The Toronto Star features
Vitess bicycles, a Toronto company founded by 32-year-old entrepreneur Julien Papon, that manufactures custom-built luxury bikes. The company has quickly earned the respect of the city's cycling
aficionados; Vitness employees spend hours with each customer
helping them to design their perfect bike. Vitness models are not sold in stores or online, but exclusively by appointment at company's Lakeshore Blvd. showroom.
"At the showroom, a pristine space where demo bikes are neatly displayed, a professional bike fitter will spend nearly three hours with you, measuring your body, testing your flexibility and examining your cycling habits. That information is then used to select the appropriate bike frame, handlebar and many other components that will be used to build the bike that fits your body exactly."
"We work one-on-one to understand the needs of each particular rider before we build the bike," Papon says."
"Like a bespoke suit, these high-end bikes are designed for clients who appreciate luxury. The custom-made bikes aren't cheap. They start at $4,000 and climb to $14,000, depending on the components. Since opening the showroom in November, Vitess has sold about 25 bikes. Most cost between $6,500 and $11,000."
"Papon, who holds a Masters of Business Administration from the Kellogg-Schulich program, knows he could sell more bikes if he sold them through stores or offered some models at lower prices. But the avid cyclist says his goal is not to sell the most bikes possible. It's to focus on the higher end of the market."
"Do we have a product that is capable of winning the Tour de France? We do. Is it our branding aspiration? No. If you have competition in one end and prestige/exclusivity on the other end . . . we're much more in the exclusivity/prestige field," Papon says. "
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Toronto Star