new frame rumors for 2023?

[aeroisnteverything]

Van Rysel made their PR on their new lineup. No tech details but they launch 7 (!) frames, shoes, helmet, kits and 2 turbo trainers
- the RCR from 4 to 9k (if that’s equipped in 9200 and Swiss side wheels that’s an incredible price)
...

It's a very good looking frame, with a nice paintjob, but Canyon's prices are not far off that - perhaps 10% more. Pragmatically, Decathlon will need some pro team sponsorship, plus various other marketing bells and whistles like wind tunnel testing data, white papes, etc. etc. to have folks pick them over a better known brand.

[C36]

It's all speculations untill we see more details (hey that's a "rumors" section), but 5.4k for an Ultegra version, the Aeroad SLX 8 is @ 6.5k and the SLx7 (rival) at 5, so 1k more. For what is rumored to be the DA version, 9K, thats inline with the CFR D-A.

I am not even sure they plan to chase Canyon's success, but if thats the case, they will have the huge benefit of having physical shops (at least in most Europe) and not having stupid bars/seatposts.

[Nickldn]

I am not even sure they plan to chase Canyon's success, but if thats the case, they will have the huge benefit of having physical shops (at least in most Europe) and not having stupid bars/seatposts.

Decathlon may have physical stores, but not much of the expert staff and support/parts of a normal LBS. I wonder if they'll be able to support any of these complex TT/tri bikes instore, or will any issue mean the bike would be shipped back to a central base?

[aeroisnteverything]

I am not even sure they plan to chase Canyon's success, but if thats the case, they will have the huge benefit of having physical shops (at least in most Europe) and not having stupid bars/seatposts.

Decathlon may have physical stores, but not much of the expert staff and support/parts of a normal LBS. I wonder if they'll be able to support any of these complex TT/tri bikes instore, or will any issue mean the bike would be shipped back to a central base?

And the thing is.. I wouldn't even think of going to Decathlon to drop 10 large on a bike and gear. I go there to buy some cheap-and-cheery everyday sports stuff. Same as I don't go to Asda or Lidl to buy high-end wine. So it's quite a marketing challenge. They'll need to change brand perception quite significantly.

[C36]

Never mentioned in them servicing the bike but Canyon doesn’t even have places where you could drop the bike. Look as the shit show with the aeroad and the back and forth via post mail.
Just saying that it makes a difference the day you have a problem. Keep also in mind that decathlon now own Alltricks that are a lot more competent to deal with high end bikes.

[blaugrana]

The thing with Decathlon is that while they don't have the brand recognition of other brands, or the experienced mechanics of "traditional" bike shops (they employ young students almost exclusively), you know that if there is any problem you will at least get your money back no questions asked. And while I would definitely check every bolt to make sure that the bike is built correctly, that's something I'm going to do for every new bike anyway since I recently had a bad experience at a quite well known and reputable local bike shop.

I would not buy their 10 grand bike, that's for sure, but I would probably consider the 4000€ ones if I was in the market for a new bike. With their clothes they already made a big jump in quality in the last few years, and they make some genuinely good products.

It does remind me a bit of Canyon 10 years ago: they already made some great bikes at really competitve prices (a lot more competitive than today), but for many purists a bike bought on the Internet would never be as legitimate as one from a "real" brand bought at a bike shop.

[C36]

I wouldn’t mind putting 10k if the bike is good. If we except the joke of last aeroads Canyon made goods bikes but any problem had to be dealt with remotely.
Here you will have a physical store (either Decathlon or Alltricks) to act as a middle man without the back and forth you may experiment with canyon.

Worse case it is not different than canyon, best case you have a better customer service.

[Lina]

Canyon had to sell their bikes on a discount compared to more established brands 10 years ago because they were seen as just that internet only bike brand. They've spent millions of euros on marketing their bikes on the WT to establish them as a premium brand and they've steadily increased their prices while they've gotten more name for themselves. Now the threads for rumours before release and now discussion about the Aeroad after release are some of the biggest threads on this forum.

Decathlon will have to sell their bikes at a cheaper price point than others to get customers. But if they the bikes are of good quality they will keep getting customers and the brand name will become more known and appreciated. If they spend money on a WT team for bike sponsorship they'll be seen as "legit" bikes. As an added bonus they have an extensive dealer network, even if it isn't traditional bike shops. But it will make people less squeamish about buying one.

[Nickldn]

I wouldn’t mind putting 10k if the bike is good. If we except the joke of last aeroads Canyon made goods bikes but any problem had to be dealt with remotely.
Here you will have a physical store (either Decathlon or Alltricks) to act as a middle man without the back and forth you may experiment with canyon.

Worse case it is not different than canyon, best case you have a better customer service.

You are surely in a small minority if you would rather put down 10k (of admittedly unspecified currency) on a Decathlon bike, any Decathlon bike even one with a different brand name, compared to a bike from Specialized/Giant/Cervelo/other well known and quality brands.

Decathlon and sub brands really do mass consumer sales and how many consumers buy 10k bikes?

I would wager the expensive models will be discounted to half price and still remain unsold. Most people who spend serious money on a bike want serious street cred and Decathlon won't give them that.

It took ChainReaction/Wiggle years and years to get its Vitus bike brand limited traction in the market, even though ChainReaction is a cycling specialist and not a general sport consumer brand. At least ChainReaction has the sense to put a price ceiling on Vitus bikes, Decathlon should think about that.

[Mocs123]

I'm not sure if I'd buy one at $9K, but if they ever put one half price, I'll take one for sure! My guess is they want to try and sponser a World Tour team. They can "buy" some credibility.

[IchDien]

I don't know...there seems to be a lot of negativity here. As far as I see they have a great chance at making it ... Solid POS all over Europe and a huge huge budget to fall back on if they wish to. I'd rather drop my bike off at POS if a problem and let them deal with the hassle (and problems if any) than deal with the whole stressful Canyon approach. No doubt with this the mechanics will also get decent training.

I think we all agree bike pricing as of late has become absurd...if they offer something then maybe it'll make the other brands fall back down to earth.


Also if people are judging which bike you ride in your gruppo (as someone mentioned above) then I'd rather not be riding with them end of story.

[TobinHatesYou]

I don't know about globally, but high-end or even medium-range bikes have never done well at sporting goods stores in the US. That kind of omnichannel strategy basically killed several of Accell's brands like Raleigh and Diamondback. Maybe since Van Rysel is in-house without other sales channels this will be different for Decathlon, but I'm not holding my breath.

Wal-Mart's experiment with Viathon also failed in the US.

[sigma]

I wouldn’t mind putting 10k if the bike is good. If we except the joke of last aeroads Canyon made goods bikes but any problem had to be dealt with remotely.
Here you will have a physical store (either Decathlon or Alltricks) to act as a middle man without the back and forth you may experiment with canyon.

Worse case it is not different than canyon, best case you have a better customer service.

You are surely in a small minority if you would rather put down 10k (of admittedly unspecified currency) on a Decathlon bike, any Decathlon bike even one with a different brand name, compared to a bike from Specialized/Giant/Cervelo/other well known and quality brands.

Decathlon and sub brands really do mass consumer sales and how many consumers buy 10k bikes?

I would wager the expensive models will be discounted to half price and still remain unsold. Most people who spend serious money on a bike want serious street cred and Decathlon won't give them that.

It took ChainReaction/Wiggle years and years to get its Vitus bike brand limited traction in the market, even though ChainReaction is a cycling specialist and not a general sport consumer brand. At least ChainReaction has the sense to put a price ceiling on Vitus bikes, Decathlon should think about that.

I had a Decatholon bike for years as a commuter when I lived in London. Probably the most reliable bike I have ever owned I have always had positive experiences with their goods in Asia too. Don't disagree with the overall sentiments here, but personally I would have no issues planking down some coin for one of their high end bikes after a year or two to let them shake out the initial phase. They have the capital to get some serious talent, do some serious R&D, and the consumer base arising from the European culture of cycling is a lot more established than the US (as it ptertains to Walmart's challenges). While I am sure some of the models will be 9k euros and up, I would bet they will target the low to mid tier just as most succesful US bike shops have.

[thirdsun]

Never mentioned in them servicing the bike but Canyon doesn’t even have places where you could drop the bike. Look as the shit show with the aeroad and the back and forth via post mail.

Canyon has been putting some effort into getting a service partner network setup: https://www.canyon.com/en-de/customer-s ... tners.html

[matcav]

As owner of a mid-range decathlon bike (this one) I can tell you:

- Their operational level is excellent. They can capture the order & payment, prepare it, ship it and have it delivered in days (at least in europe). In case something goes wrong or you decide to cancel, they refund instantly. BOPIS / BORIS always possible everywhere, even across countries. Please do not take this for granted. Big players around here still suck at this.
- product quality is definitely on par - if not superior, compared to similarly priced offerings.
- you won't see the product on display in the shops (never seen a bike more expensive than 1200eur), but as I said earlier, if you don't like it you can bring it back to the closest shop.
- factory assembly is well done and made by experts
- warranty works well, and customer service is huge and fully integrated - better than some other big names
- people in group rides are more curious than judgmental - at least in my experience