K2 Bikes: what's the story?

On Thu, 13 Oct 2005 00:46:14 -0500, [email hidden] (rs)

Quoted message said:

I notice a very wide price range for K2 bikes. The MOD 4.0 Compact road
aluminum w/ carbon fork, seat stays, truvativ rouleur compact, 10-speed
ultegra lists for $1800, sells for $1500 at REI and discounted for $1150 at
supergo.com Performancebike.com has several other models deeply discounted.
I looked at a Mod 4.0, seemed alright except the welds were some of the more
noticeable ones I've seen, certainly not a Cannondale. But are they good
bikes or why so cheap? Thanks and perhaps there is less about technical stuff
and more about marketing here.

Marketing and seasonal sales curves, IMO. They're most likely dumping
excess inventory in anticipation of the winter sales slump. Those may
also be units that are being either replaced or revamped for the 2006
model lineup; I haven't checked. I have heard that K2 has overbuilt
some models in the past, and then moved the surplus off to a
specialist for disposal at the end of the season, but this could have
been done by a major distributor (if they have one) as well.
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rs said:

I notice a very wide price range for K2 bikes. The MOD 4.0 Compact road
aluminum w/ carbon fork, seat stays, truvativ rouleur compact, 10-speed
ultegra lists for $1800, sells for $1500 at REI and discounted for $1150 at
supergo.com Performancebike.com has several other models deeply discounted.
I looked at a Mod 4.0, seemed alright except the welds were some of the more
noticeable ones I've seen, certainly not a Cannondale. But are they good
bikes or why so cheap? Thanks and perhaps there is less about technical stuff
and more about marketing here.

I can't speak for K2 specifically, but a lot of brands are essentially
distributors. The actual bikes are made all over the Far East. One model
may be made in an entirely different factory from another.

Lists for $1800 sells for $1500 is pretty common.

The $1150 at Supergo is for last year's model (a 2005) and it comes
unassembled in a box, versus fully assembled and ready to go. These
leftover bikes can be a bargain, but may have some defects (that would
normally be fixed by the selling dealer), and usually come with no
warranty. If you add $150 for assembly, $150 for the warranty, and $50
for shipping, that Supergo bike adds up to exactly what the dealer is
selling it for.