Mash Master

What is the deal with all the shops dropping Specialized recently. It seems like most of the specialized shops in my area are dropping them.

mattcatt85

I'm not sure this is the reason for everyone, but Specialized is gouging prices on their dealers for the 2010 line. That is, the lowered many of the MSRP prices, while leaving the price the dealer pays the same. (less profit per bike)

grolby

Specialized has a reputation for making life difficult for dealers. Shop space minimums, minimum orders and the like, bad dealer pricing.

frankum

Sounds like they're egotistical.

WalksOn2Wheels

I'm due for a fit at a Specialized dealer this evening. I think I'm curious enough to ask now. I work in distribution for aftermarket motorcycle apparel and parts, so I know how some suppliers/distributors can be.

Wanderer

Funny, that's what Trek did to my local dealer - which is why he dropped them a couple years back....

kudude

They're a premium large volume brand that makes more products than other bike manufacturers and has a very high perception of quality.

Maybe this year they decided they needed to bring in an extra 2% off the top to fund their R&D division. Probably a corporate consulting decision. A few shops that can afford to lose them may have decided they don't want to shoulder the burden when they've been scraping by for the last year (as most shops do most years, last worse than others).

Ta-da

WalksOn2Wheels

Though, I have noticed that looking through the archived pages of the specialized website (I was shopping for a used bike) that their retail prices have remained pretty constant at each level of each model through the past few years. I'm sure if they were keeping dealer margins constant as well, their (Specialized's) margins were shrinking. Perhaps they decided they needed to finally up dealer pricing, but thought that with the bad economy, they needed to keep their retail prices where they were so as to not drive off customers.

Things like that happened in the motorcycle world recently, except retail prices on bikes went WAY up. They had been "subsidized" so to speak and a bike you used to be able to buy for 11 or 12 grand was now 14 grand easy.

jgjulio

In December of 08 I was at my LBS and overheard them talking about possibly dropping the Specialized brand because they were being pressured to buy more bikes.
They were complaining among themselves that they may have to drop the brand.
Last time I was there - very few Specialized bikes on the floor....

exhibitx

it's to be expected of any huge brand within its market, they have complete control over everything they do and have a lot of marketing behind the brand, they want it shown a certain way and only that way

they've gotten to where they are as a result of it, and i'm sure they will continue to push the limits of what they can get away with as far as control over their brand goes

knobster

Bianchi is this way also.

khatfull

I wish my local, most popular LBS, Erik's, would drop them. Walking into Erik's....it's like they're Specialized *****s or something. Hardly any other brands of ANYTHING. It's sickening. They're also my local Cannondale "dealer". Most Erik's only have 1 or 2 CDale road bikes...out of maybe 100.

garysol1 

Really?? As a dealer we love Specialized. There customer and dealer support is second to none. There products are always quality no matter what from socks to kids bikes to S-Works products and there ship time is fast due to having a West and a Midwest warehouse. We are not a large shop by any means so it is not like we are getting any preferential treatment either. Specialized is run by good guys who are not afraid to stand behind there product and we appreciate that. We also carry BMC, Serotta, Ridley, Kona, Santa Cruz, Eastern, DK......and stock plenty of there bikes on the floor as well.

grolby

That's secondhand information, and I might have heard it here (), so I'm not going to vouch for the accuracy of that statement.

FWIW, I ride a Specialized bike and a Specialized saddle and love them both. My next road bike probably won't be a Specialized, but that's because the geometry is not ideal, not because the quality is anything less than outstanding. They're in the running for a 'cross bike, if I end up getting one in the next year or so.

garysol1 

And for sure I am not saying what you heard was wrong.......I can only give you my take on it. Every store is different. We have a really good rep and that can make a lot of difference.

campyman099

Really? You should look at the margins from year to year, the dealers still make the same.