A Note from Kevin
Kevin Saunders
Welcome to “Perfectly Fit,” our newsletter which is designed to help you get the most out of an active, cycling lifestyle. I have a team of pros from all over the world that will help me provide you with great info and a place for you to find out what you want to know. Your feedback is so important and we will make a place for you to be heard.
This is an abbreviated Holiday Issue in part because I had a bout with the flu that delayed this issue and also because I am assisting Santa in some bicycle deliveries that forced me to shrink the issue a bit. Never fear, as the next issue will be back as usual, on time.
In our main article today I speak from the heart about the most important part of my business. You.
Our BikeTech Help Desk has taken a one issue break, and will return next issue with a few pressing questions and thoughtful answers.
Don’t forget to visit our blog as new stuff is posted there almost daily. It is easy to subscribe to the blog so you can get updates sent to you.
Thanks again for letting me share with you a little about cycling. I respect your time and will strive to continue to make it worth it.
Upcoming Events
These days I am hard at work designing bikes for triathletes who are ready to get their bikes for the off season. This time of year I am staying close to home because people are making the trek to San Antonio. Every positioning session is an event and one which you will find most valuable. Don’t forget lead times in these custom bikes. With six to eight week deliveries, you need to factor that into your purchase plans so your season can be best utilized for success.
Feature Article – The Value of You
Paulo and all of you make KGS Bikes a success! Photo: Kevin G Saunders
I was commiserating with a distributor recently and our discussion revolved around the oddities of the bicycle industry. This is an industry that rewards some and not others, like many industries, but from my perspective, the rewards and punishments are very unusual. First, the big rewards go to dealers who focus on selling stuff. What this means is the classic use of marketing and hype to create a sense of urgency that results in the purchase of things on impulse. It is the heart of the industry. In fact, I have discovered that people are so receptive to this that they will purchase substandard bicycles or overpriced bikes just because someone else rides one. It doesn’t matter if it fits, if it performs to expectations or if it is even that good. What matters is the coolness factor. Some would say that mediocrity is rewarded while true excellence is punished, at least in the short term.
The brilliant marketing wizards add sculpted lines and beauty to these bikes to make them more attractive and desirable. What they fail to deliver, however, is a product that can be an extension of the rider and a long term partner in health and longevity. The lowly custom bike with its round tubes is now even less expensive than some of these beauties, as one can spend over $20,000 on some beautiful stock bikes. It doesn’t seem to matter that the round tube is still the best shape for a bicycle frame tube, or that the owner can go faster, farther and more comfortably with less effort. What seems to matter is what really doesn’t matter.
In the last 18 months I have seen the market go from an appreciation of nice bikes to a damning of anything nice because of the economy. I have seen competitors “sell out” and offer cheap bikes to survive the change in consumer spending. What I see now, however, is a recovery in the demand for nice bicycles, which is good for my business, but what is troubling is the huge new demand in overpriced stock bikes that really don’t fit any better than a $1,000 Cannondale. To me, with the knowledge I have of positioning, this is an outrage. I want to tell everyone, “Look at what you are doing!” but find that for most, it falls on deaf ears. It simply doesn’t matter. Cool trumps value once we have a hint of economic recovery.
At the end of the day, I have to realize that I can’t save the world in the bicycle business. I can, however, make a big difference for a small number of people. Fortunately, you, my dear clients and friends, have supported me through an economic crisis that has been unprecedented in our lifetimes and I am still here to help as the dust clears. For that, I wake up daily with a heavy dose of humility and thanks. I have my wife, Toni, my health and of course, you all. I have the opportunity to help you one person at a time, to make the Fountain of Youth a reality in your life.
As so many Christmas stories remind us of what is important this time of year, I am reminded constantly how much the bicycle business has small niches of excellence that thrive even though they shouldn’t. KGS Bikes is one of those places in small part because I have a little talent and a good work ethic, but mostly because of you. Enough of you visit and share your goal of exceeding your limits as a cyclist, that we can help achieve that for you and I get to keep my job! Thank you from the bottom of my heart. You make a difference and I never forget this.
I wish you the happiest of holidays this season and look forward to an incredible New Year.
Kevin
President
KGS Bikes
Kevin Recommends
Go ahead! Give them a tri! Photo: Kevin Saunders
We only recommend products, services or companies that we have actually tried or worked with personally. A recommendation, like a reputation, is very important and we do not take this responsibility lightly. The following links are to our friends at the Cooper Aerobics Center in Dallas. Dr. Kenneth Cooper is considered “The Father of Aerobics” and has put together a group of world class companies that have a direct impact on us as cyclists and as professional people:
Cooper Complete – We have arranged for 10% off anything you buy from Cooper Complete if you put “KGS” in the coupon link and then “recalculate”.
Cooper Clinic - The world renowned Cooper Clinic is starting to create medical exams and services aimed at professional adults who ride bicycles.
Cooper Fitness Center – The Cooper Fitness Center has a special strength training introductory program for cyclists.
These links are to our frame builders and other providers that make KGS Bikes the premiere custom bicycle studio in the world:
Co-Motion Cycles – We’ve long enjoyed a reputation for building tandems that simply handle better.
Guru Bikes – Our approach is based on combining the best of both worlds: cutting edge technology delivered by hand and with an old school attention-to-detail.
Kirklee Bicycles – KirkLee is an up and coming great framebuilder from Austin. We are very excited about the quality and performance they bring and are proud to offer KirkLee frames as part of our KGS custom bicycle options.
Parlee Cycles – Simply put, PARLEE frames are the best built and best riding carbon fiber frames available today, at any price. They are functional works of art.
Red Licorice Events – The “Sweet and Twisted” team that promotes Austin’s best athletic events. KGS Bikes is an ongoing sponsor of triathlons produced by our friends Erin and Leilani and we are thrilled with the relationship.
River Place Country Club – This is our Austin address where we can meet in person to define your custom bike. We arranged with the folks at River Place CC to rent space on an as needed basis to offer a quiet focused environment to determine your ultimate bicycle position and then design a custom bike around that position. The New York Times describes cycling as “the new golf” and River Place CC recognizes that they can offer more than golf to the active lifestyle advocate.
Sem Custom Paint – Dave Sem is the best extreme detail painter in the world.
Serotta – Only Serottas have the extensive engineering of our proprietary Colorado Concept tubing design. It’s the foundation behind the unique ride of each and every Serotta.
Source Endurance – They are teaming with us to provide physiological testing, data analysis, training consultation and long-term coaching. They have two state-of-the art labs, one in Austin and one in San Marcus. We are proud to recommend them and invite you to check them out.
Tacx – Home of the Fortius Virtual Reality trainer. This is the trainer component of our “Ultimate Spin Bike”. Tacx also makes many other fine products. KGS Bikes is an Authorized Tacx Testing Center.
Topolino Technology – Our wheels embody this ethic: A fundamental redesign of wheel construction to take advantage of extraordinary materials with amazing properties, yielding a wheelset that performs like no other.
Zinn Cycles – For more than a quarter of a century, Zinn Cycles have been working to make cycling more enjoyable for customers, and that commitment remains at the heart of everything they do.
About KGS Bikes and Kevin
KGS Bikes Studio interior view
KGS Bikes is known around the world as the premiere custom bicycle studio. Kevin Saunders, President, has over 25 years experience in bicycle fitting and design of custom bicycles. He also has a broad knowledge of anatomy, structural engineering and industrial design. KGS Bikes creates custom bicycles with the best components available and uses framebuilders such as Co-Motion, Guru, KirkLee, Parlee, Serotta and Zinn. Visit kgsbikes.com for more information, including beautiful photography of the bikes carefully created for their owners. Don’t forget to find us on Facebook, twitter and at your next event to photograph your bike position and post it on Facebook and Flickr for you to share with your friends.
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