what is a 'borg' ?

This.

??? how is a startrek character even remotely related to trek bikes ?

I work for a shop that was a specialized dealer for 20 years. A few years ago when Specialized said that they wanted us to become a concept store and the owners and managers said no, (they wanted more variety to cator to an assortment of different types of customers) specialized pulled all of our dealership rights. Does Specialized and Trek make a quality product? Sure. Are there higher quality products out there that get you more for your money? Heck yeah.

Not my experience at all. It is by far the worst bike shop in SD. In my visits there the staff has been alternately rude, indifferent and incompetent. I have vowed never to go back there. My last visit was to test ride a new Madone. I got the strong impression that I was inconveniencing the surly sales guy. After asking to try a 56cm performance fit Madone, he sent me off on a 58cm race fit bike. After I discovered the mistake, he didn't apologize, nor was he willing to locate the correct size seat mast for the 56cm I ended up trying. I ultimately decided against the Trek, but if I had liked it I would have been hard pressed to buy from that store. Of course i would have had to go out of town as the two SD Trek Superstores are essentially the only place you can buy a Trek in San Diego.

You mean giving Gary a bucket of money and a job so he wouldn't get bankrupted by the carbon craze? Yeah, that's pretty evil.

Scott.

"Innovate or die" is usually how it goes.

Or you could just get bought out.

Whatever works for you.

I won't question that a Trek is a top notch bike, but I can't see myself buying one simply because at least every other bike I see around here is one. Sue me. I want to be a little different (or at least as different as I can afford to be). I'm so different right now that I ride a BD Windsor. All this bums me out as my favorite LBS is a Trek store (with a few leftover Lemonds) and I would love to give them business when I upgrade....but it isn't going to happen.

Don't be such a snob.

Trek : Borg :: Ti Bikes : Federation

assimilate this!

It's what I do best.

If you turn this into some Trekkie convention nerd moment I'll friggin hurl.

LOL. Well then, OK.

But captain, only tritanium alloy can withstand the hammering!

...back on topic, as Ti becomes more popular, Trek's hold on independants will wane...

Certainly. It's not purely Trek trying to monopolize its dealers, the other brands bear some responsibility as well. Specialized was upping its minimums it required its dealers to order, and Trek was doing the same, and from what I've heard, they wanted their dealers to commit fully before even knowing what the hot sellers would be, or how their sales in general were going for the year. And as you say, Specialized wanted many of its dealers to do what Trek has been doing, mainly only carry their line.

So lots of dealers couldn't afford to meet the minimums required by both Trek and Specialized, and had to choose one or the other.

You missed my point. The shop I went in today has been selling Trek for years. They've also sold Specialized for years. And Haro. And whatever else they used to sell. Now it's all gone except for Trek. Maybe it's their most popular brand, but it seems a little fishy to me.

I have been quite happy with both the design and performance of my Trek Madone. When I have needed information or help from Trek Customer Service, they have been exceedingly helpful. Trek is a fine company assembling high quality bikes in this country. They have been very supportive of professional cycling. In order to fund innovative design, quality fabrication, quality customer service, and the other contributions that Trek makes to cycling, they need to sell bicycles and make a profit. I am glad that they are both cycling enthusiasts and a successful business.

That decision was probably based more on pressure from Specialized than Trek. Specialized no longer plays well with others. They are very demanding in terms of floorspace and are touchy about other brands in the shop. I don't see how any shop but the real big ones could possibly carry both.

To geoffvsjeff:

That's funny that your wife thinks people buy Treks because of LA. Most of my customers are only vaguely aware of him. They like Trek because they are well-thought-out, well-backed bikes with stellar warranties. If the bikes stunk, LA wouldn't make 'em better....

i don't understand where you people live. Near me people have left the trek craze and moved on to specialized. Your areas must not be all that trendy

But seriously i see a bunch of older 5200s and 5500s and such, but most things past 2005 seem to be specialized or something else.

The shops near me:
trek, fuji, scott
Specilized, Cervelo, Kuota, Cannondale, Raleigh
Felt, haro, Assorted BMX stuff
and one shop that is just giant
another that is just cannondale

maybe you should open your sampling to include a larger number of bike shops.

I always assumed some brands had required that you didn't sell other brands if you are an authorized retailer.
it seems that everyone sells haro BMX bikes because these don't compete with the big brands as much, But at the same time i almost never see 3 or more big names together in one shop.

We are lucky in Kalamazoo to have 3 bike shops with different bikes. I tend to shop at the Trek/Specialized shop just for Specialized clothing and shoes... they have a TON of Treks on the selves, but I have never been a Trek fan for some reason. I find it hard to ask questions there and get good answers, but I usually know what I am looking for when I walk in, so it's all good.

A new shop carries Jamis and Schwinn.

And my favorite shop (Alfred E. Bike) carries Giant and Felt, among a few other special order brands. They not only give great service, they are knowledgeable, and will deal with my stupid questions... so I give them my business.

I bought a Felt over other brands because it came well equiped for the price, is a little different, and rode wonderful. Can't ask much more than that.

Lucky git.

Its called business. Whether it's quality or *****, the public drives the market.

Goodnight and tip your waitresses.

all we need now is some world or warcraft references to really geek up the sport, thanks as if the blouse and funny shoes are not enough. awell it is a chat board.

WoW isn't geeky, it's stupid.

We have plenty of stupid already.