Blimey - Pinarello at Halfords

[Acyclo]

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/...h_view_size=10&mode=list&reqType=productsAjax

Whatever next.

 

[Mile195]

Oh dear. Well that's one way to make sure you rubbish the way consumers perceive your brand.

 

[laurence]

Halfords were and are one of the first ports of call for family cyclists... many a parent will take the nipper there for their first bike. so mum or dad sees the Pin and the name sticks in the mind - they may go back and get one later.

a lot of flack is thrown at Halfords, but they have been selling bikes before cycling was popular. they may not get it right in every store, but they have committed to cycling, even sponsoring races.

i think it's a good move by Pinarello, gets the brand out there to people who may not have heard of them before

 

[pplpilot]

its a bit like selling designer label cloths in ASDA , it cheapens the brand IMHO

 

[Acyclo]

Judging by the difficulty Halfords have getting Boardman bikes in the shops (sorry - Bikehuts) ("yeah - no we don't keep 'em in mate - we can get one for you if you want") I doubt many people will be exposed to the brand on casual visits. I guess you'll have to look at them in the laminated catalogue thing and buy them off that, or the website "Collect in store!!". "A TEST RIDE? NAW MATE!"

 

[Leodis]

They have had them for sometime, I don't think it does anything for the brand except open it up from.

 

[AndyRM]

January called, they want their news back.

 

[MarkF]

its a bit like selling designer label cloths in ASDA , it cheapens the brand IMHO

"Devalues" might be a nicer word. I agree with you, Pinarello has been relegated down in my aspirational dream bike list. I would like a Rolex Milguass but not so much if they were on sale in Watch Hut.

 

[2Loose]

On the positive side, I heard that the deal with Pinarello has meant that Halfords have put a lot of money into properly training the staff.

 

[Boris Bajic]

One of my children rides an old 48cm Angliru (not a 'proper' Pinarello, I know). It is a nice, useable, lightish bike with a good geometry for the road. We have various brands and non-brand bikes in the family. Take the stickers off and they differ little.

I think some people get a little too brand-aware about what are essentially just bicycles; many of which roll of the same conveyor to have different branded stickers put on them.

I hear 'born-again' cyclists on high-ticket machines chatting during rest breaks and they are often obsessing about upgrades and expensive tweaks that will have little or no benefit beyond conspicuous consumption and bragging rights at the cooler. It's fun if it flicks your switch, but it's not necessary.

The cycling press do not help. Somehow, we feel comfortable deriding the motoring press for sucking up to their advertisers and boosting 'brand image' whilst finding the same behaviour somehow noble in the cycling press.

They are bicycles and Halfords is a bicycle shop. Good for them.

 

[MarkF]

I don't suppose a Rolex is necessary but high end aspirational products have huge amounts of marketing invested in them, owners then pay extra, a premium for the the in-built added value, which is perceived rather than intrinsic or tangible, it makes the owner feel good. I don't want (if I win the lottery) to wheel out a Pinarello from Halfords, I'd want it handed over by a man wearing a morning suit and white gloves.

 

[laurence]

i didn't get that treatment when i bought a Pegoretti.

get over it, it's a Pinarello in Halfords. if a brand wanted to remain 'exclusive' they wouldn't make entry level models. who do you think those are aimed at? certainly not the 'bike shop only' snobs.