Campag lay offs.

[doctor-bond]

but the market demands change,

I’m not sure there is a market: it’s lots of different ones, which is why shops and manufacturers struggle- you can’t please everyone and have a ready customer base opening their wallets each year for the new. The places that are surviving/thriving are supporting a specific segment, and collaborating (eg Rivendell, Bluelug and Woodscyclery for hipster steel).

 

[bagpuss]

Ah yes but the US market has a big home grown market and I dare say tariffs will not help Campagnolo's situation.
Is the US components market home grown or import led .
Does Shimano manufacture in the US ,equally does Campagnolo?
European markets have been flooded with far eastern imports.
I don't see many Rivendells this side of the pond . So a future market perhaps is the UK. I don't think this would kill the UK's small number of remaining builders.

Here in the UK the Internet has destroyed many small bicycle retailers . A few cling on in the bespoke market.

 

[Woz]

It could be argued Campag is already entrenched in a (fastly shrinking?) niche market segment.

Pro-road racers and wanna be pro-road racers is pretty niche. The track stuff must be even more niche.

For their gravel excursion; how this can work out having limited MTB XC experience and scale is a bit beyond me.

Perhaps if they tap in the very very luxury non-competitive cycling market with something a bit special and better in tune with their history as some diversification it may help. May even be time to concentrate on different sectors altogether (unique industrial work etc.)?

 

[grantoury]

Looking back I think when Sram started with road groupsets and Dura Ace 7800 was new, the market started to broaden with new looks for components. It has always been a mystery to me how a brand who were responsible for some of the most beautiful components lost its way, but maybe their style just couldn't match fashion. It will have something to do as well with having been king of the hill for so long they may not have seen it coming.

It is not completely unthinkable older styles could become fashionable again, camera- hifi- and carmanufacturers have been making retro styled stuff too. But I doubt it will save Campagnolo.

 

[bagpuss]

Every thread needs a tune....

 

[Caj Remtiw]

FYI: Did any of you ever "scratch your heads" and wonder... How did SRAM become such a "big player" seeing that that their history started with Gripshift (arguably JUNK)?!?

The 2 brothers that started Gripshift.... Inherited this company!