This really gets old. I understand the connection that they are both transportation and have wheels. But the car company always makes some half thought out creation that is at least a couple if not 10 years behind the current cycling market. There have been a few of these bikes that were not terrible. But they have always been connected with an actual bike company such as the Kona/Ford and the Colnago/Ferrari partnerships.
The bad
The not so bad
This BMW bike has been driving me nuts because it is nicely styled but it is a hard tail which has not been current tech for years. It would have been nice to see this bike as a 29er commuter. That would have been a cool use of this really nicely style frame. One last thing that drives me crazy about it is that it shows up on all of the new product sites and is said to be innovative. That is just not the case. I would just like to see real innovation from the car companies.
But from a branding standpoint, id say the ferrari is actually the worst of the three. Doesnt represent anything of what i associate with the Ferrari brand.
Au contrere, mon frere… Colnago and Ferrari have everything in common. They’re overpriced because of the name, and only the wealthy people, and those who think spending as much as possible on something buys you value. In that respect, they’re a perfect fit.
This BMW bike has been driving me nuts because it is nicely styled but it is a hard tail which has not been current tech for years. It would have been nice to see this bike as a 29er commuter.
I don’t realy understand your comment regarding hardtails. Hardtails are excellent for their use. Most of the world cup MTB riders use hardtails. I would say “current tech” relies more on the frame geometry and materials, moulding technology, brakes and gear systems.
A very well executed bike from a car manufacturer, “Inspired by Spyker, designed by Koga” as they say, result of a joint project between the two companies.
Wasn’t going to mention, but since people are piling on: Here in the loving rolling hills of the midwest, hardtails are perfect. I typically ride a full rigid single 29er…
This was my thought when I wrote this post. It was not really to diminish the importance of the hardtail as a bike. I also like riding them. But it was to point out the lack of innovation that is getting praised. There is just nothing new about a hardtail. There are 1000s sold everyday. So this one is special because it is styled by BMW?
With Colnago/Ferrari combination the reasons I feel this is a good example is it is a true partnership. The Ferrari and Colnago besides being expensive are actually right next to each other and have some shared facilities. This Ferrari/Colnago bike is about 10 years old and at the time it was designed it was pretty cutting edge. Things like a full carbon front triangle and F1 car inspired full suspension made it very current to the market.
I feel what has bothered me is praise were praise is not due. This bike is not interesting to a bike geek such as myself. It draws attention away from really cycling products that could really use the help getting there name out there.
Perhaps this is the point. Was the BMW bike ever designed to target bike geeks? I expect that it probably wasn’t. People who know their bikes are unlikely to pay over the odds for a bike that would demand a premium (on top of the premium demanded by the technology included) simple for the badge. I expect that the people that would buy a BMW bike will be doing it for the looks and the street cred given by other non-bikers, rather than performance (i.e. those with the cash to splash).
Aesthetically, I think that the BMW bike is pretty stunning and is a well executed ‘brand exercise’ for BMW. It probably wouldn’t take you too many guesses to guess the brand even if the badge was missing. Much much better than the Ferrari bike… terrible!
