“Only the best pro-level riders in the world need a Vivid.”, RockShox announced through their Facebook page.
On March 8th, after announcing the amount of success and years of research and development gone into the new mouthwatering Vivid and Vivid Air shocks and hyping up the entire cycling community, RockShox stated that you can only purchase one if you are a part of the top UCI-ranked athletes.
Disappointment filled the online community, as many questioned RockShox’s business decision.
RockShox continued to release more qualified names daily, and on March 12, announced that the Vivid and Vivid Air shocks will be available to everyone starting May 2013.
So why did RockShox make it seem like they were only releasing these shocks to the top UCI-ranked athletes in the first place?
Did they change their mind because of the online controversy they started?
I believe that RockShox intended to make it seem like the Vivid and Vivid Air were shocks created for pro-level riders with the best technology available. They wanted to make everyone desire the shock, and once they decide to release it to the public, many purchases would be made.
Despite that RockShox will be making sales of the Vivid and Vivid Air to the average consumer, reading online posts and comments about this marketing decision, I have discovered that there are many who have been angered or insulted by RockShox and refuse to purchase the Vivid or Vivid Air even if they were looking for a new shock.
Personally, I believe that RockShox’s posts about having to be pro-level in order to purchase the shocks were unnecessary, and as a rider who may be upgrading my rear suspension in the near future, I will still consider the new Vivid and Vivid Air, even after all this debate.
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