# Bottecchia Bicycles - Opinion Wanted



## gizmocycling.com (Feb 21, 2008)

We are a small Distributor of Italian Bicycle Products here in the USA. We have the opportunity to become the US Distributor for the Italian Bicycle Brand Bottecchia. We are interested in your opinions and input.

Is there room in the already crowded US Bicycle Market for another brand? Are you familiar with the nearly 100 year heritage of Bottecchia? Octavia Bottecchia being the first Italian to win the Tour de France. Greg LeMond winning the Tour on a Bottecchia.

What do you look for in an Italian Bicycle Manufacturer? Made in Italy? Bottecchia's top three models are still made in Italy. What does Made in Italy mean to you? Bottecchia is often called the Lamborghini of Italian Bicycles. However, they have bicycles that retail from $800 USD to $12,000 USD

I really look forward to hearing from the cycling community. This will be very helpful. Thank you very much.


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## kukula (Feb 23, 2008)

Wow! Last time I've heard of this brand was nearly 30 years ago. Back then a friend of mine had one. I've heard nothing but good things from him about this bike. Never got the chance to try it though since his bike was way too big for me. Brand recognition might be an issue for you though sine I don't think many people are familiar with the brand, except maybe old farts like me lol. I believe cycling is booming at the moment, just from seeing the traffic coming in and out of my LBS. And it seems more people now are spending $$$ for thier bikes. And yes personally I would prefer it to be made in Italy. good luck in your endeavor.


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## deviousalex (Aug 18, 2010)

The US market is very crowded and with so many frames out there I don't think you can consider any single bicycle unique anymore.

That being said, if you attack specific markets by working with boutique dealers for high end I think it could work. I would say for the first couple of years only sell high-end models (i.e. $5k+). If you work with high-end dealers in places such as San Francisco bay area, NYC, and Los Angeles I think you could introduce another brand.


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## gizmocycling.com (Feb 21, 2008)

For sure, it has been a while since the US Market was aware of Bottecchia. I agree there is a slice of the market that will pay for a High End Italian Bike. Thank you very much for your input.


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## gizmocycling.com (Feb 21, 2008)

Agreed. What is unique? There are a ton of cool bike makers in the world. What can Bottecchia do to stand out. I believe the rich history will help a bit, but more time will be needed in Brand exposure. I like your thinking in going with Boutique Shops. Building an image as a high end machine. Thank you so much for your advice.


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## deviousalex (Aug 18, 2010)

gizmocycling.com said:


> Agreed. What is unique? There are a ton of cool bike makers in the world. What can Bottecchia do to stand out.


This is just my opinion, but the thing that seems to be standing out here is Ti/Steel bikes. I took a quick look at their road lineup and it looks pretty standard. A race geo, an endurance geometry, and an aero bike. Each of the respective bikes look very similar to other manufacturers brands or the battalions of open-mold frames you can buy from various sites in China. Again, this is just my opinion, but all UCI legal bikes look almost the same.


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## ghettocop (Apr 19, 2014)

Not on topic, but a quick kudos to Gizmo. Thank you for bringing Gaerne to the U.S. consumer. Phenomenal shoes, and you guys have great customer service.


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## Shuffleman (Sep 4, 2013)

I think that there is a market for bikes other than Trek, Specialized, Cannondale and Giant. It is all about getting into the right shops and having them believe in the product. It is amazing to me how many shops that are one of the big 4 dealers that call themselves Wilier, Colanago, Pinarello and etc. dealers as well but stock none of their products. The Wilier Izoard or GTS is on par price wise with many of the other products out there but the stores do not push them or stock them. Personally, I think that it is important to pick the shops that will actually stock the bikes so that people can acuatally touch them. I think that more people here would ride other bikes if the shops stocked them. There are plenty of people who want something different here but settle for what is around. My first bike, I went with Felt because it was different than what everybody else had. My next bike was Colnago though as I love the Italian bikes.


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## Devastazione (Dec 8, 2011)

Big name in Italy about 30 years ago along with Carnielli. Now they seem lost and crushed by brands like Specialized,Scott,Trek and the usual,never saw anybody riding a Bottecchia here in Italy except for those 70something guys with their old steel frames. Except Colnago wich sound a bit more aggressive italians don't like frames with lousy last names on it . Cipollini means "little male onions"..I mean cmon..how can it compete with a "cannon" idea from Cannondale. But ehi..people in the US love everything Made in Italy,even if sometimes they have no clue about what Made in Italy really is.
Nice bikes indeed those Bottecchia,it may be quite a hit on the US market if marketed aggressively,but if their top models are "made in Italy" the way the Colnago C60 is then it's another made in asia/assembled in Italy.


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## redcon1 (Jul 22, 2008)

Wasn't Bottecchia revived a few years ago under the Bikesdirect umbrella of brands? I remember seeing Bottecchia road bikes sale on eBay and some discussion on RBR.
You'll have to get past the history of 'marketing famous-name bicycles that have no connection to the original' to sell them in the USA, IMO


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## deviousalex (Aug 18, 2010)

redcon1 said:


> Wasn't Bottecchia revived a few years ago under the Bikesdirect umbrella of brands? I remember seeing Bottecchia road bikes sale on eBay and some discussion on RBR.
> You'll have to get past the history of 'marketing famous-name bicycles that have no connection to the original' to sell them in the USA, IMO


Yeah after some googling I did see an older model on BikesDirect. I'm guessing this company is no longer the original. It'll be really hard to revive that one. I wouldn't consider buying something that was sold on BikesDirect for $2k+.


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## colnagoG60 (Jun 27, 2013)

Bring back these, in SLX/TSX, size 50 or 52 though, and I'll buy one:


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## Shuffleman (Sep 4, 2013)

deviousalex said:


> Yeah after some googling I did see an older model on BikesDirect. I'm guessing this company is no longer the original. It'll be really hard to revive that one. I wouldn't consider buying something that was sold on BikesDirect for $2k+.


A new guy started riding with us this past Sat. He had a black and red Bottechia with Ultegra. It seemed like a really nice bike. I personally would like to see more of them around. Anything that is not one of the big 4 is ok by me. The big 4 are great bikes as well but they are so boring. The more Italian and German bikes on the road the better it would be. They make beautiful bikes.


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## gizmocycling.com (Feb 21, 2008)

We agree that Bike Shops are becoming a bit "cookie cutter" which is certainly fine for most. It is nice however, as a consumer, to have a bit more variety in the selection of Bicycles available. We would need to seek out those Bike Shops that want their own identity and are not afraid to carry something different. Thank you so much for your input.


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## gizmocycling.com (Feb 21, 2008)

VERY COOL !!!! Thanks for sharing.


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## Cinelli 82220 (Dec 2, 2010)

gizmocycling.com said:


> What can Bottecchia do to stand out.


How familiar are you with Bottechia?

They do make true made in Italy made to measure carbon frames. That alone is quite unusual.


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## ibericb (Oct 28, 2014)

I remember the name as another well respected Italian name from my distant past. But truth be told, the details are lost to age.

The current issue with a great historical name is, in many cases, the loss of continuity to that history through a sale or successive sales of the business to others who have no connection with what was a great heritage. If the Bottecchia name is going to be rebuilt as a brand in the brand in the U.S. then the value of the name will depend, in large part, on the connection of the current owners to the past, when the name meant something. Without that, it's just another brand that will need to compete on the merits of their products vs. all the others in a pretty crowded market.


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## Camilo (Jun 23, 2007)

I'd love to see "real" Bottecchia bikes marketed. I loved and lusted after (but couldn't afford) one in the 70s.

However, I think that one problem with this will be that the name was licensed somehow to Bikes Direct within the past 10 years or so. I have absolutely no problem with the Bikes Direct business model and the value of what they sell.

However, I believe that Bottecchia as a brand might have lost a little luster because of that.

Any plan how to market the bikes to distinguish what you'll be marketing as opposed to the Bikes Direct versions?


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## mfdemicco (Nov 8, 2002)

redcon1 said:


> Wasn't Bottecchia revived a few years ago under the Bikesdirect umbrella of brands? I remember seeing Bottecchia road bikes sale on eBay and some discussion on RBR.
> You'll have to get past the history of 'marketing famous-name bicycles that have no connection to the original' to sell them in the USA, IMO


I see no Bottecchia bikes on the Bikesdirect website. A Wikipedia article on Bottecchia does not say the company went out of business, was sold, etc. You must be thinking of some other brand.


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## deviousalex (Aug 18, 2010)

mfdemicco said:


> I see no Bottecchia bikes on the Bikesdirect website. A Wikipedia article on Bottecchia does not say the company went out of business, was sold, etc. You must be thinking of some other brand.


Save Up To 60% Off Full Carbon Road Bikes Bottecchia Sprint CF79 Team Shimano Dura Ace 20 Speed

It's no longer sold but it was at one point.


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## gizmocycling.com (Feb 21, 2008)

Very well said. Thank you very much for your insight. It helps.


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## Cinelli 82220 (Dec 2, 2010)

RIDE magazine had a test of one, the EMME 695, a few issues ago, they really liked it. 
It was a great bike and very light. It was made to order and loaned to the magazine for a test. Besides being made to measure it could also be tailored to accept mechanical or electric derailleurs or both.
BikesDirect had the US rights to the name, but the junk they sold had nothing to do with the actual Bottechia company itself. It was just generic stuff with a meaningless decal attached.

This is the real Bottechia website: Reparto Corse | Biciclette Bottecchia


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## merckxman (Jan 23, 2002)

Well known brand in the old days. More recently, I think the last pro tour level team to ride them was Acqua & Sapone in 2010. A continental level team, Area Zero, rides them now. Not much exposure in a very crowded market place.


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## Bill2 (Oct 14, 2007)

You may remember this one:


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## Devastazione (Dec 8, 2011)

Bill2 said:


> You may remember this one:
> 
> View attachment 306786



ooohh..Mavic was already around back then ? I bet their hubs were way better...


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## BacDoc (Aug 1, 2011)

Bottecchia steel bicycles still have a great appeal to me. Restored this from a friends shed, it was dirty and rusted but came out pretty nice. The ride is beautiful!


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## gizmocycling.com (Feb 21, 2008)

Sweet !! I love to see these old classics still rolling. This is a keeper for sure. Thank you for sharing.


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## gizmocycling.com (Feb 21, 2008)

I'll look for that review from RIDE Magazine. Thanks for that info.

Apparently BikesDirect was a short lived situation with Bottecchia. Time will take care of that I'm sure.


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## gizmocycling.com (Feb 21, 2008)

I love that picture. I'll bet most people will not remember that Greg LeMond rode a Bottecchia at the 1989 Tour. That TT was one of the greatest stages in Tour history.


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## gizmocycling.com (Feb 21, 2008)

Hopefully any new marketing efforts will talk about the History & Quality of Bottecchia and the bad taste of the BikesDirect version will soon be forgotten.

Thank you for your input.


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## MrB67 (May 6, 2015)

I'm familiar with Bottecchia, I think you guys would do great, especially for customers like me, check out my profile, I'll ride anything but the big 4. Not that there is anything wrong with Trek, Specialized, Giant, Cannondale, but some want to be different, not part of the wand wagon. I think the specialty shop idea is great idea. Good marketing will help you; maybe even a promo campaign that Bottecchia is different, sort of braking the mold on the big 4. But my 2 cents is look for good shops that focus on customer service, if they believe in your product and stand behind it, that will take you very far. Tons of good bikes out there, but if a customer has a issue, and gets the run around on a automated phone call, or can't speak to someone... the complaining starts, and on the web bad news travels fast. And when it comes to the smaller compnies, I've heard the stories of people calling and sending emails and not getting a reply. So as a small company starting out in the US market if you focus on customer service, you will be ahead of some of your competition right from the start! Guess what I'm trying to say is if you market Bottecchia as a Italian classic, but with a small family owned customer service type of "feel" you will develop a loyal following. Another way to look at it is, don't become one of those importers that pays more attention to profit, then client satisfaction. Sure you want to make a buck, (we all do!). But the satisfaction of your clients will never be a waist of time. And since you're starting out in a very competitive market, high end customer service will make you good profit just as much as those high end Italian bikes. I myself would love to have a Bottecchia someday, next to my Carrera and Cinelli!! 
I wish you the very best of luck, and please keep us posted on your business venture.


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## gizmocycling.com (Feb 21, 2008)

We want to thank each of you that replied to our post. It was very helpful to us in making our decision to bring the Bottecchia Brand back to the USA. Magazine Test Bikes are here and our full inventory of 2016 models will be here in early October. We will also have good size booth in the Italian Pavilion at Interbike in September to show the 2016 Line.

Another thing we found out was there are many classic Bottecchia Bikes still rolling around the streets. So we want to encourage those owners to share with us photos of your Bottecchia. It should be a lot of fun seeing these bikes.

Thanks again to all that helped. Bill


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## Mackers (Dec 29, 2009)

Bottecchia Unica Claris Road Bike


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## willstylez (Sep 15, 2011)

Will Bottecchia be making a lugged steel frame?!?


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## youscared (Apr 28, 2010)

I have a bottecchia sprint CF79! When I bought it ( Craigslist) I wasn't sure if I was going to like the sport or not so I didn't want to spend a lot of $. For a grand I received the bike with a 105 set up with Ultegra rear derailleur. I upgraded to Ultegra all around except for the shifters which is still 105. I also went with neugent wheelset upgrade which was a big improvement. I would say that I am into the bike for about $1900 with all the upgrades that I've done and could not be happier and would not find a better build for what I paid. Bottom line is that I am stoked that I bought this bike. The purchase got me into road cycling and I haven't turned back. Of course I am now looking to upgrade ( I know ) to a 2016 Roubaix SL4 Pro disk. But here is the deal. I live in CA but I will be working in Atlanta for a few months and do not want to ship my bike. Therefore, i will need to purchase a new bike there and then ship it back. Any feedback is greatly appreciated!! Last question! Do you think this will go over well with the wife who is already a little on the "WTF" side of things as I bring up getting another new bike? I recently added a Giant Trance X1 to the mix!


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