Is Avanti going upmarket?

[AUbicycles]

My observation the pricing of bikes in a nearby Avanti bike shop is that the Avanti bikes have very healthy price tags. The impression I get is that the Avanti brand bikes are priced comparable or higher than similarly specced 'desirable' brands. By this I mean Colnago or Pinarello, the brands that have racing history and emotion or even Specialized or BMC which are popular and have character.

I have the impression that they are pricing themselves 'top' while. In the background, I am curious about the strategy or shift in brand positioning.

[silentbutdeadly]

Can't help thinking that Avanti has lost its way since it inhaled the Pacific Brands component...or was that AvantiPlus?

The other thing to bear in mind is if AvantiPlus is paying Avanti in NZ dollars for products then 1 AU buys a lot less NZ than it used to...

[2wheels_mond]

I completely agree, I'm astounded by the prices of the bikes in my local AvantiPlus. There's not much in the way of racing heritage or even decent R & D within the brand, in my eyes, there appears to be little to justify their high price.

Some of the other brands seem to have a much better in-store presence, Specialized is the first that comes to mind for me. They have test days where I can go and test any bike, top of the range, no obligations. That's a huge, huge plus. I don't want to be a tyre kicker, but it's great to be able to test bikes. They also have a great saddle testing program, including measurements (however much of a difference that actually makes) and the ability to test until you find the one that's right for you. There's the R & D and racing heritage that goes into sponsoring many World Tour teams, and stuff like the Zertz approach to the Roubaix (again, however well that actually works). You can at least see where some of the money goes.

As for Avanti, I find it difficult to see where the value is in their bikes, outside profits for the shop/distributor.

[neild]

I completely agree, I'm astounded by the prices of the bikes in my local AvantiPlus.

On the weekend I went in search of some new disc brake pads for my CX bike. Tried Cell bikes in North Fitzroy first but they didn't have the model I needed. So went to my local AvantiPlus store to check and they didn't have the ones I needed either, but I noticed the prices on some of the other Shimano pads. In store at Cell they were $14.99, in store at AvantiPlus $29.99.

That's a massive price difference for the exact same item, and both in store so nothing to do with online versus bricks 'n' mortar. Online Cell were a couple of dollars cheaper.

[BiciBoy]

High End Avanti bikes have always been expensive.
The Corsa DR and the Corsa SL both ride exceptionally well, and even the lower spec ones are on the ball.
I don't see 3k for 6800 / 3T equipped SL2 as expensive at all.
I honestly fail to see the point that the OP is trying to make to be honest, specially seeing even a 4 year old, similar spec'd Pinarello Dogma, or BMC, or Cervelo is going to cost you more or less the same price as a brand new Avanti.

[Calvin27]

Never really looked at their road bikes, but their mtb bikes seem to be on par with the big guns giant, spesh and merida. It's different though, because when the boutique brands try to sell their overpriced mtbs - it inevitably fails miserably.

I don't think the avanti's are at pinarello premiums yet, but their lower end stuff has probably moved up in price a bit with the influx of cheap well specd road bikes (the space they used to occupy). Reids, cell and polygon are smashing through the low end with bikes practically selling for the groupset + a little bit.

Not realted but I've always liked their giro model paintwwork.

[AUbicycles]

I honestly fail to see the point that the OP is trying to make to be honest

That's ok, a few others have picked up on my discussion point.



Perhaps it is a conscious decision for Avanti, as Calvin27 suggests, not to mix with the brands who are competing on the lowest price point and try and raise the brand profile.

[lock_]

They do have that NRS team to support.

Title sponsors too; Charter Mason Giant, SwiftCarbon PhysioHealth, St George Merida and Specialized Securitor all seem to have teamed up with another partner.

[2wheels_mond]

Perhaps it is a conscious decision for Avanti, as Calvin27 suggests, not to mix with the brands who are competing on the lowest price point and try and raise the brand profile.

I think the brand is stuck in no-mans land, where it cannot compete on value for money due to the primarily online brands (Reid, Cell, Polygon) but it doesn't have the prestige of the higher end brands to justify a premium.

[MattyK]

Perhaps it is a conscious decision for Avanti, as Calvin27 suggests, not to mix with the brands who are competing on the lowest price point and try and raise the brand profile.

I think the brand is stuck in no-mans land, where it cannot compete on value for money due to the primarily online brands (Reid, Cell, Polygon) but it doesn't have the prestige of the higher end brands to justify a premium.

Name change to Avanté?

[Calvin27]

I think the brand is stuck in no-mans land, where it cannot compete on value for money due to the primarily online brands (Reid, Cell, Polygon) but it doesn't have the prestige of the higher end brands to justify a premium.

Yep, they neither have the volume of the very big guys like giant nor have the prestige. It's a difficult position to be in.

I guess there are a few things they can do to make the middle ground bigger so as to speak:

- Focus on grassroots development to get a hold for the local markets
- Continue major team sponsorship for added presence
- Be more proactive to niche developments. I mean if they had of made their frames 27.5+ or 29+ compatible they would get a bigger slice of the niche/early adopter pie. Similarly they could easily have been on of the first fat bike distributors in Aus (we are still lagging badly) with decent range and not outrageous prices (their current model looks crap as well).
- Broaden offering. I suspect these guys could make a lot of money where the market is not quite developed. Think fat tyres, frame set sales.

I for one like Avanti, they don't be an ass and use strange standards (bar a viviace headset haha).

[AUbicycles]

Fatbikes... the answer or a trend?
I think fatbikes are fantastic, but they are very niche. In their MTB segment, the avanti store has other brands and plenty of wheelsize offerings.

But are Avanti really in a difficult position? Perhaps not and my fleeting observation is worthless. There are plenty of Avanti stores and the brand is well known. So they may be a middle-of-the-road brand, but still doing well. If I correctly recall, wasn't it Avanti would are now dropping model years so they can escape the obligatory expiry - so bike can still hold their value.

[limbot]

Mmm a quick squiz at the "Bike Brands owned by members" thread shows:

1. Giant 160
2. Trek 64
3. Avanti 63

I know it's only a small sample but it is from a bunch of "enthusiasts". They must be doing something (price/spec/service/technology/coverage? ) right.

[silentbutdeadly]

Name change to Avanté?

That'd do it!

Ultimately it is a question for Sheppard Cycles who I believe owns Avanti...and Avanti Plus...and the distribution rights to a whole heap of other stuff.

[AUbicycles]

They must be doing something right.

Agreed, it is a well known brand with a broad dealer network.

[GJM]

They no doubt have as much right to go upmarket as most other brands. The frames and components are all coming out of the same places.

[Robinho]

I was under the impression that Scott, Avanti and Malvern Star were all part of the same organisation, perhaps this is an effort to place the brands in separate parts of the market

[macca33]

They seem to be selling a few bikes and the ones that I've seen are very nice rigs - Corsa DR & Corsa SL. They offer a broad range of bikes - not unlike other brands and yes, they do place some at the high-end, but I would argue, those particular models (Corsa) ARE high-end bikes. The consumer will ultimately determine whether or not Avanti is kidding themselves.

cheers

[GJM]

Some people buy for prestige, some for value, some for looks, and others for performance. If you can combine all four, then great, happy days. But if performance is your God, there are some superb bikes at the top of the Avanti range. As there are with other brand names.

I don't own an Avanti. But I'd be more than happy with one of their top end bikes for sure.

If I walked into an AvantiPlus store I'd more likely buy a Scott though

[TMjpn]

They seem to be selling a few bikes and the ones that I've seen are very nice rigs - Corsa DR & Corsa SL. They offer a broad range of bikes - not unlike other brands and yes, they do place some at the high-end, but I would argue, those particular models (Corsa) ARE high-end bikes. The consumer will ultimately determine whether or not Avanti is kidding themselves.

cheers

Exactly my thoughts about the quality.. But when a Corsa DR costs more than a Scott Foil with similar group spec, you kind of wonder what position they are angling for. To me Scott's can demand higher coin due to brand position - they are a bit of a known quantity.

I would have thought the hierarchy should be: Malvern Star, Avanti, Scott??

Doesn't MS still exist anymore as a standalone brand or has it been swallowed up into the Avanti family?

[eeksll]

I thought I saw a Tour Down Under team riding their bikes. Are they sponsoring a team in the TDF? If so that might go hand in hand with the upmarket-ing.

[stevenaaus]

I'm just back from NZ and a little visit to the Christchurch Avanti store.
The 2018 Corsa SL 2 was being run out at $3000NZ, down from $4000NZ, but i see in Aus they can be got for two grand on Bikeexchange. Lucky i don't live in Sydney or Melbourne, or i'd definitely go try one... It's an awesome looking bike.
https://www.bikeexchange.com.au/a/road- ... /104781491

[stevenaaus]

Well, my thread hijack continues Lots of admiration for Avanti bicycles. Nice to see them everywhere on my NZ trip.

I picked up an old alloy/carbon Team Corsa Carbonio. It's stripped and hanging on my wall now... Just has some localised surface oxidisation, and a nasty-looking clear coat crack in the top of the seat stays. But lovely alloy tubing - awesome shapes - and these full carbon forks are expensive on ebay.

[piledhigher2]

Snap, now my commuter
WP_20190526_13_28_04_Rich_LI by PiledHigher, on Flickr

[Mr Purple]

Interesting thread, if a little old!

I rode an Avanti Giro for years. Bought it in 2009 for $1500 new, full 105.

It lasted well over 30,000km until I finally broke it in half on the trainer this year.



I sort of miss it. I did try checking out some equivalent models when it came to upgrading but the spec and price were a bit in no-man's land as stated above. And if I'm paying $4-5k for a bike 'Avanti' doesn't quite cut it.