Do certain bikes give off a certain vibe?

SmellTheGlove

Wilier talks the vibe to me, loudly. Luckily for my bank balance, relationship and general family life I'm partially deaf.

Stick with the Carrera for now - inverse snobbery of a kind: hardly anyone will believe you can ride them all day.

il_principe

BigMat wrote:

TailWindHome wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

CiB wrote:

BMC - bike of the gods, only for use by those with Special Powers.

Really? For no good reason I equate BMC with n00bs.

What about a Dogma in Team Sky colours?

I saw the ultimate pack of Mamils on my commute in to work the other day - fat, middle aged, all on Pinnarellos.

Anyway, I guess this means that Pinnarello is the brand of choice for the discerning MAMIL!

Noooooo! I blame Sky for this. I've had my Pinarello since I was 28. Pre-Sky they were relatively rare beasts, now I see Sky branded Dogmas everywhere. Now I'm 32 and currently have a Dogma2 on order (not in Sky colours) - so I'm not a Mamil, just a man who has had a brilliant experience with Pinarello for a good few years. The Mamil thing does annoy me, but the Prince was so bloody good I couldn't even consider switching brands for the new bike...

When I'm old and fat I'll buy something custom from Passoni or Dario Pegoretti...

il_principe

davmaggs wrote:

The point of building a brand is to associate the company with a set of values and a perception in the minds of the consumer. It's what marketing people get paid for because it means that they can charge more money or stand out from competitors (that do virtually the same thing).

Lots of people kid themselves that they are immune to it, but ask them a couple of questions about why they bought a brand of car/bike/phone and they can't justify it rationally.

+1 all the evidence backs this up. We're not immune, nor (on the whole) are we rational buyers.

DonDaddyD

I would argue that there are purchases made not driven by the brand we are buying into but the brand we not buying into. I.e. Some people won't buy an iPhone because they don't want to buy into the Apple brand and fall upon Android as the alternate option. They haven't bought 'droid because of it's brand but much rather because they simply didn't want to buy into Apple.

Just saying.

rick_chasey

DonDaddyD wrote:

I would argue that there are purchases made not driven by the brand we are buying into but the brand we not buying into. I.e. Some people won't buy an iPhone because they don't want to buy into the Apple brand and fall upon Android as the alternate option. They haven't bought 'droid because of it's brand but much rather because they simply didn't want to buy into Apple.

Just saying.

Or because it was £10 a month cheaper for 24 months.

£240 is not to be sniffed at.

EKE_38BPM

Rick Chasey wrote:

...£240 is not to be sniffed at.

Depends who your dealer is. Apparently.

tailwindhome

UndercoverElephant wrote:

Every time I pass someone on a Kuota, they always seem to be a little overweight, badly out of breath and in the wrong gear. Perhaps that's just the ones I see, though.

must resist.......

EKE_38BPM

TailWindHome wrote:

UndercoverElephant wrote:

Every time I pass someone on a Kuota, they always seem to be a little overweight, badly out of breath and in the wrong gear. Perhaps that's just the ones I see, though.

must resist.......

I know, its hard.

DonDaddyD

Yawn... DDD is said to be overweight and rides a Kuota... Yawn.

asprilla

UndercoverElephant wrote:

Scott bike owners seem to be pretty speedy, in my experience - certainly for the mass-brand riders.

You are very perceptive, isn't he CJ and JG....

davis

davmaggs wrote:

Lots of people kid themselves that they are immune to it, but ask them a couple of questions about why they bought a brand of car/bike/phone and they can't justify it rationally.

You're probably right... but I'm struggling to think of things where I'm that guilty of this:

Car: Ford Focus diesel - Cheap to run (hah!), spares should be readily available (hah!). I don't look after cars so I didn't want one that I'd be worried about denting.

Bike: Spesh Roubaix. Comfortable, and it's what the LBS had in stock. Not my "ideal" bike by any means (Enigma, yes please), and Pompetamine Versa 'cos I didn't want a carbon frame post-crash.

Phone: Nokia E72. Rubbish, really, but I can use it. It was the only one available from work with physical buttons.

jonginge

Asprilla wrote:

UndercoverElephant wrote:

Scott bike owners seem to be pretty speedy, in my experience - certainly for the mass-brand riders.

You are very perceptive, isn't he CJ and JG....

I am aware of the Scott marque, yes



ETA: I put a flat-bar and a mahoosive seat on mine. It's da bomb!

tailwindhome

DonDaddyD wrote:

Yawn... DDD is said to be overweight and rides a Kuota... Yawn.

To be fair it was hard not to take a swing at such an obvious pitch.

il_principe

davis wrote:

davmaggs wrote:

Lots of people kid themselves that they are immune to it, but ask them a couple of questions about why they bought a brand of car/bike/phone and they can't justify it rationally.

You're probably right... but I'm struggling to think of things where I'm that guilty of this:

Car: Ford Focus diesel - Cheap to run (hah!), spares should be readily available (hah!). I don't look after cars so I didn't want one that I'd be worried about denting.

Bike: Spesh Roubaix. Comfortable, and it's what the LBS had in stock. Not my "ideal" bike by any means (Enigma, yes please), and Pompetamine Versa 'cos I didn't want a carbon frame post-crash.

Phone: Nokia E72. Rubbish, really, but I can use it. It was the only one available from work with physical buttons.

This is kind of the point - the decision is made or influenced subconsciously, so you aren't aware of it at all. There's been a huge amount of research into this, an empirical evidence that backs up the theories. One piece of research indicates that 95 percent of our purchase decision making takes place in the subconscious (Prof. professor Gerald Zaltman, Harvard Business School).

rick_chasey

More obviously - why would firms continue to spend vast amounts on advertising if it didn't work?

tailwindhome

You know what's a cracking name for a groupset?

Athena.

rjsterry

davis wrote:

davmaggs wrote:

Lots of people kid themselves that they are immune to it, but ask them a couple of questions about why they bought a brand of car/bike/phone and they can't justify it rationally.

You're probably right... but I'm struggling to think of things where I'm that guilty of this:

Car: Ford Focus diesel - Cheap to run (hah!), spares should be readily available (hah!). I don't look after cars so I didn't want one that I'd be worried about denting.

Bike: Spesh Roubaix. Comfortable, and it's what the LBS had in stock. Not my "ideal" bike by any means (Enigma, yes please), and Pompetamine Versa 'cos I didn't want a carbon frame post-crash.

Phone: Nokia E72. Rubbish, really, but I can use it. It was the only one available from work with physical buttons.

I would say that Ford allow the Focus to develop that kind of 'dependable, but nothing flash' image, so score one for that. Pretty much the only thing everyone knows about the Roubaix is that it's super comfy - they go to the trouble of making those Zertz things visible, which is surely unnecessary), so that's 2 for 2. Not sure about the phone.

davis

rjsterry wrote:

I would say that Ford allow the Focus to develop that kind of 'dependable, but nothing flash' image, so score one for that. Pretty much the only thing everyone knows about the Roubaix is that it's super comfy - they go to the trouble of making those Zertz things visible, which is surely unnecessary), so that's 2 for 2. Not sure about the phone.

Hmm. Bugger. Think you're probably right.

DonDaddyD

TailWindHome wrote:

You know what's a cracking name for a groupset?

Athena.

Burds groupset init...

rolf_f

rjsterry wrote:

Not sure about the phone.

Inverse functional snobbery that - applies to me too. I'd rather have a phone with proper buttons rather than touch screen. I daresay the functionality of them is fine but aside from not liking smeary glass screens, having proper buttons on your phone clearly marks you as not having become a saddo with a smart phone. Not anti brand snobbery as DDD referred to but anti gadget mentality as a whole - the deliberate and public ignoring of something not needed.

DonDaddyD

Il Principe wrote:

This is kind of the point - the decision is made or influenced subconsciously, so you aren't aware of it at all. There's been a huge amount of research into this, an empirical evidence that backs up the theories. One piece of research indicates that 95 percent of our purchase decision making takes place in the subconscious (Prof. professor Gerald Zaltman, Harvard Business School).

How's that marketing course going and what one is it?

gtvlusso

Rolf F wrote:

rjsterry wrote:

Not sure about the phone.

Inverse functional snobbery that - applies to me too. I'd rather have a phone with proper buttons rather than touch screen. I daresay the functionality of them is fine but aside from not liking smeary glass screens, having proper buttons on your phone clearly marks you as not having become a saddo with a smart phone. Not anti brand snobbery as DDD referred to but anti gadget mentality as a whole - the deliberate and public ignoring of something not needed.

I must admit that I was of this mindset; A phone is just a bl**dy phone. however, I now would be lost without my old iPhone - it has gone from being a complete gimmick to a very useable tool for me.....

il_principe

DonDaddyD wrote:

Il Principe wrote:

This is kind of the point - the decision is made or influenced subconsciously, so you aren't aware of it at all. There's been a huge amount of research into this, an empirical evidence that backs up the theories. One piece of research indicates that 95 percent of our purchase decision making takes place in the subconscious (Prof. professor Gerald Zaltman, Harvard Business School).

How's that marketing course going and what one is it?

I'm not on a course. Have a new job for a firm (bunch of behavioural psychologists) that specialise in "Neuromarketing." It's fascinating and troublesome in equal measure.

rjsterry

Rolf F wrote:

rjsterry wrote:

Not sure about the phone.

Inverse functional snobbery that - applies to me too. I'd rather have a phone with proper buttons rather than touch screen. I daresay the functionality of them is fine but aside from not liking smeary glass screens, having proper buttons on your phone clearly marks you as not having become a saddo with a smart phone. Not anti brand snobbery as DDD referred to but anti gadget mentality as a whole - the deliberate and public ignoring of something not needed.

I find myself similarly afflicted - don't kid yourself that it's an attractive trait - which is why we both ride old, fair;y ordinary, steel-framed, road bikes. I managed to crack the screen on my old Nokia recently, so I'll almost have to get a smart phone now. Don't like smeary screens either, but that's a problem all phones have if you carry them in sweaty jersey pockets.

veronese68

gtvlusso wrote:

Rolf F wrote:

rjsterry wrote:

Not sure about the phone.

Inverse functional snobbery that - applies to me too. I'd rather have a phone with proper buttons rather than touch screen. I daresay the functionality of them is fine but aside from not liking smeary glass screens, having proper buttons on your phone clearly marks you as not having become a saddo with a smart phone. Not anti brand snobbery as DDD referred to but anti gadget mentality as a whole - the deliberate and public ignoring of something not needed.

I must admit that I was of this mindset; A phone is just a bl**dy phone. however, I now would be lost without my old iPhone - it has gone from being a complete gimmick to a very useable tool for me.....

And me, some of my really badly written posts may be due to the iPhone autocorrect.

davmaggs

Rolf F wrote:

Inverse functional snobbery that - applies to me too. I'd rather have a phone with proper buttons rather than touch screen. I daresay the functionality of them is fine but aside from not liking smeary glass screens, having proper buttons on your phone clearly marks you as not having become a saddo with a smart phone. Not anti brand snobbery as DDD referred to but anti gadget mentality as a whole - the deliberate and public ignoring of something not needed.

Don't worry, the marketeers have a profile worked out for your type. They'll be selling you anti-brand products perfectly well.

rolf_f

davmaggs wrote:

Don't worry, the marketeers have a profile worked out for your type. They'll be selling you anti-brand products perfectly well.

That's how I ended up with a Look bike!

veronese68

davmaggs wrote:

Don't worry, the marketeers have a profile worked out for your type. They'll be selling you anti-brand products perfectly well.

Years ago at a party some tool was telling my wife (who worked in marketing) that people were too clever for marketing and she would soon be out of a job. He truly believed this and was telling her this whilst drinking Fosters Ice, crap lager advertised by a skiing kangaroo if I recall. She ripped the poor guy to pieces and left him a gibbering wreck.

notsoblue

davmaggs wrote:

Rolf F wrote:

Inverse functional snobbery that - applies to me too. I'd rather have a phone with proper buttons rather than touch screen. I daresay the functionality of them is fine but aside from not liking smeary glass screens, having proper buttons on your phone clearly marks you as not having become a saddo with a smart phone. Not anti brand snobbery as DDD referred to but anti gadget mentality as a whole - the deliberate and public ignoring of something not needed.

Don't worry, the marketeers have a profile worked out for your type. They'll be selling you anti-brand products perfectly well.

Plenty of phones marketed towards Rolf's demographic:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/tag/mobile%20ph ... y/products

notsoblue

Veronese68 wrote:

davmaggs wrote:

Don't worry, the marketeers have a profile worked out for your type. They'll be selling you anti-brand products perfectly well.

Years ago at a party some tool was telling my wife (who worked in marketing) that people were too clever for marketing and she would soon be out of a job. He truly believed this and was telling her this whilst drinking Fosters Ice, crap lager advertised by a skiing kangaroo if I recall. She ripped the poor guy to pieces and left him a gibbering wreck.

The funny thing about "Fosters Ice" and "Guinness Extra Cold" is that the lower temperature dampens the taste of the drink. Guinness Extra Cold is marketed at people who don't really like guinness.