Specialized came under heavy criticism first for delivering Tommke a bike that was stock that made him suffer. He made his feelings known to the press how bad a fit he was having on the first generation Tarmacs. Then they made him aluminum versions till he was satisfied with one. Once one was made to his satisfaction they produced a mold just for him, which isn't cheap. Hence the Tarmac SL2 comes out after testing by Quick Step, then eventually sold to the general public.
Cannondale learned from this experience.
Bicycle manufactures often complain about what it takes to sponsor Pro Tour teams. But in hindsight these companies do come out with new designs because the athletes demand it. Then when these athletes win on this bike or that bike 'we' the consumer demand to have it. That way the food chain is a complete circle from athlete demand to engineering changes to consumer desire.
No comments:
Post a Comment