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I've looked but have not seen any...
Why is that, can they just not compete with the qualities of carbon???
Why is that, can they just not compete with the qualities of carbon???
One major (?) factor: I think the (ride characteristics:weight) ratio is probably superior for carbon. That's coming from a guy who rides Ti. But I think the carbon frames allow them such a low overall weight that the teams get to ADD equipment like SRM power meters, etc. and still be right at the UCI weight limit.ericm979 said:Lightspeed sponsored the lotto team in 2002.
It's hard to tell if the reason that they don't sponsor a team now is financial or that carbon is so much better.... but given that all the frames in the TdF are carbon now, it could well be the latter.
No. Given UCI weight limits, a Ti bike is fully competitive with carbon. Remember that professional sports are studies in marketing, and the larger manufacturers have the coin to sponsor teams, which is a sizeable expense beyond supplying all the bikes.MaddSkillz said:I've looked but have not seen any...
Why is that, can they just not compete with the qualities of carbon???
Yeah, good thing they got bought out by the BIG BOYS.oily666 said:Kestrel finally made it after 23 years.
Different levels of competition have drastically different levels of sponsorship costs. And by looking at rider movements over the years, it seems obvious that sponsored bikes are way down the list of things worried about. Pretending that one high-level bike is meaningfully different from another in absolute performance is the stuff of marketing and lousy magazines.Jimbolaya said:The money can't be that big an issue. Parlee is now supporting a continental team and Parlee is a tiny company.
I think it's just a hard sell for the team management to sign enough riders with a bike that might be heavier and/or less stiff. It could be done, but they would have to shell out some serious cash to turn the riders into believers. They don't need the press that bad.