Re: Curious product lineups, Litespeed division

On Thu, 8 May 2008 08:23:19 -0700 (PDT), landotter
<landotter@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:

>On May 8, 8:51 am, Colin Campbell <cmca...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
>> Ryan Cousineau wrote:
>> > So a lucky friend just acquired a Litespeed Archon, which led me to
>> > check out the current lineup.
>>
>> > This high-end Ti builder offers eight road frames.
>>
>> >http://litespeed.com/2008/home.aspx#
>>
>> > Eight?
>>
>> > Okay, I get the Good One, the Stupid-Light One, the Cyclocross One,
The
>> > Century Ride One, and the One for Girls.
>>
>> > Can anyone explain the other three frames? I gather one is, more or
>> > less, The Cheap One, but a newsgroup No-Prize is offered to anyone
who
>> > can explain the Ardennes and the Siena.
>>
>> > Can anyone find a similar excess of frame designs from another maker?
>> > Note that the same frame under two different names (as sometimes
happens
>> > to bikes with the same frame but different component specs) doesn't
>> > count.
>>
>> The lineup is full of sloping top tubes.  I hate 'em!
>
>Surely there is counseling in your locality for obsessive compulsives.
>Form follows function.

Form follows cost accounting. It's cheaper to manufacture frames in
Large, Medium, Small (see thread on moderately expensive Wal-Mart road
bike) and depend upon seat post lengths for bike fit than to
manufacture bikes in sizes from 48cm to 60cm (for example).

I was watching the Tour of Romandie over the weekend and it sort of
looked like many of the riders were on mountain bikes with drop bars.
I too hate sloping top tubes.  :-|



-- 
jeverett3<AT>sbcglobal<DOT>net      (John V. Everett)