It's because they sell direct to you, they cut out the distribution and local bike shop, there by cutting costs. Obviously cutting the local bike shop out has draw backs, such as not being able to try the bike first and if you have problems, not being able to sort it out face to face.
A few people have Canyons in the UK and I haven't heard bad things about them yet. Dirt magazine rates the strive highly too
Tha's excellent news! I indeed saw on their website that they sell directly to you cutting out the distributor and bike shop. That should lower the price quite a lot indeed! Are the frames any good though? The components I'm not worried about, that's all good material for respectable brands.
All the reviews I have read about Canyon have rated them above comparable bikes from big brands like Specialized based on ride performance and the quality components you get at a great price point. I definitely think they are worth a go if you are willing to skip your LBS and stuff like test rides.
I was on the phone with their belgian customer support this afternoon. They were able to confirm me I could go and have a look at their facility in Koblenz, Germany, not too far from where I'm living. I could also place my order there and testride some bikes of necessary. They also sell nice accessories for killer prices. I'm definately thinking about buying one. Not sure on the model though, must be below 2200 euro, trail/all mountain. Which one should I get?
Well being close enough that you are able to go to their factory and test out the bikes first is a definite advantage for you. I've heard the most good things about the Nerve, which comes at various price points and in AM and XC models.
I wish they had costumer support over here in Canada, would definitely consider them when I have the money to upgrade my XC bike.
have a look at Rose, another german brand that sell direct, they have a few pro teams too, even have a UK women's national champ - Katy Curd. they also allow you to highly configure one of several base models at various price points.
Personally, I rate the Rose Granite Chef over the Nerve. look it up. They also sent me out a free 2in thick catalogue with all the gear they sell, comes in German or English.
regarding how do they do it.... Over the last few decades since German re-unified they have had to seriously focus efforts to regain the competitiveness they lost due to the poor economic / industry conditions in former soviet East Germany. Wisely they focused reform on manufacturing industries and now, although not cheap they have one of the last highly skilled labour forces in Europe with vast supporting resources - almost a monopoly. BMW, VW, Mercedes, Continental tyres, and many more brands. Now biking is benefiting from this too.
Post Message
Quote
