[RBW] Worst Selling Superstars
Interesting post. Here are my personal reasons for the underselling items :) Brand V Grab Sack: I have a Swiss Army gasmask bag that is very similar, albeit a bit more narrow and taller, and uses a metal button closure. Love that bag, take it everywhere. So the basic concept is sound, I think, though perhaps we are all too attached to bags that attach to the bike. My reason for NOT considering it? May seem snobbish, but I think the Brand V logo patch is UGLY. The graphic design does not complement the bag design at all. The fact that the RBW logo is so lovely makes the Brand V logo even more of a crime. But actually it's the colors that really get to me. Can't think of colors that would clash more with the lovely tan and olive of the bag. An aside: The MUSA logo is terrible as well, mostly because it's way too big. I do like the Sackville logo. But I bet you if all those items simply sported some variant of the Rivendell logo, not only would they sell better, they would also help sell more bikes. While we are at it, while I love (most of) the model-specific head badges, I think Rivendell is doing itself a disservice here as well, by incurring additional cost, and missing a blatant opportunity to strengthen the Rivendell brand (you really have to examine my Hillborne in detail to find our who makes it). I know, I don't like marketing either, but it's such an easy opportunity to get the Rivendell message out to more people. Just use the lovely Rivendell logo you have on all your in-house designed products, and don't waste your time creating more and more brands (with ugly logos) that most people cannot connect with Rivendell. Windshield: Again, color. Yes, safety is good, but there are other ways to be seen from the front. If I lived in a colder climate and it came in an interesting shade of green, or a dark grey, I'd get one. Stubby Bill caps: I have the wool stubby, and LOVE it. I think the problem here is that Riv has a bunch of nice cotton hats at half the price, and that the woolly one is the same price as the cotton stubby. Most folks expect to pay less for cotton than for wool. Note Cards: Well, I have to admit it's been a long time since I wrote a card that wasn't for my wife, and she isn't into bikes that much. Maybe that's the problem: Perhaps Riv owners still write cards, but do we write them to our bike buddies? We either see them regularly on rides, or we communicate on the computer through this group and others. Ponchos: Once again, color. Admittedly bright color in a rain poncho is more important than in a wind shirt, but I have never been a fan of primary colors. I much prefer the orange of the rain pants for the poncho (I know, you probably can't get that fabric in orange), and would prefer the rain pants in black, cause pants get dirty and light colored ones will look yucky. A bright top should be enough to be seen, no? And yeah, considering the price of the breathable MUSA rain pants, the poncho seems a bit over-priced. Cheers, Gernot -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups RBW Owners Bunch group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
Re: [RBW] Worst Selling Superstars
I'd think black rain pants with a vertical reflective stripe down the outside, like the ribbon accents on tux pants, combined with a strip around the cuff, would be highly visible. And teh shape of the rider's leg in motion would say bicycle very clearly. On Sun, Feb 20, 2011 at 11:29 AM, Earl Grey earlg...@gmail.com wrote: Interesting post. Here are my personal reasons for the underselling items :) Brand V Grab Sack: I have a Swiss Army gasmask bag that is very similar, albeit a bit more narrow and taller, and uses a metal button closure. Love that bag, take it everywhere. So the basic concept is sound, I think, though perhaps we are all too attached to bags that attach to the bike. My reason for NOT considering it? May seem snobbish, but I think the Brand V logo patch is UGLY. The graphic design does not complement the bag design at all. The fact that the RBW logo is so lovely makes the Brand V logo even more of a crime. But actually it's the colors that really get to me. Can't think of colors that would clash more with the lovely tan and olive of the bag. An aside: The MUSA logo is terrible as well, mostly because it's way too big. I do like the Sackville logo. But I bet you if all those items simply sported some variant of the Rivendell logo, not only would they sell better, they would also help sell more bikes. While we are at it, while I love (most of) the model-specific head badges, I think Rivendell is doing itself a disservice here as well, by incurring additional cost, and missing a blatant opportunity to strengthen the Rivendell brand (you really have to examine my Hillborne in detail to find our who makes it). I know, I don't like marketing either, but it's such an easy opportunity to get the Rivendell message out to more people. Just use the lovely Rivendell logo you have on all your in-house designed products, and don't waste your time creating more and more brands (with ugly logos) that most people cannot connect with Rivendell. Windshield: Again, color. Yes, safety is good, but there are other ways to be seen from the front. If I lived in a colder climate and it came in an interesting shade of green, or a dark grey, I'd get one. Stubby Bill caps: I have the wool stubby, and LOVE it. I think the problem here is that Riv has a bunch of nice cotton hats at half the price, and that the woolly one is the same price as the cotton stubby. Most folks expect to pay less for cotton than for wool. Note Cards: Well, I have to admit it's been a long time since I wrote a card that wasn't for my wife, and she isn't into bikes that much. Maybe that's the problem: Perhaps Riv owners still write cards, but do we write them to our bike buddies? We either see them regularly on rides, or we communicate on the computer through this group and others. Ponchos: Once again, color. Admittedly bright color in a rain poncho is more important than in a wind shirt, but I have never been a fan of primary colors. I much prefer the orange of the rain pants for the poncho (I know, you probably can't get that fabric in orange), and would prefer the rain pants in black, cause pants get dirty and light colored ones will look yucky. A bright top should be enough to be seen, no? And yeah, considering the price of the breathable MUSA rain pants, the poncho seems a bit over-priced. Cheers, Gernot -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups RBW Owners Bunch group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en. -- Ken Freeman Ann Arbor, MI USA -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups RBW Owners Bunch group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
Re: [RBW] Worst Selling Superstars
I am a big fan of the cotton stubby. I like the look of the short bill. While the price is a bit high I think it is worth it. Dan Abelson On Feb 20, 2011 10:37 AM, Earl Grey earlg...@gmail.com wrote: Interesting post. Here are my personal reasons for the underselling items :) Brand V Grab Sack: I have a Swiss Army gasmask bag that is very similar, albeit a bit more narrow and taller, and uses a metal button closure. Love that bag, take it everywhere. So the basic concept is sound, I think, though perhaps we are all too attached to bags that attach to the bike. My reason for NOT considering it? May seem snobbish, but I think the Brand V logo patch is UGLY. The graphic design does not complement the bag design at all. The fact that the RBW logo is so lovely makes the Brand V logo even more of a crime. But actually it's the colors that really get to me. Can't think of colors that would clash more with the lovely tan and olive of the bag. An aside: The MUSA logo is terrible as well, mostly because it's way too big. I do like the Sackville logo. But I bet you if all those items simply sported some variant of the Rivendell logo, not only would they sell better, they would also help sell more bikes. While we are at it, while I love (most of) the model-specific head badges, I think Rivendell is doing itself a disservice here as well, by incurring additional cost, and missing a blatant opportunity to strengthen the Rivendell brand (you really have to examine my Hillborne in detail to find our who makes it). I know, I don't like marketing either, but it's such an easy opportunity to get the Rivendell message out to more people. Just use the lovely Rivendell logo you have on all your in-house designed products, and don't waste your time creating more and more brands (with ugly logos) that most people cannot connect with Rivendell. Windshield: Again, color. Yes, safety is good, but there are other ways to be seen from the front. If I lived in a colder climate and it came in an interesting shade of green, or a dark grey, I'd get one. Stubby Bill caps: I have the wool stubby, and LOVE it. I think the problem here is that Riv has a bunch of nice cotton hats at half the price, and that the woolly one is the same price as the cotton stubby. Most folks expect to pay less for cotton than for wool. Note Cards: Well, I have to admit it's been a long time since I wrote a card that wasn't for my wife, and she isn't into bikes that much. Maybe that's the problem: Perhaps Riv owners still write cards, but do we write them to our bike buddies? We either see them regularly on rides, or we communicate on the computer through this group and others. Ponchos: Once again, color. Admittedly bright color in a rain poncho is more important than in a wind shirt, but I have never been a fan of primary colors. I much prefer the orange of the rain pants for the poncho (I know, you probably can't get that fabric in orange), and would prefer the rain pants in black, cause pants get dirty and light colored ones will look yucky. A bright top should be enough to be seen, no? And yeah, considering the price of the breathable MUSA rain pants, the poncho seems a bit over-priced. Cheers, Gernot -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups RBW Owners Bunch group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups RBW Owners Bunch group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
Re: [RBW] Worst Selling Superstars
On Sun, Feb 20, 2011 at 1:49 PM, Dan Abelson d...@abelsons.net wrote: I am a big fan of the cotton stubby. I like the look of the short bill. While the price is a bit high I think it is worth it. Dan Abelson +1. I have an RBW cotton stubby and it's probably my favorite hat to wear in the summer. And it's a good quality hat for $30 in my opinion. Shaun Meehan -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups RBW Owners Bunch group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
