Guru Photon no more?
BikeRadar article

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Not likely. Guru's a pretty self sufficiant operation. Dorel just wanted to buy the DFU unit. They'll likely use it in C-dale shops and leave Guru bikes as it is. If it ain't broke, as they say.

Not too sure about that...I personally rode a full RED Evolo for over a year with no issues other than a small crack in the paint but ive heard of many others that had frame problems as well as poor warranty/cust. service complaints.

The folks at Guru will openly admit that they had past issues. Thankfully, those days are behind them. I think that as long as they don't cause any ripples in Dorel's pond. They'll be left exactly as they are.

KWalkergate I presume?

The final portion of the article suggests that no physical plant or manufacturing capabilities were acquired by Dorel. The line about "licensing name rights" back to the original company suggests that dynamic fit and Guru name were purchased, but the actual Montreal operation remained in the hands of the original principals. There isn't even a non-compete contract a la Lynskey/ABG.

I read it to mean even if Dorel yanked the name rights, the Ex-Guru operation could continue without a beat just by changing the name on the decals. The scope of the deal doesn't seem anywhere near the level of the Cannondale purchase, where Dorel specifically intended to acquire the brand, intellectual properties, physical properties, and outsource everything.

Anyone with more insight into the deal or a better reading of the release can set me straight, but it doesn't look like Guru proper was bought by anyone.

-Tim

That makes alot more sense. And makes us Guru fans alot happier to hear. They're just trying to keep pace with Specialized. I do find it a tad odd that two companies absolutely zero ability to do custom sizing are interested in buying the worlds two best custom fitting machines. Even them, buying the machines doesn't mean jack if the people using them aren't reasonably good at it.
I guess this begs the question, will guru dealers who aren't c-dale dealers still have access to the DFU's? Or will Dorel market the DFU towards all dealers no matter what brands they sell?

much more interesting article that provides alot more info - http://www.bicycleretailer.com/north-am ... fit-system

they will use a database of other manufacturers bikes so that a dealer can figure out what bike will best fit a customer across all the brands they carry, and even brands they don't.

I wonder whether retailers who customize the software so that it returns only bikes sold in their shop will charge less money for the fitting.

Sounds like a deal to acquire the fit system and get it into Cannondale dealers. My LBS is at interbike and posted the about the fit bike being in the shop soon. So it sounds like Cannondale (Dorel) is just promoting the fit system heavily.

Bike fitting is going to be the next arms race between the major bike companies. Trek, Cannondale, and Specialized all have their own fit systems.

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I find it quite ironic that companies who only offer bikes in 5 or 6 sizes require a fitting system. Anybody remember the good ol' days of cycling? Every frame came in 14 sizes. I understand wny Guru, serotta etc. needed a fitting tool. They all make custom frames. Who wants to spend $350 per fitting to find out you need a longer stem and your seat backed up? I'm betting that in a few years, these companies will have very different geometries available based on what their custom fitters come up with for numbers.

The funny thing is that all of their fit systems have huge fundamental flaws in that they have sound ideas, but your average shop employee probably isn't knowledgeable enough to execute them.

The DFU is an awesome and smart machine in the right hands. Its not really so much about custom, but fitting before buying, which is a huge advantage for many customers.