Bell Equip is
Why do you care so much about manufacturers?
I, Endo, want people who buy as much as possible to ride a bike that they think is good in the future.
There are various manufacturers now, but regardless of Japan or Italy, production is in Taiwan or China.
A long time ago, through four years of racing in Europe (only four years, but shocking!), I realized that
A brand that is said to be good at the scene of a race responds immediately when there is a problem, corrects it,
We are just aiming for further upgrades. It means that you are improving every day.
Even if there is trouble, there is no way you can do good things by responding indifferently or saying that it is an event in a distant country.
A good example is GIANT
This is the 1998 VUELTA (Tour de Spain) year when we started supplying European teams for the first time.
At that time, GIANT, which was supplying to Once, had prepared an ultra-light bike for Jalabert, the ace.
The day before the mountain stage, Jalaber took the trouble to stop in the middle of the stage to switch to a lightweight prototype bike for testing.
At that time, it weighed 6.7 kg, but Jalabert was satisfied with its uphill performance and lightness, but he didn't seem to be satisfied with its downhill performance, so it wasn't actually used the next day. It was after that that I was surprised as a mechanic.
For that reason, a dedicated engineer (Taiwanese production manager) from Taiwan accompanies the Once team,
He brought the new frame to Jalabert in about a week (three days in effect).
It was completely new, and I remember being really surprised by the attitude and speed of trying to master the new technology.
I was impressed by the quickness of their response and their honesty in acknowledging the defects of the product and moving on to the next step.
Giant is now the world's second largest manufacturer. (No. 1 in production volume)
When I was working in Japan, I thought it was just made in Taiwan, but after that happened, I completely changed my mind.
Today, the world's bicycle industry cannot exist without Giant.
A bad example is that I can't name the manufacturer here, but one manufacturer had three carbon forks broken in one day on the first day of the cobblestone race.
According to the manufacturer, even though it actually broke on site, it was "impossible".
After that, this manufacturer also broke the fork during the live TV of the race, and the rider broke his collarbone.
They don't understand that trouble is an opportunity to make a good frame.
Weak welds, insufficient pipe stiffness, weak joints. In Europe, such a manufacturer appears in front of the TV in the light of day.
Post-Swiss Time was a great manufacturer in that regard.
Or rather, I didn't have a spare fork because I didn't have a single fork exchange.
The above are just a few examples, but the brands I choose are all aware of such circumstances, so I don't choose them based on the level of popularity or fashion, such as beautiful paint or simply carbon.
I chose something that would last a long time, be durable, run well, and give me peace of mind.
It's easier to sell reasonably popular makers at a lower price, but we carefully select makers that you won't regret after getting in and learning a lot, and that you can feel great driving.
Rather than "selling because it is easy to sell", I would like to recommend products that are good even if they are difficult to sell.
In recent years, there have been an increasing number of cases in which the manufacturer purchases the quantity or set amount of money under the pretext of a contract.
In other words, if you don't buy the manufacturer's price, you won't sell it to your house in the future.
I was forced to buy something I didn't want. But I have to sell it.
This is the lowest. I have no contract with this manufacturer.
The contract shop also depends on their livelihood, so the top priority is to meet the quota, and put themselves in the position of the rider.
It seems that it has become a difficult world to choose.
Therefore, at Belle Equip, we have a policy of not dealing with manufacturers that have a quota from the time we open.
2001/8