More on the Kona Bike Count: Is it Misleading?

Given the power of the Kona bike/gear count, you'd assume that some companies are going to try everything to increase their visibility and boost their image. So how low (or far) do they go?

Here's a few things to consider... A lot of items' counts are high by default based on the fact that they come stock. A good example is all of the vision aerobars that were spec'd on Cervelo's, Quintana Roo's, etc. over the years. Something else to consider is the fact that some companies sponsor major triathlon teams. Orbea and Ridley sponsor the Timex and Zoot teams respectively. Given the talent level needed to be a part of those teams, at the end of the year, a lot of their members end up qualifying for Kona, and therefore boost their equipment count.

Finally, there's companies that give away product in the form of "sponsorships", Quintana Roo being a goo example. Though they don't give away all of their product, they have some pro's, as well as elite amateurs representing the brand (an estimated 20%-25%). And according to an industry source, Rudy Project's campaign (see above) has been by far the most aggressive. Out of the 211 Rudy Project helmets that put them atop the Kona count, as many as 200 of them were part of their Kona plan to give away free product to qualifiers. Which poses two questions: is the Kona bike count that meaningful, that it is necessary to perform well on it? Or, is the only way to get athletes to wear/ride certain types of equipment to boost up the count to give it away for free? My guess is the latter.