Recently honored coach of Russia Alexander Kuznetsov said he was denied the purchase of Pinarello bikes. The reason is simple, and the company has confirmed it – bikes fall under one set of penalties.
Are we without bikes?
The question “why” can only be asked by a person who does not know the bike at all. A professional bicycle is a luxury (from a million rubles, plus the price – combat wheels, inner tubes), and not just a means of transportation. Yes, during the sanctions period it is impossible for us to buy such a bike directly for almost the same reason as, for example, a luxury bag from a big brand.
Import substitution? Let’s immediately proceed from the fact that the professional Pinarello bicycle (replacing any well-known bicycle brand) will not be able to replace imports in the foreseeable future. It takes decades to create a pro-level cycling brand.
So we end up without bikes?
“At the last moment I managed to buy bicycles, I literally ripped them off – they had already been brought to Turkey,” says Mikhail Rostovtsev, Renaissance project manager. – As for the production of professional bicycles in our country, it was only in the Soviet past. They were made in Kharkov and Minsk. Now, as far as I know, the Minsk plant is standing and no one needs it. In Russia, there were also attempts to manufacture bicycles, and, of course, all this can be arranged, it is possible to establish joint production with the Chinese – even all the major brands manufacture frames there, but you don’t need to assemble big equipment. But here again, not everything will work right away, it’s a long process and this project is a long-term one.
Good – so far not all bicycle manufacturers refuse to cooperate with the Russians. “I can say that I recently started working with a new brand of bikes, they said they would supply, because they love cycling, racers. Thanks to these companies that support sport more than anything else, we can survive,” says Olympic medalist Denis Dmitriev.
What if you don’t have a personal technical sponsor and need a bike right now? The stores are half empty.
“Unlike government agencies, where everything is on a tender basis, everything is easier for amateurs,” says Evgeny Sokolov of the RCA cycling club. — Indeed, there are fewer bikes in stores, there is less choice, but a black market is opening up and you can still bring a bike to your personal property. You won’t get a tax refund, but you can buy a bike and bring it to Russia. Just yesterday they brought a bike from Italy.
Yes, the bicycle is a luxury and again a comparison of the world of “luxury”. “I gave some money to a friend, he bought you a bike and you’re going to take it across the border. It’s no problem to bring the piece. Parallel import is already allowed. so there is a way out.With transport this is also solved.If you buy a bag you will have it with a brand label – a story, but if you just flew with a bag you may have for five years… No one will be able to verify. It’s the same thing with the bike.”
All of this will help with the details. Yes, don’t forget, the bike needs to be serviced. No, the service here is not suitable. The bike needs care! Mechanics already remember stories of yesteryear when a block was cut out of a hockey puck. But let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. Nevertheless, the expense share will certainly increase, and it is already significant in cycling – an inner tube for a stiff bike sometimes costs more than tires for some cars.
What about the form?
The situation is about the same as with bicycles, but it is easier to replace the form.
– In a good way, a runner needs three sets of shorts and t-shirts, – says Rostovtsev. – Long and short-sleeved t-shirts, a vest, two overalls, leggings, thermals, socks, gloves, helmets… We don’t have good quality material for this yet. It is possible to arrange all this, but it will take time, and as soon as everything is better, everyone will again prefer to buy abroad, because the price-quality ratio is better there. At present, our manufacturers have a problem with the “diaper” – what the athlete sits on, here quality is not enough. Our sprinters are trying out the Veter uniforms and they seem to be doing well, maybe I’ll contact them.
“Our producers started to get restless,” says Dmitriev. – This, of course, is not top quality, but very worthy. This is their first product – well done guys. I hope that in the future, they will be interested not only in profit, but also in developing their product in terms of quality. It’s good that such a cycling uniform already exists, and if it develops, it’s usually great.
Thus, the import substitution in the case of the form can be adjusted. And according to the very “veil” – the first deputy sports minister Azat Kadyrov came to the Moscow Grand Prix on this occasion.
“We discussed the current situation with him,” said Yury Kucheryavy, general director of the Russian Cycling Federation. — Explained with the mechanics and experts what we need. But we all fully understand that in the case of import substitution, we can only talk about bikes for those who are new to cycling, racers at the level of children’s sports schools, and certainly not “pros”.
Source : MatchTV
