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.

Litespeed Gets Creative

Litespeed (@litespeed_bike), the sister brand of Quintana Roo (@quintanarootri) has long been associated with high-end Titanium frames, until recently. For 2012, they're expanding upon that and releasing a non-aero carbon frame, the L series (pictured above) to try and compliment their aero platform - the Archon Carbon line (C1r, C1, C2, C3 bikes).

The big surprise for 2012 however, was a couple of really nice-looking "Urban" Ti frames. The Litespeed Copenhagen (pictured with fenders, drop-bars, rack) and the Tribeca (single-speed) are are a bit out of the ordinary for the Tennessee based company, but intriguing nonetheless. It'll be interesting to see how popular these are, especially considering they will only be available as frames and retail for $2,000.

Quintana Roo's CD 0.1 The Shift Has Hit the Fan

If you're familiar with the CD 0.1, you may want to skip right on down a couple of paragraphs. However, if you're not, read up because it actually is a really cool bike.

While most of the features on high end bikes now a days revolve around integrated seat-masts, BB this, BB that, hidden brakes, etc. etc. Quintana Roo has come up with a very innovative way to make the bike more aerodynamic and stable. The "shift" technology as they've called features an asymmetrical downtube that re-directs the air so that once it reconnects behind the front wheel it flows entirely to the non drive-side of the bike (the clean side of the bike).

While the frame is only one part of the whole "aerodynamic equation", with the rider and positioning being the most important, it's a significant advance in frame design that no other bike manufacturer has pursued. So why not take advantage of it to the max???

I'm not suggesting that innovative ideas are always successful right out of the gate, however a company with the history of Quintana Roo should be all over the Triathlon world. QR should be talking about their bike, their findings in the wind tunnel, comparing the CD 0.1 to every other bike out there that beat them in the Kona bike count (see list, it's a lot of companies), and anything that might help them get back to the glory days... At least have some Kool-Aid prepared so that people may drink it.

As a fan of the company... a fan of Litespeed to be more specific (one of my favorite bikes), I'd like to see QR succeed. This is why when I see an ad like the one above, it makes me scratch my head. It's great conceptually... they show what other companies can't so simply, with a fan and a ribbon. However, are most readers going to understand that there's a ribbon attached to the front wheel? Is this bike a gift to the person that lives in that trendy apartment along with a fan to keep cool? is it a printing blemish, it does look like a little red line. Why not feature an image capture of the CD 0.1 in the wind tunnel as the wind is re-directed to the non drive-side? Better yet, show your bike next to one with a "traditional" downtube and how the air doesn't "flow" backed with actual wind tunnel numbers.

Maybe I'm underestimating your creative powers ABG, or maybe underestimating the geekyness (with all the love and respect... see sample Slowtwitch topic) of triathlete magazine readers. Maybe this ad will be properly interpreted and understood as soon as readers see it. I guess we'll see, the numbers will show once the 2010 Kona bike count comes out.