Sea Otter 2012
This week the Titus team will be heading down to the Laguna Seca Raceway, near Monterey, California for the biggest event in the US Cycling industries calendar, the 22nd Sea Otter Classic.
The Sea Otter is a four-day ‘Celebration of Cycling that welcomes nearly 10,000 athletes and 50,000 race fans and other bicycle enthusiasts from around the globe. Professional and amateur athletes make the annual pilgrimage to participate in cycling’s best competitive events in various mountain and road bike disciplines.
Hundreds of pro cyclists, including national and world champions, come to Sea Otter to race, sign autographs, and share their racing techniques with fans.
“We attended the Sea Otter event last year, just 5 months after we acquired Titus Cycles. We were in the middle of a transitional period of establishing ourselves within the US market, and it was the first opportunity to hear what you were expecting from us, and for us to introduce the On-One and Planet X brands to a wider audience.
“We had a great time, met some amazing people, drank some unusual beers, and received valuable feedback as to the direction we should take the company in going forward.
“This year we are back and are keen to further establish our presence in North America. We’ve spent the past year acting on what was learned from the event last year. We relocated to Portland, moved into a 10,000 sq/ft warehouse, and filled it full of Planet X, On-One and Titus product.
“The key for us was to maintain the characteristics which have led to the success of the UK operation, namely offering the best products, from the best factories in the world, at outstanding value, backed up by unrivaled customer service.
“It’s been a long year, and it hasn’t been easy, but we have made real progress and again, we look forward to hearing what you think.”
So what can you expect from the show this year?
“From Titus we have 3 new models that we are super excited about, the best-selling El Guapo and Rockstar 29er models have being revamped, and we have a prototype El Guapo 29er that will be getting its North American debut at the 2012 show.
“We’ll also have demo’s of the ever popular FTM Carbon and X-Carbon trail bikes available for you to check out in person.
“We will also have the full range of On-One models on show, including the new Lurcher Carbon 29er (both of the geared and single speed varieties), the Dirty Disco full carbon disk only cyclocross bike, and the top selling Carbon 456 and Whippet models.
“It’s not only complete bikes, we will also be taking our range of steel and carbon frames, along with a selection of top components, including the full range of On-One handlebars (if you buy them at the show, we might even get Shiggy to sign them for you!), as well as stems, chainsets and accessories.
“For the roadies, we will also be debuting the Planet X N2A, RT57 and Exocet 2 road bikes, alongside the tried and tested Superlight Pro Carbon and Stealth TT Carbon models. We are also the North American distributor of Guerciotti so will have a fair sharing of Italy’s best available for you to drool over.
“We’re sure that’s not all, and preparations are continuing at 100 miles an hour, so make sure to follow us on Twitter and Facebook, and sign up to our newsletter for the latest from the USA’s premier cycling event.”
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When will Titus release their X Carbon 29er??? I have just about given up waiting, I’m desperate to buy a 29er but refuse to buy any brand outside of Titus. I love both of my Racer X’s: my 2002 Al and 2008 Carbon.
I have enjoyed notable rides on borrowed SC Tallboy and Specialized Evo Expert and other 29er’s, but I refuse to be swayed in my brand loyalty!
Hurry up, I do not want a Rockstar, I want your Carbon beauty!
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Motivated, at least in the case of the Niner there is much more tooling to amtoirze than in the case of the Rockstar. They hydroform every tube except the seat stays and there are a whole bunch of forgings. I believe the Rockstar main triangle is cold formed, which is significantly easier/cheaper. Also, the cost savings of going overseas disappear when your volume is low, which I am sure Titus’s are right now. You can point fingers at any detail like this you want and be correct about things on different bikes being more or less expensive to manufacture, but what it boils down to is the Rockstar is cheaper because it is being sold direct, and it is cheaper by roughly what the retail margin would be.