In 2010, Blue Competition Cycles saw revenue grow by 38%, just a year after posting a 32% revenue gain. Blue is expecting to build on that success in the coming year.
The seven-year old Norcross, Georgia-based company has expanded its line-up of bikes each year since first introducing its RC4 carbon road bike along with alloy TT models.
Blue’s 2011 line-up, ranging from the popular Jonathan Page-designed Norcross SL cyclocross frame to the ultra-sleek Triad SL triathlon frame, is billed as ‘the finest the company has produced yet.’
As a result, Blue is anticipating another successful year of double digit growth.
"In the last three years, we have doubled our marketing budget, including a significant increase in our consumer direct marketing to lift our brand-name awareness," said Chance Regina, Blue’s Marketing Manager.
"We have been sponsoring some of the sport’s best athletes to make our brand more relevant as well.”
It’s hard to pick up a cycling or triathlon magazine these days and not see an advertisement or read a review about the latest Blue bike. And with increased exposure has come increased sales, enabling the company to more than double its US sales force to 13 reps for 2011.
The sales growth has coincided with a growing number of Blue-sponsored athletes taking podium spots in races ranging from the Ford Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii, to the US National Cyclocross Championship.
Now, the company has set its sights on expanding its presence overseas, tripling its European distributors to 13 in 2011, up from just three a year ago.
"The brand has a significant international appeal. We are getting contacted weekly from US retailers as well as international distributors," Regina added.
Just seven years after introducing its first two RC frames, Blue now offers three road series of frames (AC1, RD and AXINO), three frames in the triathlon series (Triad SL, EX and SP), three chassis for cyclocross (Norcross SL, EX and SP), three mountain bikes, one track, and one child model.
Bikes being offered from Blue start with MSRPs at US$1,700 and reach as high as US$11,500 for a complete Triad SL build with Shimano Di2 components and Zipp wheels.
"We’re targeting the upper end of the market, not necessarily racers," Regina said. "As the company name suggest, our bikes are for the competitive cyclist."
Further helping to raise the Blue brand’s profile, one of the world’s most competitive riders – Germany’s Andreas Raelert – rode the all new Triad SL en route to a second-place finish in Kona in October.
To help fuel the competitive desires of its retail customers, Blue offers a free one-hour session in the A2 Wind Tunnel in Charlotte, North Carolina. The one-of-a-kind offer is a significant value for customers who purchase a Triad SL (frame or complete build) or Triad EX (complete build only).
The wind tunnel enables triathletes and time-trialists to dial in their aero riding position to maximize the speed of Blue’s wind-cheating frames. It also gives Blue retailers a tool to differentiate themselves from other products on the market.
"For that type of racing, you can actually buy speed, so consumers are open to it," Regina said. "It can make a significant difference. Over the course of an Ironman, just 10% can save 45 minutes."
