Are The LOOK Folks Dumb?
 

Are the folks who run LOOK bikes dumb? reason I ask is, they're about to release a 25th anniversary "Look 695 Lemond Bike" to commemorate his 86 TDF title. I get all that, but they put a price of $7K on it, and only have it in limited sizes. Why even bother making/releasing one, if:

A) there arent many folks with an extra $7K lying around(especially in this economy, what were they thinking? how many people have that kind of dough to spend on a bike?)

B) you release it in limited sizes, so that only an even select fewer folks can get one?

I have a question out there for all the LBS owners/workers: Are these bikes even selling that well? is there that big of a demand for a $7K road bike? I mean, if they'd have priced it around $2,500-$3,500 I mightve bought one, not for $7 K though. I have a feeling they're going to take a huge loss on these.

Pretty sure a major company like LOOK did their market research. If there is a market for $2000 wheels, there is a market for $7000 bikes. Heck, there are guys who collect $100,000 watches.

There was a recent article on "Halo" bikes...or the $10k plus bikes from just about every company. While they don't sell a lot of these bikes there IS in fact a market for them and they do sell the limited number of them that they make.

I'd rather them market it to the elite price point than muddying the history with cheap commemorative editions. I won't be buying one, but having seen more than a few '1 in a billion commemorative edition" this or thats, I agree with their call.

// doesn't want to add up how much my new Kirk is going to come out to be in the end, even going with mid-level Athena, non carbon wheels, etc etc.

Are you like, a crazy person?

All they did was put some different paint on the existing 695 and mark it up. If they sell only one of them, they made money. And yes, there are scores of bikes in the $7000+ price range and mysteriously, they are in fact selling. As for your worries about sizing... all you have to do as a manufacturer is look at the most common sizes and target those for your special editions so you don't end up with a bunch of size XXL bikes sitting around with a premium price tag.

OP, how much do you think LOOK has invested in this new bike? I'll bet its an old frame with existing parts...meaning they take an existing bike, put a fnacy paint job on it and jack the price up like crazy. Essentially, there probably isn't much invested at all from the company. If they sell one, they will probably make money. Harley Davidson made a ton on their "100 Anniversary Edition" bikes by simply placing fancy badges on existing bikes and charging about $5,000-10,000 extra.

Edit - woops, I see nhluhr beat me to the point.

astonishing how close our posts were in message and timing.

His username says it all.

You're in Pasadena and don't see that there's a market for bikes in that range? There are people who ride $2K wheelsets on the Montrose ride or the Rose Bowl.

Every other company has done this. Why is this surprising? Some will spend the money, others will not. Trek did it with the madone sslx. I own one. You know what the difference is between it and the madone ssl in 2006? Paint, expensive paint. It's the same in many industries. An example is the 40th anniversary corvette. 6,749 were made out of 21,590 in 1993. You bet they cost more than a regular corvette by a couple thousand.

$2500-$3500 for a 695? Keep dreaming man. It's a special edition bike. They can make as many or as few as they'd like in whatever sizes they want to. I'm sure they will have no trouble selling all of the bikes they make. It's just the way it is.

As does yours ahsopoopoo

im sorry but LOOK are awesome bikes...not sure about price, but i really hope their spec'd correctly for the price.

According to this, http://www.bikerumor.com/2011/10/04/...95-road-bikes/ it's a $7500 frameset, in bare carbon. I don't get it, if they wanted to sell a Lemond edition they should at least make it look a little like his bike, with those Mondrian style colors.

Not a complete spec, $7.5k buys a frameset with seatpost, crank and headset. And they didn't mark it up. It's bare carbon.

Oh look, another dup post. Way to go, edibot.

Sold as a frameset with the their fully integrated crankset, headset, stem E-Post for $7499.

doesn't sound out of line when you get that kind of insane integrated stuff.

Their stock version is $6600,

They do make a stock Mondrian.

you can get a 2011 for 4,500.

I one der how much weight is saved by all the integration.

A couple of years ago I went to the bike shop to look at a Cervelo R3, but couldn't handle the white paint job, so I convinced myself to get an R3SL since it was predominantly black. Of course they didn't have a regular one in the store, but they did have a special "Tour de France" commemorative edition with a special paint job. I ended up paying a $300 premium for a special paint job, a signed certificate testifying to my specialness from the owners of Cervelo, and a signed yellow jersey by Carlos Sastre.

There's a sucker born every minute, and I am one.

Why do they make 'em and sell them? Because they can with big profit. You don't get it because you aren't rich or too sensible OP. I wouldn't own one either and I own a Look bike.
Wake up man. Lots of products like this out there. Guys who need the prestige to feel good about themselves.

http://www.bikerumor.com/wp-content/...oad-bike02.jpg
The Greg Lemond victory anniversary edition comes in matte black. Only 695 of these frames will be made, each is individually numbered on the top tube. Sold as a frameset with the their fully integrated crankset, headset, stem E-Post for $7499 (This frameset is what Look calls the ipack).



7k isn't a lot for a bike. It is a lot for a frame set. Look frame sets are very expensive. They're also very good. I explored one of their carbon track frames only to find out it was in the 8-10k range. Not quite what I was looking for.

Still, I'm not quite sure what a bare black high tech carbon frame has to do with Lemond's 86 victory.

Where I live, it's common to see guys drive $30-40k 4WD pickups to work, and have matching bass boats to haul behind them on weekends, plus a four wheeler or three at the house. My 2009 F150 cost $16k new, and my main bike is a Look 585 with a mixed Ultegra/DA drivetrain and handbuilt wheels...no bass boat or four wheeler (or beer gut), either. It's all in where your priorities lay.

Trek, Specialized and other companies sell framesets in that price range as well. They offer them because there's a market for them.

Not as dumb as their customers.

You're right, they are excellent bikes from what I've read, but $7K+?, in this economy? And in superlimited sizes? Like I said, I "get" it, just dont understand why they wouldnt price it better & open it up for all sized bikes to sell? Its a cash grab obviously, but for that much, they can keep it. Im sure folks will be like"they dont care about people like you, theyll sell alot still". Yeah, but theyd sell even more if they priced it right, which is what a good businessman does, maximize profit.

Id rather sell more for less, than less for more. Something tells me LOOKs going to be stuck w/ALOT of these.

This. Im a huge Lemond fan obviously, but $7K for a frameset/bike, even if I had the $$$, I wouldnt buy it. I dont buy things to be a status symbol kind of person, Im not into trying to impress others. I think its dumb for them to limit their buying audience, maybe they dont.

Thank god porsche makes their cars for everyone.

http://www.autoevolution.com/images/...ry-34791_1.jpg

It's dumb for them to limit their buying audience for a limited edition bike? Isn't that kinda the point?