Re: Market Research (please respond)
Competitive unicycling? Yes, we compete, but it’s got a long way to go before it can begin to be considered an industry. Even a generic “unicycling industry” is a very recent development, brought about only since Unicycle.com came onto the scene.
Performance market, yes. If people will buy Wilders and the original KH MUnis, that means they’re willing to spend a premium to get the best stuff.
The question is, how many of those people are there? Can the market support more makers of high-end stuff? I think yes, but it cannot be proven from this group of people (Unicyclist.com and rec.sport.unicycling) alone. We are the fanatics and early adopters, and we mostly either already have the gear we want, or can’t afford it.
But the market continues to expand…
That’s two questions, as I assume it refers to two different frames. At least different in size. How many? A pretty small percentage of the overall market, like 5% or less. Of course what percentage depends on the price, and perceived value of the product.
Price determines # of buyers, and vice-versa. But there are other factors in what makes a product desirable. Will it have the Kris Holm signature on it? That would make a huge difference. Will it be intelligently designed, or put out by a factory that forgot to find out what the unicyclists want? Examples:
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Aluminum frame: Light, but more prone to denting and obviously not suited to any form of grinding. I already have an aluminum frame, and it’s very popular. A similar frame for lower price would have a market.
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1 pound: I don’t know how much my Wilder frame weighs. I know the heavy duty wheel kind of cancels out any huge weight savings though. I also have a carbon frame with aluminum lugs that’s way less than one pound.
-powdercoated or anodized finish: Mine’s powdercoated. But I would really dig anodized. That has me interested.
-asthetically pleasing: This could mean a lot to the buyers. The KH frame is not, to me, a great looker. It’s popular because we know Kris Holm helped design it, and on the $400 model because it’s a great bargain. The Wilder frame looks great, and people like it even though it isn’t good for one-footing. The Telford frame is probably the best-looking MUni frame of all (for non one-footers), but it’s not exactly on the market.
“Fair” is a function of how good the product is. To give a more detailed guess, we would need to know more about your product.
My conclusion is that is you’re looking to make lots of money, you’re in the wrong place. We are still very much a niche market. Not forever, though…