Top-level teams and riders get their way in the name of goin

[Aushiker]

G'day

Another interesting discussion ... maybe it ain't a Giant after all! See cyclingnews.com.

Regards
Andrew

[europa]

Fascinating. I guess it's a shock to people who fondly believe the brands, but if you step back and look at it, it's no different to other forms of sponsorship. I guess what makes this a bit 'sharper' to the taste is that the practice isn't as open as it is elsewhere.

It would be an interesting move on the part of the UCI to say that parts may only wear their manufacturer's label and that sponsorship is limited to the team jersey. In this way, it would force manufacturers to come up with the better parts (much like the non-shimano wheels mentioned in the article), and wouldn't it lead to a whole new area of cheating

Richard

[tallywhacker]

In the case of the zipps yes they are better than anything Shimano can offer but I think its more of a case that a rider prefers a part by a particular manufacturer rather than that supplied by the team sponsor. I read an article in Ride a year or so ago about this and it seems it is quite comon with things like bars and saddles which dont have a direct effect on performance but do affect rider comfort (and therefore indirectly performance)

[sogood]

Let's be practical about it, not all brand has products for every occasion. At the end of the day, the teams just want to win, best with sponsorship money and product. But if they aren't available, then use whatever as long as sponsors are pleased.

[Aushiker]

Let's be practical about it, not all brand has products for every occasion. At the end of the day, the teams just want to win, best with sponsorship money and product. But if they aren't available, then use whatever as long as sponsors are pleased.

But that is not the point here. It seems they are taking other products and repainting them/put them out as the sponsor's product when they are not. That is at best deceitful.

There was one example in the of a rebranded frame. So are T-Mobile really riding Giants? Discovery riding Trek and so on?

Regards
Andrew

[tallywhacker]

how is it deceitful ? If a rider finds he is most comfortable on a brand-x saddle and he moves to a team who has a sponsorship deal with brand-y saddles and his team makes the brand-x saddle look like the brand-y saddle, who is deceived ?
The rider is OK, the brand-y company gets their exposure and do you honestly believe that the consumer is that shallow that they will make a purchasing decision purely on who uses a product without trying it themselves ?