Reality sets in for Cadillac Bicycles

I just read the recent story on the AP wire about Cadillac Bicycles.  It seems their tone has already changed a bit from their launch back in May. 

They went from this:

"Cadillac Bicycles will be the benchmark for all bicycles with its advanced characteristics...we believe Cadillac Bicycles will stand out in a league of its own."

To this:

The decision [to sell bikes] was based largely on GM's desire to reach younger buyers, an executive said.  Dealers will be able to add a bicycle to help close a sale or to give them away to show appreciation to customers or sales personnel...GM employees get a 25 percent discount on the bikes and account for most of the sales so far.

That sounds like backpedaling to me.

Unlike other licensed brands that are sold in big box stores, I thought Cadillac was actually serious about their bikes; they advertise in Bicycle Retailer Magazine and they even showed up at Interbike last year.  However, now it's apparent that their play in the bike industry is little more than a branding exercise and I don't think I'll be seeing a Cadillac on the local group ride any time soon. 

Comments

[MG]

Quote number 1 = "We don't know how to sell bikes."

Quote number 2 = "We do know how to sell cars."

[Tim Jackson- Masiguy]

With the GMC Denali bikes in Wal-Mart and Cadillac in dealerships and "selected retailers", it looks like the auto industry is doing all they can to sell more cars (not bikes) and licensing companies are trying to capitalize on a known brand's popularity. Let's face it, a Kent-branded road bike won't sell.

Big picture, specific to GM Motors, I honestly can not imagine that they will remain in the bike industry for long. Even though, technically, it is the licensee (Kent) who stands to actually lose money. If Kent has the deep pockets to stay with the branding, then they will as long as they are making money. Cadillac won't want a bad public image from bikes that nobody likes, but they aren't really paying for them.

I can't see the bikes being in the marketplace for more than two years, personally. The Denali bikes, being sold through Wal-Mart, might not even last that long. A road bike for less than $200 is going to be a really crappy riding bike. I can't imagine that consumers will be impressed by the bikes.

I could be wrong.

Tim Jackson
Brand Manager
Masi Bikes

[mike w]

Hi I just bought a kent road bike and must say it rides better and smoother than my dad's shwinn world sport. It shifts very smooth and is extremly light. However the quality of the frame is questionable. I will use the bike to travel to my university 3 days a week ( 10 miles round trip) because of the rising cost of fuel and environmental, fitness purposes.

[Tim Jackson- Masiguy]

Mike,

I am glad to read that the bike is serving you well. Ultimately, regardless of the manufacturer or the price, that is what a bicycle should do. Hopefully it continues to serve you well and gets you further involved in cycling at the same time.

Tim Jackson
Brand Manager
Masi Bicycles

[isaac]

Hello everyone! i am happy owner of a kent denali, i think for the money this was a good deal! i'm in college and i can't afford to buy a $500.00 or more bicycle... it's just a bicycle after all. i agree that more expensive bikes are much better but most people assume that if is not expensive is not good at all. others might think is not good because it came from walmart.

[john]

yeah I have a kent denali road bike from wallmart. cheap, and also from that economic sucking sound called wallmart. trade deficit special I call it. However ive been riding this bike for a year now and its great. assembled well, pulls my burley flatbed trailer and seems more durable than I first thought. I dont race or anything but my fiancee and I lead a car-free lifestyle so it has to be dependable and good for distance. When I first got it I figured it would suck so I figured I would just replace parts as I went with good ones. wow I havent had to do anything but true the wheels in a year with daily rides of 15 - 30 miles or so year round. great deal even if I had to suck satans cock by giving walmart money. Being poor as I am and knowing these wont be around for too long as GM is becoming such a joke as is the economy, im buying two more this month and putting them into storage.

--john

[Nelson]

Okay here is the real deal. Outside of the bicycle industry who has ever heard of masi? that's our point with the Cadillac Branding on a bicycle. There are two very specific goals here at Cadillac Bicycles. 1) Build the best quality bicycle possible and 2) get more people on bicycles. Yes, we are guilty of using an established brand to attract new cyclists but we are not building sub quality bicycles. Also, most of the sales are not GM Employees as pointed out earlier. That accounts for less than 2%. Regarding GMC, I question why it isn't possible to sell a $200 road bike that is not junk. It's a 7000 series aluminum frame with durable components. What's wrong with that? Why does a bike need to cost more to make it a "quality" bike? The bottom line is that there is a wide spectrum of demographics that have not been turned onto cycling. We are taking a stab at getting more people to try cycling. Again, what's wrong with that? Looking forward to your response.

Nelson Maldonado
Director of Sales and Markeing, Cadillac Bicycles

[Tim Jackson- Masiguy]

Nelson,

Great to hear from you in this forum. It proves the worth of such a place for us all to get together and discuss stuff.

On to your comments- I apologize if my earlier comments offended in any way. It certainly was not my intention- hence my closing comment "I could be wrong."

My first comments about the bikes were admittedly based only on a cursory look at the bikes in passing during the show and then the minimal feedback I'd heard from a few folks. On the flip-side of that, one of my dealers is one of your dealers as well and he has had very positive things to say about the bikes and especially the selling prices. The GMC Denali bikes have even been given a very glowing review in the comments above as well.

My point all along is that more people on bikes is a good thing- regardless of who is making them (though I admit that I would like to see them on Masi bicycles).

In regards to the other comments I made, I do still see it as an unique branding combination, given the Cadillac brand image for luxury cars/ SUVs and the pricing scale of the bikes. I do hope that the bikes stick around longer than I predicted before, just because I hate to see brands come and go. I like seeing them show up on the market, but I sure get bummed when they leave like all the other branded bikes have in the past. Eddie Bauer, Fila, etc.

Again, I'm sorry if my ealier comments offended you or anyone there at Cadillac Bicycles. My comments were merely based on the trends of the past that I have seen over the years in the industry and on preliminary feedback.

Tim Jackson
Brand Manager
Masi Bicycles

[shay]

Having read all of the comments in this forum about the GMC denali series bikes, I am going to go to wal-mart today and buy one. Having very negative experiences in the past with wal-mart bikes, I envisioned this bike being junk like the previous ones purchased for around $100. These however were beach cruisers. I have a very expensive mountain bike and do not feel comfortable riding it to school anymore due to theft. I also have had a hankering to get into road cycling ever since I purchased my mountain bike (trek 4900) and I think an entry level road bike such as this is fantastic!

[shay]

Having read all of the comments in this forum about the GMC denali series bikes, I am going to go to wal-mart today and buy one. Having very negative experiences in the past with wal-mart bikes, I envisioned this bike being junk like the previous ones purchased for around $100. These however were beach cruisers. I have a very expensive mountain bike and do not feel comfortable riding it to school anymore due to theft. I also have had a hankering to get into road cycling ever since I purchased my mountain bike (trek 4900) and I think an entry level road bike such as this is fantastic!

[Dave S.]

Hey gang,
I am about to buy a GMC Denali myself. The reviews sound great and for an entry-level road bike, especially considering Im in grad school and cant afford anything more expensive, this is perfect.

Just an FYI to people, AMAZON just started carrying the entire line of GMC bikes, road and Mtn! Forget Wal-Mart, with free shipping and Amazon's great customer service, I'm buying from them.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/search.html/sr=3-2/qid=1139202859/ref=sr_3_2/104-2591365-6677508?%5Fencoding=UTF8&node=3403201&index=sporting&brand=GMC&rh=a%3A3375301%2Ct%2Ca%3A3403201

[Joseph Haney]

Hi all, I bought one of these GMC Denali bikes from AMAZON and So far I've only logged 16 miles, I am however a much larger than average male (275lbs currently) and can add that so far this bike has held up to me. I'll come back and post more after tomorrows 10+ mile ride and let you know how it's done. I am new to cycling, my friend has a TREK 1000 and we were head to head last weekend, They are geared damn close, that much I can tell you! ;) The bike does shift smooth as silk once you get it adjusted, that much I can tell you.

I'll post again, hope it's good news :)

Joe

[Chuck Dee]

The Kent / Cadillac line also includes some upper and top end road bikes. The Elite 1 is a very nice looking item. I just purchased an RLE 1.8. There is no way anybody can touch this bike for the money (new). It's got all Shimano 105 except crank, headset and pedals. Carbon fiber fork and seat stays and 105 below $1000???? (I paid 800) Holy cow. The build quality is better than average. The welds are as nice as anything from Cannondale. I'd considered beadblasting the paint and logos off it, but it looks pretty nice, so I'll keep it like it is. Very nice bike, unbelievable for the money. Took me about two hours to assemble and tune. The only criticism is that the seat (which is very light) is unbearable. It found the recycle bin immediately. No other complaints at all. Thank you, Kent bikes. I am ecstatic.

[L.T.]

Hello -

I purchased the GMC Denali Road Bike this weekend. I am riding in the MS150 (Houston to Austin) and needed a bike. I am a beginner cyclist and spending an obscene amount of money on bike did not seem practical to me. So far I have only rode the bike around my neighborhood and the ride was smooth, the seat is comfortable. Seasoned cyclist may frown upon the bike but it allows people like me to experience the cycling world without spending the rent money on a "fancy" bike I cannot afford. If it is truly a combined effort of Kent and GMC to get more people on road bikes, then they are on the right track with the price and product. If cycling is a sport I decide to stick with then I will consider a more expensive bike.

[shane camilleri]

HI.I've been building frames for several years noe and have just started getting into aluminum.I just bought a rle1.8 for the frame.The parts went to my sons bike and the frame got my dura-ace stuff with a set of mavic ksyriums.I am real impressed.Lets face facts folks.Trek,Giant,Specialized and the other big ones are getting their stuff out of the same factories.The frames all look so familiar.And are spec'd with the same stuff except that the big guys cheep out on things like brakes and cranks.Cadillac gives you an oyherwise full 105 bike ( fsa crank & bb ) for 1400 canadian.Why pay for the big brand name.I hope to get the ultegra equipped bike soon as it is made of deda e2 tubing and looks alot like a Bianchi.But at alot less money.The brand name may be wrong but the quility is the same as the other brands.

[Keith]

Well...I've had a GMC Denali Road bike for a year now and I surely got my money's worth. I have gone on 30-40 mile treks with my local cycling club and average around 10 miles a day during the week. They guys in the club are impressed with what I got or $150.00. I replaced the pedals with Nashbar Look clipless and the bike rides even better. So far, it's been great with one problem. When new, the rear derailure hit the spokes at the lowest gear requiring me to make some adjustments. It's still very close but I still hesitate to go into very low gears for this reason.

[shane camilleri]

has any one else noticed that even Masi of Italy is getting most of their carbon and aluminum frames from Taiwan??WHere else are they going to go when everybody else is.The major guys are and the quality of work on the road bikes by Caddy is better than that of Giant.Have you seen some of the frame welds out there???

[JD Kimple]

I've seen these bikes at Wally World and some "Sports" stores like Dunham's, etc. and I see potential here, BUT the assembly (as you would expect in these environments) is crap. I can see a lot of people getting discouraged as this being thier first "road bike" and returning them, then switching back to a mountain bike to ride on paved trails. I know the assembly is done by a third party most of the time who gets paid by the piece to slam these together and properly functioning brakes don't enter the picture.

That said these bikes have potential. I'd say bump up the price $20 bucks to pay for a halfway decent setup to ensure a satisfied, return customer. That's the name of the game, I thought.

To Nelson Maldonado, the "market" that you are referring to doesn't know bicycles outside of Huffy, Schwinn and Magna. Maybe Trek due to Lance. If this is who you want to target, fine. If you want someone who is semi-serious about bikes but can't afford a Masi (or Trek, or Rivendell, or ...) then you may need to re-think your comments. Again, depends on your target demographic.

I used to be a bike snob but now I see it as, is the customer happy with their bike, wether thay paid $145 or $1,450? If they are happy, it does what they want it to do and it holds up then it's the right tool for the job.

[ed]

I bought my GMC denali about a month ago and have since put about 250 miles on it. The bike was super cheap from Amazon and it does everything I need. Being a beginner I didnt' wnat to start out on an expensive bike, not knowing if I'd really be into it. I'd recommend this bike to anyone looking to get started with cycling.

[craig merrell]

The idea of having to buy a bike that breaks the bank in order to be happy is so much garbage.... The folk at Trek, Specialized et. al... Have the balls to tell us if you don't spend $4000.00 + on a road bike with all the "carbon gofasters" you won't be happy. BUNK!!!!!

Last year I bought a Giant TCR 1 last year ($1500) and spent another $1200.00 building wheels etc to make it work for me.

Now I ride an RLE 1.8 ($900.00) and the quality and ride are good. I built a Surly Karate Monkey ($600.00). These two bike represent a major change in my thinking about bikes and price vs quality that the Big Boys in "Bicycling" and "Mtn. Bike Action" talk about.

YOU DON'T NEED TO SPEND AN ARM AND A LEG TO GET A GOOD BIKE. So do I need to spend all that money. NO!

I hope this blog goes to the folks that build the bikes that have the "High Lust Factor" and they start building bikes we can afford to ride.

Craig

[Phil Booe]

I got one of these to commute from my apartment to my seminary, and also to ride around in the park. I love it!
www.thebooes.com

[d.s. cox]

I have this bike and i was very happy with it, was. the bike is falling apart, from the seat to the wheels. the hubs have so much metal shaves that i get a flat almost every time i ride. the crank is going out and the seat came off during a ride. granted, i ride hard, but this bike should have lasted longer then three months. i went to the garage this a.m. and what do you know, a flat. metal shaves in the tube, i changed that tube yesterday and the day before that and so on. wally world said 90 days is up so to bad so sad. kent bikes said to send them the bike and they will take a look, mail the bike are you mad? its just sad that things are made to be thrown away.

[bmk]

I got my GMC Denali Road Bike yesterday in the mail and have ridden it twice. I cannot shift into lower gears without having trouble. I called the number for Kent on one of the booklets the bike came with and the bitch just told me to talk to walmart. I can't say I'm pleased.

[learningthehardway]

my experience w/the 19.5" gmc denali road bike-
the bike is beautiful, but the components are bottom end. on average, it goes into the shop for repairs one-two times monthly. the derailers act up on every ride. the chain jumps. i have to shift up to go back down into a different gear. the seat is harder than a rock. both stock tubes blew out within the first 50 miles. the steering is quirky(after 150 miles -tight turning that feels like someone welded it together in a place that should be fluid). the crank makes a clunking noise. the caps fell out of the drops on one of the first rides i went on. the water bottle cage is too small to hold anything larger than a 16 oz. drink. the frame doesn't allow for much storage of any kind. rear hub has a strange noise. overall, it's a beautiful bike if you're looking to store something pretty in your garage, but if you want a bike for mileage and durability DEFIINITLEY keep shopping.

[Desmond]

I just bought a Kent ridge runner AL. Should I take it back and get the denali?