Hoy Bikes

MaxwellBygraves

Just announced that Chris Hoy has joined up with Evans Cycles to promote a new brand of 'Hoy' bikes, due for release in May 2013.

I don't think there's much info available yet, don't know if this will include a road range or not?

I wonder if they'll be any good or not? Thoughts?

si2k2000

Should be interesting to see how this develops as well as what happens to the Boardman bikes. Will they continue to be sold through Halfords with Hoy Bikes in direct competition?

ugo.santalucia

"Tu quoque Brute..." :evil:

giant_man

only a matter of time, yawn ....

navrig

Now the marketing people have got their claws into him there will be all sorts of stuff.

Crankbrother

Given his 'success' is based on a foundation of taxpayer's money I'm sure he'll be willing to give us all our investment back ...

Bordersroadie

27th of November, a bit early for Scrooge to make an appearance. . .

Crankbrother

The further north you get the tighter we get ...

(nb. Not true of our womenfolk ...)

Flexisurfer

Crankbrother wrote:

The further north you get the tighter we get ...

(nb. Not true of our womenfolk ...)

FPMSL

cougie

Crankbrother wrote:

Given his 'success' is based on a foundation of taxpayer's money I'm sure he'll be willing to give us all our investment back ...

Wasn't the money from the lottery ? So willingly given ?

chilling

3 road bikes 4 commuter bikes or something. All Metal.

Sounds more Pendleton than Boardman to me.

Crankbrother

cougie wrote:

Crankbrother wrote:

Given his 'success' is based on a foundation of taxpayer's money I'm sure he'll be willing to give us all our investment back ...

Wasn't the money from the lottery ? So willingly given ?

Idiot tax is still a tax as there is a copulsion by those running the lottery to pay the UK government, before they then'redistribute' the funds collected ...

Hopefully Hoy et al will have to sell their medals to get by in later life ... Can't imagine they have very good pension funds at present ... Or pay much tax/NI ... Do they even qualify for Jobseekers?

If he went on Dragon's Den selling shitty bikes he'd be laughed out the door (and sent next door to audition for a dancig competition) ...

Bobbinogs

I like the way that he spouts corporate sh!te already, guff such as his role being to "develop brand values". I guess it must have taken him a lot of effort to give his name to a lot of evans old stock that was lying around. Long way to go to match Mr Boardman, methinks.

gabriel959

He is just jumping the bandwagon which it isn't a bad thing in itself. Will they be decent bikes? I am sure they will but there are already far too many "manufacturers" which don't add anything apart from a pretty paint job.

ugo.santalucia

gabriel959 wrote:

He is just jumping the bandwagon which it isn't a bad thing in itself. Will they be decent bikes? I am sure they will but there are already far too many "manufacturers" which don't add anything apart from a pretty paint job.

Nowadays they only give the name to a product, so I really don't get the appeal... in the days if you got a Merckx, a Fondriest, a Olmo or a Moser you knew in some way the "legend" had done some work on it, or at least it came out of their workshop... these days it's just a sticker... if at least they bothered with a nice paint job, as you say, but they are often dull or awful... I can't think of a non dull Boardman. I bet Hoy will never bother to even visit the factory where they will make "his bikes"

bompington

ugo.santalucia wrote:

gabriel959 wrote:

He is just jumping the bandwagon which it isn't a bad thing in itself. Will they be decent bikes? I am sure they will but there are already far too many "manufacturers" which don't add anything apart from a pretty paint job.

Nowadays they only give the name to a product, so I really don't get the appeal... in the days if you got a Merckx, a Fondriest, a Olmo or a Moser you knew in some way the "legend" had done some work on it, or at least it came out of their workshop... these days it's just a sticker... if at least they bothered with a nice paint job, as you say, but they are often dull or awful... I can't think of a non dull Boardman. I bet Hoy will never bother to even visit the factory where they will make "his bikes"

Ah, the good old days when every spoke was hand-carved from sturdy oak by the master craftsman himself
[/sarcasm]

Give me mass-produced Chinese carbon any day :-)

ugo.santalucia

bompington wrote:

Ah, the good old days when every spoke was hand-carved from sturdy oak by the master craftsman himself
[/sarcasm]

This is not the point... the point is that the product does not have anything to do with the name it carries on the downtube.
It has happened before and it's got nothing to do with China... there are Pantani bikes, which have been manufactured after Marco's death... there are Coppi bikes, which had little to do with Fausto... I simply don't get the appeal of these products.
If I buy a product that carries someone's name, I would expect him to have something to do with the product... otherwise bicycle frames are no different from Shaving equipment, perfumes and underwear... which they probably are...

bompington

ugo.santalucia wrote:

bompington wrote:

Ah, the good old days when every spoke was hand-carved from sturdy oak by the master craftsman himself
[/sarcasm]

This is not the point... the point is that the product does not have anything to do with the name it carries on the downtube.
It has happened before and it's got nothing to do with China... there are Pantani bikes, which have been manufactured after Marco's death... there are Coppi bikes, which had little to do with Fausto... I simply don't get the appeal of these products.
If I buy a product that carries someone's name, I would expect him to have something to do with the product... otherwise bicycle frames are no different from Shaving equipment, perfumes and underwear... which they probably are...

Oh, I agree with you completely on that, it was just a bit of gentle ribbing over the tone your post came across as having.
I detest celebrity branding too, and it's no different with bikes - although just possibly, if it encourages the great british public to get one when they otherwise might not, it might be a good thing.

t4tomo

I'm going to hold off buying a Boardman or a Hoy in the hope of slinging my leg over a Laura Trott.

rolf_f

ugo.santalucia wrote:

Nowadays they only give the name to a product, so I really don't get the appeal... in the days if you got a Merckx, a Fondriest, a Olmo or a Moser you knew in some way the "legend" had done some work on it, or at least it came out of their workshop... these days it's just a sticker... if at least they bothered with a nice paint job, as you say, but they are often dull or awful... I can't think of a non dull Boardman. I bet Hoy will never bother to even visit the factory where they will make "his bikes"

Whilst in some ways I agree with you, I think the current style of 'celebrity cyclist brand' does reflect the truth as well as it did in the old days.

Once upon a time, if you bought a Merckx, not only did you know that he had some practical involvement in the business that built it, you might also presume (maybe optimistically) that the bike was designed in such a way that took into account the tastes, preferred geometry and style of the 'name'.

Now, with virtually all Pro cyclists riding mass produced monocoques the opportunity for the pro rider to develop geometric quirks in their bikes seems limited. Certainly the photos of team bikes on BR seems to show little variation between riders machines aside from the odd custom paintjob. That they almost invariably end up hawking semi generic Taiwanese frames seems sort of appropriate!