SKU Proliferation is a disease on the bike industry that has an immeasurable impact on the cost of bicycles and components.
For example, just warehousing the number of SKUs of Minion DHF tires now (26, 27, 27+, 29, 29+ X multiple tires in each wheel size) most certainly adds dollars, if not tens of dollars, to the cost of a tire compared to a decade ago - never mind manufacturing and to some extent marketing them all.
The worst part is it's pay now AND pay later.
More expensive parts up front in order to produce all the consumer choice - for example: four 29'er offset options that don't really matter - and then way worse support on the tail end as the number of SKUs make it overwhelming for brands to support their legacy product.
June 18, 2018, 11:10 p.m. - Andrew Major
SKU Proliferation is a disease on the bike industry that has an immeasurable impact on the cost of bicycles and components. For example, just warehousing the number of SKUs of Minion DHF tires now (26, 27, 27+, 29, 29+ X multiple tires in each wheel size) most certainly adds dollars, if not tens of dollars, to the cost of a tire compared to a decade ago - never mind manufacturing and to some extent marketing them all. The worst part is it's pay now AND pay later. More expensive parts up front in order to produce all the consumer choice - for example: four 29'er offset options that don't really matter - and then way worse support on the tail end as the number of SKUs make it overwhelming for brands to support their legacy product.