Svelte Cycles without comproise

Monday, January 11, 2010

Brilliance from Brendan : "Silence Kit"

It's no secret I've been a long time admirer of Brendan Quirk as his "Competitive Cyclist" is the pinnacle of on-line bicycle retail (if you can even categorize Competitive Cyclist as such). His company has a pulse, it has feeling and in a world of bland online dealers competing on price alone, Competitive Cycles takes a different approach.

In his latest blog entry Brendan expresses why Competitive Cyclist chose to part ways with the iconic Pegoretti brand.

This paragraph struck such a huge chord with me and my own feelings on what I do here at Svelte Cycles, I just had to share it for the few who might not see it otherwise:

"Custom seems to mean something different now, where personal urges get veto power over the very thing you're paying for: The know-how of the gifted builder. It's a recipe for unhappiness for everyone involved. You don't give instruction to the master tailor, the pilot, or the Michelin-starred chef. From whence does the license come to do so with the framemaker?"
-Brendan Quirk

For the best 5 minutes of your day read HERE.

XXX,
Justin Spinelli
www.sveltecycles.com

6 comments:

Unknown said...

From whence indeed!

For 99% of us in the bike industry though, online retailers taking sales away from those of us working in brick and mortar shops, offering real hands-on, face-to-face service is a bigger concern.

And what happens after you buy your custom bike online? Who do you take it to? Will Brendan fly out to your house and swap stems, or change saddles, letting you test ride a few in the process?

Svelte Cycles - Product Reviews said...

All the more reason to invest in the service department at your shop. In the high end market I feel service labor will be the driving force behind brick and mortar in the years to come.

Justin Spinelli

Unknown said...

Agreed.

Anonymous said...

yeah, it's not like I come to your job and tell you how to make Slurpees.....

thumper

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...

agreed..

but when it comes to buying a bicycle for $10-15000, it is sensitive territory. The customer often does not know what he wants until the deed is done, which occurs in all fields. Retrospective Design!

The question is picking the correct master frame designer/ builder.

There are some frame designers who simply do not know what they are up to!