Thanks for the questions marckietan. Answers are below.marckietan wrote:I have registered my interest as I am actually in the market for a pair of carbon/ alloy clinchers.
Agree with Cerb's comments about letting customer feedback drive product design....from what I am reading Swiss Side seem to have a pretty compelling proposition and are now looking for public commentary to lock in their product direction. Makes sense really as this fine tuning can really make or break a product. Even the most innovative solution may not sell if it has no public appeal...
My questions are the following:
- what do you consider as competitive alternatives in the market? Dura-ace carbon laminate wheels spring to mind as do the Mavix Exalith wheels....is that right? If so, I think you have targetted the right sweet spot in the market...a lot of people are interested in carbon wheels but not willing to sacrifice braking power with carbon tracks.
- what is your target segment...or are you targetting a broad category of users ?
- what design requirements have you prioritised in your product design?
looking forward to the developments here.
m
1. We are targeting all of the absolute top level wheels including those you have mentioned. Our target is to beat them aerodynamically and match them as close as possible with weight, but at a hugely reduced price (around 40% less). As cyclists ourselves, we were sick of the overpricing of products and started Swiss Side because we knew we could do a better job for a lot less! We also want them as usable as possible -hence choice of carbon-alu hybrid with alu braking surface so people can swap their wheel sets around without the hassle of changing to carbon brake pads. We also limited the braking track width to 23mm so that the wheels fit all bikes without issues.
2. We are targeting as broad a market as possible. Clearly this is a more 'aero' driven wheel however we were confident that we could match the aerodynamic performance of 80mm deep profiles but with a 60mm deep profile. And we have! This was also our intention because we feel that 60mm profile rims are also a lot more appealing than larger ones for everyday use.
3. In order of priority,
- a) Aerodynamic efficiency,
- b) Broad usability (hence choice of carbon-alu hybrid with alu braking surface),
- c) Weight
- d) Looks