At 6:33 PM -0400 10/24/02, Richard M Sachs wrote:
>would you buy one if it was outsourced to another italian job shop?
Yeah, I probably would. And I would buy an Eddy Merckx that was made by DeRosa, too. ;-)
Nothing against bikes made in Taiwan- their current manufacturing technology is as good, if not better, than anything in Europe, I would bet.
When did Motobecane stop being a Motobecane? In the early 1980s, when they
were machine-made and mass-produced in Taiwan (using poor technology) and
no longer hand-made by artisans who loved their work. That was the end of
their era.
>where does 'branding' begin and end?
Advertisers have written books about that subject. I wish there was a simple answer. In the simplest terms, it begins and ends with the name and reputation. In the most complex terms, everything between that beginning and end is based on numerous (and little-understood) emotional factors and decisions.
Some people get emotional about certain brands of bicycles. I know I do (which seems to be causing a lot of argument right now).
Herb Langston
Evanston, IL