Sure, Rock Racing’s made some interesting talent-acquisition decisions and is currently relegated to being the fastest amateur team in the world, but when it comes to business, it’s succeeded in getting and keeping attention, which is no small feat. And let’s be honest, their new road bikes are pretty bad ass looking.
Now, Rock & Republic / Rock Racing founder Michael Ball says they’ll be producing a road bike with a belt drive, and we found photos of a fixed-gear bike and some pretty solid looking components on their website, indicating they’re actually taking this whole bike brand thing seriously. No, you couldn’t race a belt drive in a pro race, but then when has appeasing the UCI ever been Ball’s M.O.?
Check out the rest of the goodies after the break…
The pics on their website are all teasers…the only things for sale at present are clothing and jerseys, bibs and socks.
The conundrum, of course, is who’s going to buy these. Self respecting hipsters simply won’t spend the coin or risk mockery. Sure, you can pretend you don’t care by wearing things too tight or not-combing your hair just so, but even if these bikes are awesome, I doubt we’ll see too many of them unless there’s a track sponsorship attached.
The road bikes, however, might be a different story. They look sweet, and even if these components aren’t their own, the graphics and detail (rough surface on the handlebars, for example) are both smart and good looking. Sure, some folks from the group ride will laugh, but in the end, it’ll come down to the ride quality and RR’s ability to get them in front of consumers…if they’re well reviewed and readily available, I think you’ll end up seeing them around.
At present, BikeBiz reports that the bikes will primarily be sold direct, though they are looking at a few select shops. Given the economy, they’re going to have to offer some pretty good terms to stock what are undoubtedly going to be high ticket items, though Ball has said they’ll be priced “in line with today’s world. The pricing is in the sweet spot.” (Quote from a rather interesting interview in Velonation)
