Manufacturing versus Marketing, Innovation versus Imitation, Science versus Paid Opinion

Okay, hold my beer, this is going to be a long one.

I don’t know what to call this Rant & Rave.  Here is an idea or two.  You tell me which one is best.

MANUFACTURING VERSUS MARKETING

INNOVATION VERSUS IMITATION

FACTS & SCIENCE VERSUS PAID OPINION

Please allow me to start with the first one.  Two VERY well-selling brands do not manufacture anything whatsoever.  They simply have someone else produce the bike frame, have them paint it pretty, and plop stickers on it.  They then market the living hell out of the bike, get great reviews from people that they coincidentally pay to advertise their product and there you go.

My question would be simple.  So why is the bike as expensive or more expensive than reputable bike companies that spend a ton of money on Research and Development, not to mention Quality Control, and have their own manufacturing facilities, or at least have a team of direct employees on hand at the third-party manufacturing facility?  The answer is simple, their Marketing budget is probably one of the biggest, if not the biggest line entry in their books.

How many times have you seen a so-called “innovation” that is supposed to make you faster and/or more comfortable but there is zero rationale or shared information shared on their website.  That is a great example of marketing over manufacturing.

Also, why do some companies make “Race Ready, Pro LEVEL”  bikes and then their professional riders ride another model.  Look at Unbound or the UCI Gravel Championships and see if the professionals are riding a “gravel” bike or a “cyclocross” bike??  Again, Marketing.

Alright, time for innovation versus imitation.  Okay, so if you spend more money on Marketing than on R&D what does that mean?  In my opinion, that means you simply “steal” other company’s innovations a year (or five years) later and call it innovation.  Nope, that is pure and simple imitation.  There is literally a bike that has just been Marketed as “game changing and innovative.”  The problem is that another company has had basically the IDENTICAL bike for five years.  I literally cannot tell the difference between the frames.  Oh wait, the handlebar is different!!!  The problem there is a handlebar is a component, not a bike.

Another thought or maybe a tip?  Would you rather buy the above-mentioned bike that is a first-generation hack, or from the company that is on their third generation?  That means a two-generation head start to work out the “kinks.”  Again, let’s paint it pretty and market the shit out of it. 

Okay, time for the last one.  Websites that give great reviews and then advertise the same company on their website and/or in their periodical.  How many companies say, “hey, let me give you $50,000 and I am fine with you giving me three starts out of five?”  Never has happened, never will.  There are a couple of websites out there that are subscriber paid and do not advertise ANY BRAND OR PRODUCT.  THAT IS THE DEFINITION OF WHO TO TRUST!   One is for tires, and the other is for chain lubricants.  MY BIG QUESTION, why do the reviews differ so much?  ANOTHER QUESTION, why does a website who rides the product for fifteen minutes, then takes advertising money, and then gives it a rave review, and yet the science geeks with science testing machinery give it a “buy it and you are going to regret it” review? 

CASE IN POINT.  Tires.  A BIG brand that thinks they can make (or have someone else make) every product known to man make a tire that magically gets five-star reviews from all the BIG TIME websites not even rank in the TOP FIFTY when it comes to science and thorough testing.  Yep……….again………..BIG OLD MARKETING budget.

OKAY SO NOW I AM ON A ROLL.  How about this company, we make the WORLDS BEST BIKES, WHEELS, AND TIRES!.  However, their professional riders ride a different company’s wheels and tires???  CONSPIRACY THEORY TIME.    Are these brands wanting to win a professional race for the EXPOSURE but know that their own product is a competitive disadvantage and hope to GOD that no one notices.  It’s odd (or is it) that their branded (or should we call it rebranded) tires get slammed with scientific based reviews but what they actually use is a TOP FIVE tire?  HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM.