swobo has been de-cooled

[barton29er]

from: www.howtoavoidthebummerlife.com


Associated Press Reports:
San Francisco, CA.

At a press conference held at the start of stage 1 of the Amgen Tour of California, Michael Ball CEO of Rock and Republic Jeans announced his companies acquisition of urban cycling clothing/hard goods manufacturer Swobo Inc.

Not AP stuff:

In what Ball described as a perfect marriage between "The soul of the new cycling movement and the soulless", Ball hopes, with the implementation of guerilla business practices and the use of sub-par materials to increase the brands profits "at least 10 fold."

Ball's first move as CEO was to fire longtime Swobo employee/acquaintance Stevil Kinevil from whatever it was that he did, and replace him with Rock Racing team member Tyler Hamilton, who needs the work and with any luck will go the fu*k away and never show his face at or around a cycling event ever again.

How much the actual look and attitude of Swobo Inc. will change under the guidance of Ball is yet to be determined, but the company's ever popular blog www.howtoavoidthebummerlife.com has been "pulled indefinitely" and restraining orders have been filed against all contributors.

As for the newly unemployed Kinevil, it seems as if his dreams and aspirations remain unswayed....all he wants to do is dance.

[barton29er]

picture of the tool:

[joeyTWOwheels]

I love that blog. They're pretty funny.

Man is Rock Racing just the stupidest thing ever or what? I hope they don't win crap and all get caught jerking off Cippo (which is likely in all of their contracts).

[Hello Kitty]

although I don't agree with rock racings choice of doper cyclists for their team I do like the attitude they have and before you want to whine about Swobo blame the guy that sold the company not the guy who bought it.

[cmc]

it seems like a joke. no acquisition of swobo. stevil did not get fired. there is no associated press article. maybe ?


http://bicyclemarketingwatch.blogspot.com/
....
The HTATBL blog is a riot! Stevil Knevil simply rocks! He deserves a 2 case of beer per week raise. How involved with the blog are you guys? Is it a full-blown Stevil project or do either of you have input? As a huge blogging proponent myself, this obviously begs the question of what either of you think about blogging… so what do you think about blogging?

Tim- It’s just communication. We’ve always been pretty good at communicating with our people, and blogs are just another tool to make that happen.

I worked with Stevil to get the right tone and content flowing, then he has taken it from there. He’s good, and we’re fortunate to have him. He’s been with the brand since back in the early 90’s, so he understands exactly what we’re all about. He’s a good friend with a big heart.

Sky- Blogging is what it is. Steve is our hero, part of our soul. And he looks so sexy in an orange CalTrans prisoner jumpsuit.

I exchange emails with Stevil from time to time- the dude rocks- and we were both kind of lamenting the “haters” out there- the people who seem to get all pissed off at you for selling products people want, as opposed to toiling away in the obscurity that they feel benefits their unique coolness. When do you think it became a crime to sell stuff that people actually want? Why is it so evil to tailor a product to a group of people based on style or functionality? Sure, some “scene kids” will buy a Sanchez (or any fixed gear, including my own) and then hang it up after they realize it isn’t quite like riding a beach cruiser. But… many people are buying the bikes, I presume, because they like them- whether they can ride them or not. I mean, why should that be seen as bad? (Oh, and I told Stevil he could tell the little whiners that I said to shut the hell up until they can do a better job.)
Tim- I don’t give any of this much thought. Zero in fact.

We’re on a mission….fish or cut bait.

Sky- Now that everyone in the world with a computer has a voice and an opinion, you gotta take the fruits and nuts with the seeds and stems.

Swobo is one of those brands, like Surly (or even Bianchi for that matter) with a huge cult following of very rabid fans. The blog and the website both play to that- how much thought goes into what those folks will think of your products, versus developing products you personally think are cool or worthy? As somebody who runs a brand with a similar cult following, I know how hard it can be to satisfy those expectations. Does it ever feel like a burden? Sky, you had that in spades with Bianchi and to a possibly lesser extent now (but I don’t know if that’s true), how does that temper or impact what you do- if at all?
Tim- I’m not even sure that it’s what we think is “cool or worthy”. It’s a good question though… it’s broken down into percentages. Some things we make because we think there is demand, some things we make because we think are cool, and some things we make because we just woke up that day thinking it would be funny to bring this “thing” to market.

We have no problem making things that may in fact be viewed as “un-cool”. We’re not in the “cool” business….we’re too busy trying to tell a story.

Sky- Everyone was watching us, to see what the bikes would be. There were a lot of expectations, but at the same time a tremendous amount of support from people in the industry. I knew that if we designed bikes that were true to the vision of Swobo, we would hit the target for some people and others we would lose. That’s always the case. If you have to tell people you are cool, you aren’t. I wanted to do bikes that were like none out there, respecting the Swobo esthetic and culture. The challenge of imagining what a Swobo bike line was, considering all the Swobo fans expectations’ meant that we had to have total conviction in the design decisions. As a product manager, it is the ultimate dream assignment – to have a blank sheet of paper – and the total support of your partners, who would be Rob Roskopp and Tim, to whom I bow in their general direction.

I know you must be getting some crap from some of the “old school” guys because you now have non-wool garments in the line. What are you thoughts on that? Does it matter to you? I mean, I still get people sending me emails that border on death threats for abandoning lugs and custom builds. I have people tell me I should go to hell for spec’ing bikes with anything other than Campy parts. I mean, at what point do you simply tell the “old school” crowd to simply shut up and quit whining?
Tim- I don’t give the product specific arguments any thought. We’re not a Merino company…it’s a product we started with 15+ years ago to differentiate ourselves with little (to none) marketing dollars.

I don’t tell our old school guys to ever shut up. They’re the reason I decided to do it all over again, and I owe a lot to all those people. They kept the brand alive when I wasn’t able to.

I still have a pair of blue and a pair of black wool Swobo socks from around 1996-or so. Both are now shrunken and threadbare from years of use. I don’t think I’ve put either on in a couple years, but I haven’t been able to bring myself to throw them away. I love them too damned much! I have a sock drawer full of hundreds of socks, but the Swobo socks are still in there. That has to mean something to you about the durability of the brand and how people relate to it. I mean, I work in the industry and have for about 25 years, and there are very few items like those socks (and my Ibis Handjob bottle opener) that I cling to with love. Swobo is that kind of brand to many people. Why do you think that is? And, when are you going to recreate the sock so I can get some new ones finally?
Tim- The Swobo brand is unique. It’s rare that a name can dissapear for 5 years, then come back stronger than it was when it was originally operating. Why? Because we represent an idea within bike culture, and not STUFF within bike culture. There’s a huge difference there that would take awhile to explain….so I’ll leave it at that. Our strategic advantage is that the bike industry (culturally) is fixated on stuff…and not ideas.

Socks are on the way.

[Anita Handle]

although I don't agree with rock racings choice of doper cyclists for their team I do like the attitude they have and before you want to whine about Swobo blame the guy that sold the company not the guy who bought it.

how to avoid the bummer life: GET RICH BIATCH!

[joeyTWOwheels]

It's a spoof for sure – and not even April 1 yet.

[barton29er]

although I don't agree with rock racings choice of doper cyclists for their team I do like the attitude they have and before you want to whine about Swobo blame the guy that sold the company not the guy who bought it.

Their attitude?

"Last but not least, a shout out goes out to the lovely lady behind the wheel of this Rock Racing Cadillac, who impatiently yelled at bikesgonewild and I to "GET OFF THE ROAD" when she was behind us and couldn't figure out that we were in the left turn lane in order to turn left."

your defending these tools?



moreover, im sure i can get many people to do shit they would regret for the right price.

[-dustin]

i agree with Hello Kitty

[Hello Kitty]

There's no such thing as bad publicity.

[joeyTWOwheels]

That's true. Out of all of this I just can't help but think the team owner has a little bit of Mark Cuban in him. Controversy breeds news which raises awareness.

Just ask Lindsay Lohan.

[sneezix]

That's true. Out of all of this I just can't help but think the team owner has a little bit of Mark Cuban in him.

Who are you callin' gay!!?!?!?!

[BET74]

Man is Rock Racing just the stupidest thing ever or what? I hope they don't win crap and all get caught jerking off Cippo (which is likely in all of their contracts).

What is up with the Spiderman costumes those guys are wearing at the Tour of CA?

-Bruce

[joeyTWOwheels]

Who are you callin' gay!!?!?!?!

HA!

I guess I meant he acts like Mark Cuban not he's got Mark Cuban's little Cuban in him.

[Hello Kitty]

What is up with the Spiderman costumes those guys are wearing at the Tour of CA?

-Bruce

much better than the argyle and light blue of slipstream / chipolte team.

[joeyTWOwheels]

Chipotle/Slipstream are outrageous. But you can't even make out what the Rock Racing kits say.

Super uggo. And black is new pink. Everyone seems to have a black kit these days.

[Hello Kitty]

the assos kit of BMC is pretty sweet

[Shinerider]

Queer eye for the lycra'd guy

[joeyTWOwheels]

The all black shorts on BMC reminds me of old kits.

[ShanerPVT]

all my SWOBO gear is pre-Ball................YO!