by -Adam- » Mon Sep 24, 2007 2:01 pm
[quote="Seanieh_The PengeAvenger©"]I'll say one thing for them and this no disrespect to other London bike shops, but I have had many a person say nice bike, because it was a Condor. They have a perceived premium image , no doubt helped by association with Rapha, that has raised their profile. They have also helped promote events such as the Smithfield Nocturne where other bike shops, real or otherwise, have done nowt.
Sorry Sean, im gonna have to disagree, for once
Condor isn't a bike shop, it's a boutique.
Condor probably do the least of all the proper bike shops to promote/sponsor races/those who race. Smithfield nocturne, one token event, oh and a team that only cares about one premier calendar rider and a few crits.
What about the likes of Sigma, who sponsor the Surrey League, and promote races includng the South East RR Series. Which goes on all year and isn't a marketing ploy, but a proper series of races that attract the top names.
What about the likes of DeVer, Pearsons, Corridori, Dauphin's who sponsor riders of all ages and abilities and do more than their fair share of promotions. I mean christ, you could even include Evans in all this!
In my humble opinion, Condor have seen the opportunity to majorly exploit the rise in popularity in cycling. And like you say have created this 'premium image' for themselves, by targeting the city boy types that pop in there in their lunch hours to subscribe to what some see as a fashionable lifestyle.
Lets be clear, I ride a bike because I fcuking love it. Not becasue I want to look cool in regents park on a Sunday morning. When i did London to Paris, there were a few guys there on Condor bikes (which are quite nice looking by the way) and dressed head to toe in Rapha. Don't get me wrong, they were nice guys, but well and truly sucked in by the romanticism that Condor/Rapha have created. I bought a Rapha jacket because Im led to believe its the best money can buy, and so far, im not arguing. However, these guys were just wearing rapha because they were probably ushered towards the display away from the 'Normal' cycling gear. Which Condor falls way short on providing.
So, my main argument is... Why do all other shops not take the piss on price? I.e not religiously charge RRP or more?
Because they are the real bike shops.