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new Vredstein tires for me!

ire

Turbo Monkey
Aug 6, 2007
6,196
4
We distribute several high-end mostly European brands, but the difference between us and someone like QBP or J&B is that we handle the marketing for the brands as well. So we don't just distribute, we do a lot more.
You must be the sole importer then?
 

LordOpie

MOTHER HEN
Oct 17, 2002
21,022
3
Denver
Feel free not to answer as you may not be allowed to...

But like Sidi, the only way to buy them in the USA is through your company to a reseller to me? There's no way for a US shop to get Sidi unless it passes through y'all first?

Here's where I'm going with this... ya know how Intel was nothing but a chip manufacturer? Then it marketed itself to end-users even tho 99% of users wouldn't know a chip if you dipped it in salsa? Then it was all "Intel Inside"?

Well, if Veltec only 'licenses' quality stuff for sale in the USA, then why not market your company? I know it's about the quality product, but looking at your website, I see products I love (Sidi, Vreds, Colnago), but products I've never heard of.

Knowing that it must meet the Veltec standard, I am now interested in those products, tho I still know nothing about them.

Like ALINE Insoles. Their website -- from about a 15 second scan -- doesn't really tell me anything to differentiate them from the rest of the insole makers out there, but knowing Veltec is the US agent, now I'm more interested.

Or maybe, via the license, you're not allowed to associate yourself with the product directly? If so, the companies you represent lack vision.


(yes, I'm in marketing, but not really the point :))
 

James

Carbon Porn Star
Sep 11, 2001
3,559
0
Danbury, CT
Feel free not to answer as you may not be allowed to...

But like Sidi, the only way to buy them in the USA is through your company to a reseller to me? There's no way for a US shop to get Sidi unless it passes through y'all first?

Here's where I'm going with this... ya know how Intel was nothing but a chip manufacturer? Then it marketed itself to end-users even tho 99% of users wouldn't know a chip if you dipped it in salsa? Then it was all "Intel Inside"?

Well, if Veltec only 'licenses' quality stuff for sale in the USA, then why not market your company? I know it's about the quality product, but looking at your website, I see products I love (Sidi, Vreds, Colnago), but products I've never heard of.

Knowing that it must meet the Veltec standard, I am now interested in those products, tho I still know nothing about them.

Like ALINE Insoles. Their website -- from about a 15 second scan -- doesn't really tell me anything to differentiate them from the rest of the insole makers out there, but knowing Veltec is the US agent, now I'm more interested.

Or maybe, via the license, you're not allowed to associate yourself with the product directly? If so, the companies you represent lack vision.


(yes, I'm in marketing, but not really the point :))
Well, it's a bit complicated, but I'll try to break it down so it makes a bit of sense, and I'm not confused. :)

First, yes, a shop has to be a Veltec dealer in order to get any of our stuff. Even further, to sell Colnago for example, a shop has to be approved to sell frames. We're less picky with brand like Vredestein and Enervit for example.

Veltec made the conscious choice to move our brand a bit to the background, and push our partner brands instead, at least to the consumer. For example, we want Vredestein or Sidi or Colnago to be the name people think of, not Veltec, some distributor. Shops know us, and know that we usually only represent brands that are in the top 3 in their fields.
We are pretty picky about out brands, and we are always the sole distributor in at least the US, though we prefer having exclusive rights for both US and Canada.
We're pretty well known in the industry, for example after Look took their stuff direct, we were approached by several brands for possible distribution, Colnago being the result obviously.
We have a sister company over in Europe, Veltec Benelux, and they do things a bit differently, they promote Veltec as more of a brand, but they do have several more wholly-owned brands over there than we do, and the US market is much, much different than Europe.

We are currently not working with ALINE, we've decided to mutually part ways. It's a good product, but just wasn't as good a fit as we would have liked.

It's a discussion we seem to have every year, but right now I think we're happy to let our partner brands shine, at the end of the day they are the product we're selling.

Hope that made a little bit of sense...:)

JJames
 

LordOpie

MOTHER HEN
Oct 17, 2002
21,022
3
Denver
Makes sense. Very clear.

In the case of Intel, they had one product to push to the end-user, despite the tons of boxes they were in.

In the case of a distributor that has 100s or 1000s of products, it's easier to market themselves than all those products.

In your case, you have a small select group of premier products that sell themselves. No reason to re-invent the wheel, as it were.

Like Sidi, nothing you say about Veltec will improve the quality of the Sidi Brand. It's Sidi, enough said :)

And Colnago just makes me hard.
 

-dustin

boring
Jun 10, 2002
7,155
1
austin
I didn't realize that Enervit was bought through Veltec. Some of their stuff is damn good, while other bits are putrid. Enervit, Accelerade, and Hammer Nutrition products all sell very, very well for us. I just got some Enervit tablets to try out tomorrow... We no longer stock Nuun tablets, sadly.
 

ire

Turbo Monkey
Aug 6, 2007
6,196
4
Thats very cool JJames....now if I could just get you to send me a Colnago :biggrin:
 

ire

Turbo Monkey
Aug 6, 2007
6,196
4
I fvckin flatted again today :panic: :banghead:

I needed to test out the new cranks on the cross bike so I went out an did a cross ride and flatted about mid way through my ride.......I'm so sick of flat tires. I race cross on tubeless tires, but I was riding my backup wheels (which are tubed).

I did get my sweet Vredstein tires mounted on the road bike and they are all ready for tomorrow. It is raining right now, so it should be a good test of the tires. Looking forward to it!!! :biggrin:
 

loco-gringo

Crusading Clamp Monkey
Sep 27, 2006
8,887
14
Deep in the heart of TEXAS
I didn't realize that Enervit was bought through Veltec. Some of their stuff is damn good, while other bits are putrid. Enervit, Accelerade, and Hammer Nutrition products all sell very, very well for us. I just got some Enervit tablets to try out tomorrow... We no longer stock Nuun tablets, sadly.
Just get your HJ rep to bring them by. I get them from Hans and UBP.
 

loco-gringo

Crusading Clamp Monkey
Sep 27, 2006
8,887
14
Deep in the heart of TEXAS
I fvckin flatted again today :panic: :banghead:

I needed to test out the new cranks on the cross bike so I went out an did a cross ride and flatted about mid way through my ride.......I'm so sick of flat tires. I race cross on tubeless tires, but I was riding my backup wheels (which are tubed).

I did get my sweet Vredstein tires mounted on the road bike and they are all ready for tomorrow. It is raining right now, so it should be a good test of the tires. Looking forward to it!!! :biggrin:
I want to get some strips and run my CX bike tubeless.
 

James

Carbon Porn Star
Sep 11, 2001
3,559
0
Danbury, CT
I didn't realize that Enervit was bought through Veltec. Some of their stuff is damn good, while other bits are putrid. Enervit, Accelerade, and Hammer Nutrition products all sell very, very well for us. I just got some Enervit tablets to try out tomorrow... We no longer stock Nuun tablets, sadly.
Taste is very subjective, but I will admit that one of the gels, the Lemon I think, I did not enjoy. I think I likened it to "Satan spitting in my mouth" or something.
The GT Tablets are awesome, both for use while riding, but they are also an INCREDIBLE hangover cure. One of those every 30 minutes with some water, and you're on your way to feeling better.

Have you had any Envervit Cheerpacks? Liquid crack, just amazing.
 

James

Carbon Porn Star
Sep 11, 2001
3,559
0
Danbury, CT
I fvckin flatted again today :panic: :banghead:

I needed to test out the new cranks on the cross bike so I went out an did a cross ride and flatted about mid way through my ride.......I'm so sick of flat tires. I race cross on tubeless tires, but I was riding my backup wheels (which are tubed).

I did get my sweet Vredstein tires mounted on the road bike and they are all ready for tomorrow. It is raining right now, so it should be a good test of the tires. Looking forward to it!!! :biggrin:
Sweet! Let me know how they work out!
145psi remember!
 

ire

Turbo Monkey
Aug 6, 2007
6,196
4
Sweet! Let me know how they work out!
145psi remember!
Rode like a champ!! I really like them....the pavement had dried by the time I went out, so I didn't get to check the wet conditions handling. Thanks again JJames!