Does the bike sponsor effect team choices for professional riders

[CentralCaliBike]

With the announcement that Pinarello is sponsoring Team Sky the question came to mind.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/pinarello-named-as-team-sky-bike-sponsor

 

[Master50]

I remember a rider from Mapei, Ballerini ?, asked Earnesto to rebadge a C40 when he changed teams.

I only remember Colnago stories

 

[CentralCaliBike]

I remember a rider from Mapei, Ballerini ?, asked Earnesto to rebadge a C40 when he changed teams.

I only remember Colnago stories

I have heard in the past that re-badging was common. Today a lot of bikes have very distinctive profiles which might make that a tough sell. I a fairly confident that the top manufacturers build decent bikes but I wonder if there are some out there sponsoring teams that have a bad reputation which results in riders not wanting to ride for the team?

 

[usedtobefast]

no.

 

[Bag_O_Wallet]

I remember a rider from Mapei, Ballerini ?, asked Earnesto to rebadge a C40 when he changed teams.

I only remember Colnago stories

Tonkov. He didn't like the bikes that Mercury had. They rode Lemonds.

 

[Bag_O_Wallet]

I have heard in the past that re-badging was common. Today a lot of bikes have very distinctive profiles which might make that a tough sell. I a fairly confident that the top manufacturers build decent bikes but I wonder if there are some out there sponsoring teams that have a bad reputation which results in riders not wanting to ride for the team?

Early USPS years the TT frames looked an awful lot like Litespeeds, and rumour has is that Tex rode a re-badged Litespeed Classic to victory in the 1993 Worlds. Steady Eddy didn't work with titanium at that point.

 

[runninboy]

I know guys in the 80s rebadged alot.
But talking to the few Pros i know the bike is just a tool and the difference between bikes to them is just a small factor.
I think as a Pro you have to be adaptable but amateurs usually find something to complain about.
Case in point think of all the whining when a club changes clothing suppliers
"It runs too big, the chamois feels funny, the zippers are lousy, blah blah blah"

 

[Swingtop]

For the world cyclocross, Boom didn't use Giant, the official sponsor by then, but labeled his Colnago with neutral Rabo paint. I think it matters more for this discipline than road racing.

 

[runninboy]

For the world cyclocross, Boom didn't use Giant, the official sponsor by then, but labeled his Colnago with neutral Rabo paint. I think it matters more for this discipline than road racing.

I agree. I also think the level of Pro makes a difference, I mean if I was a world champion i am going to ride the bike that got me that championship.

 

[franciep10]

Early USPS years the TT frames looked an awful lot like Litespeeds, and rumour has is that Tex rode a re-badged Litespeed Classic to victory in the 1993 Worlds. Steady Eddy didn't work with titanium at that point.

I love litespeed, unquestionably my favourite bike frame I've branched out over the years, but I just love my litespeed. In relation to the Op question don't think it makes a difference

 

[Race Radio]

Early USPS years the TT frames looked an awful lot like Litespeeds, and rumour has is that Tex rode a re-badged Litespeed Classic to victory in the 1993 Worlds. Steady Eddy didn't work with titanium at that point.

They were Lightwspeeds. Even Eddy outsourced his Ti bikes.

Tafi on his Cervelo....errr C40

 

[4bidon]

I have heard in the past that re-badging was common. Today a lot of bikes have very distinctive profiles which might make that a tough sell. I a fairly confident that the top manufacturers build decent bikes but I wonder if there are some out there sponsoring teams that have a bad reputation which results in riders not wanting to ride for the team?

Maybe this one, though I don't remember exactly which team it was:

In 1978 Michel Pollentier was kicked off the top-level Flandria team in disgrace, caught at the TdF with a bulb of somebody else's urine up his sleeve. After that the only teams interested in him were second-tier squads.

One of these second-rate teams sent Pollentier and some domestiques to a stage race, where it turned out the sponsor's "race bikes" were utter junk, dressed up to look sporty. Enraged, the riders refused to keep using them. Pollentier himself was so pi$$ed off by the bikes that he took the boys to a local shop and bought them all new Colnagos, allegedly with his own money. They finished out the race on those bikes. Never did hear about how this played out with the sponsor.

I think this was in International Cycle Sport or something like it ages ago. Does anyone else remember this story, or ICS, for that matter?

 

[Bag_O_Wallet]

They were Lightwspeeds. Even Eddy outsourced his Ti bikes.

Tafi on his Cervelo....errr C40

Lemond on a re-badged Calfee

and I can't get the image to load up. It's from 1991.

 

[**Uru**]

In the early days of USPS, they used rebadged Zipp wheels because the Bontragers were crap.

 

[Master50]

In the early days of USPS, they used rebadged Zipp wheels because the Bontragers were crap.

You say Were?

 

[Willow22]

Does it make more difference with TT bikes? Think Cadel rode a Planet X rebadged as a Ridley 2007 TT, and i thought I heard that Rogers rode repainted Teschners in World TT champ days. Could be wrong though.

 

[53 x 11]

Does it make more difference with TT bikes? Think Cadel rode a Planet X rebadged as a Ridley 2007 TT, and i thought I heard that Rogers rode repainted Teschners in World TT champ days. Could be wrong though.

cuddles bike was a generic frame that can be bought as a number of different brands. Dodger rode a Teschner in his first a maybe his second WC but the final on was on a Time.

These days most bike brands are just that, brands. They are often not the manufacturer of their products so really you chuck a name on it and it IS that brand.

 

[Willow22]

cuddles bike was a generic frame that can be bought as a number of different brands. Dodger rode a Teschner in his first a maybe his second WC but the final on was on a Time.

These days most bike brands are just that, brands. They are often not the manufacturer of their products so really you chuck a name on it and it IS that brand.

Thanks for that.

 

[Anonymous]

Early USPS years the TT frames looked an awful lot like Litespeeds.

LA said during the TDF (when talking about his TT bike) that when they won 99' Trek didn't even manufacture TT frames, so they used something else. Can't remember what brand tho..

For the OP question, I don't think the riders care too much (unless it's a TT bike), unless they are at the top rider on their team for GT's in which case they might get picky (i.e. rasmussen demanding the bike weigh the absolute minimum - so remove the stickers please mr mechanic, that sh!t weighs me down!!).

But then again, given the close ups of bikes on tv, i'd say the manufacturers could spot a fake and would be pretty p!ssed about it.

 

[Tugboat]

Armstrong and USPS were on rebadged Litespeed Blades.

One of the funniest rebadgings I've seen recently was Pozzato at this year's worlds... Lightweight Standards rebadged as Campag Boras!

http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/76th-uci-road-world-championships-cm/stages/stage-6/photos/89547

 

[Sheltowee]

In the early days of USPS, they used rebadged Zipp wheels because the Bontragers were crap.

USPS also used Krysiums at one point.