At 12:00 PM -0700 10/24/02, "sandranian@yahoo.com" <sandranian@yahoo.com>
wrote:
>I am one of those "gullible fools." However, I would have to disagree with
>Mr. Mooz's comments regarding buying based on "image."
>What part does "brand loyalty" or in my case, "brand stupidity" play in
>this? Motobecane (and in my case, Gitane), are not advertised in the USA
>at all. There is only one store that I know of in Southern California that
>sells Motobecane. Gitane aren't sold in the USA at all - I had to get my
>new one sent from France.
If the new Motobecanes were made in France, I would buy one in a heartbeat, based purely on brand loyalty. But the Taiwan Motobecanes are not really Motobecanes, so brand loyalty does not enter into the equation.
Would people buy Harley-Davidsons if they were made in Taiwan? Or a Porsche/Audi/BMW if they were made in Taiwan? I doubt it. Brand loyalty is an unbeatable thing, but part of the "brand" itself is the country and culture that produces the object.
A Taiwan Motobecane has all the cachet and appeal of a K-Mart bike.
Being a Gitane fan, you're fortunate that they are still genuinely French bikes.
Herb Langston
Evanston, IL