sure all bike companies do it. You cant do that much to a bike each year other than change the paint scheme. This is especially true for their lower end bikes like the 1200.

And your analogy to Starbucks coffee also doesnt make any sense. Starbucks sells something thats going to be consumed by humans. If its not fresh, its not going to taste good. It only makes sense that they brew fresh coffee every few hours. A bike will be the same bike one year later. It doesnt decompose in a year. Ive seen bike stores that have bikes that are two years old. No one is going to care if they buy an older bike. On the other hand, I'm sure no one would be willing to buy a cup of coffee thats been sitting for hours.

Trek is a business. You can hardly fault them for trying to make money.

DXchulo

If you really couldn't tell the difference between an 05 and an 06 (i.e., it's the same exact frame with the same exact parts), then who cares if it's been sitting around for 14 months as long as nobody has been riding it? It's still the same bike, right?

oneradtec

Hey...little things mean a lot!

DXchulo

Bastard. You beat me to it.

oneradtec

it's no big deal...it just tells me where the focus is. I have taken note.

Propofol

Wow...what a generalization.

The statement above may be true for some companies like GM, which is why they're in the financial rut they're in now. But look at some Japanese auto manufacturers like Honda and Toyota: phenomenal growth worldwide and huge market share over the last 10-20 years, yet they still make the highest quality cars around.

Your reasoning still doesn't make much sense.

DXchulo

Trek is actually doing you a favor. If you buy one nobody will be able to tell if you're riding an 05 or an 06. If they keep this up you won't be pressured to buy a new bike a year from now. Just keep telling people it's the new model year after year.

daytonian

those darn trekkies. BTW this practice would be considered illegal in the car and motorcycle industry once vehicle is at dealership. I wonder what other commodities can chameleon into next model year? Washer /dryers/refrigerators? Friggin Wisconsonites

56/12 and 22/28

'Tis why I ride Colnago and only Colnago, now.

Propofol

The focus of ANY company is to make money. Period. It's not as if Trek is trying to do that by cutting corners and sacrificing the quality of their products.

oneradtec

Well when did Toyota and Honda maarket 2005 models as 2006? Hey...it's the same car right...as long as no one was driving them around?

oneradtec

Yes!!! Colnago. Now there is a company that never compromises. Never sold out in the name of volume! This is what I am talking about.

oneradtec

Brilliant! te he he he he!

56/12 and 22/28

Hey, they gave me two...

Propofol

Um, mainly because it's forbidden by law?

If you're that concerned about it, then start lobbying to make the same law apply to bikes, scooters, rollerblades, etc. I have no doubt that if this law for cars didn't exist, the car companies would be doing the same thing. Would I have a problem with that? As long as the cars were exactly the same, then no, I wouldn't. In fact, what would probably happen is that manufacturers would end up dropping the 'model year' designation and follow the 'generation' designation, a la Apple iPod - 1G, 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G w/ video, etc.

Would that make you feel better if Trek just dropped the model year and just waited until a brand new model/frame iteration with different components came out for release? I still fail to see how Trek is 'selling out' with this business model. Like I said, EVERY company's primary goal is to generate/maximize profit. There is NO harm done in what you claim they are doing.

Functionally and aesthetically there is no difference between the '05 and 06 Trek 1000. Why should the value of a brand new '05 be less?