EQUIPMENT

[oscacom]

1. You can compete without any equipment. However, this equipment (Level 0) will not improve regardless of the level of your staff.

2. You will loose your equipment at the end of the season, regardless of the date of purchase.

3. Your equipment will improve during the season depending on the level of your mechanic and head of marketing.

4. The equipment can improve in any update, depending on the level of your staff and a random parameter.

5. Competition and training do not have any influence on the improvements.

6. Not having staff does not make your equipment worse, however, it will not improve.

7. You will have improvements in one skill, not all at once.

8. Every 2 levels you will see one star more.

9. You can sell your equipment to another manager any time during the season. You will receive 90% of the selling price, since you have to pay 10% tax.

10. You can remove your equipment from the market without any penalty.

11. Renting the equipment for one specific stage is forbidden, i.e. selling the equipment to one team and buy it again some days later.

12. Having the equipment on  the market does not influence on the improvements.

13 Your cyclists will get some bonuses in all the stages depending on the level of your equipment.

14. Those bonuses are unknown.

[Kekipi]

13 Your cyclists will get some bonuses in all the stages depending on the level of your equipment.

14. Those bonuses are unknown.

Wondering if anyone has attempted a test to determine the extent of "some bonuses" (for example by racing a stage [e.g. a pure hills race] without equipment and then racing a similar stage with equip).  Anyone?

Otherwise, I can live with the idea that the higher the level of the equipment being ridden, the more bonuses a cyclist will receive.

Also, someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm thinking that all teams in Div 1, at least all those who have designs on staying there, have bought the highest priced equipment (i.e. Specialized).   Yes?
 

[Sjiz]

13 Your cyclists will get some bonuses in all the stages depending on the level of your equipment.

14. Those bonuses are unknown.

Wondering if anyone has attempted a test to determine the extent of "some bonuses" (for example by racing a stage [e.g. a pure hills race] without equipment and then racing a similar stage with equip).  Anyone?

Otherwise, I can live with the idea that the higher the level of the equipment being ridden, the more bonuses a cyclist will receive.

Also, someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm thinking that all teams in Div 1, at least all those who have designs on staying there, have bought the highest priced equipment (i.e. Specialized).   Yes?
 

As for your last question: i rarely did. I usually bought Giant as i didnt find the stats worth paying double the price. Giant, as a primarly hill trainer, always felt right.

[Aurora Australis]

There's no stats on such things, however I personally feel that equipment is the least important attribute.  I remember one season [in CFF2] forgetting to buy equipment & still scoring decent Div1 points in the first few races.
Certainly, COLNAGO is the general minimum in Div 1 [btw, I'm using CERVELO this season - is the most expensive I believe I've used], and from there it depends on your team.  If I was worried, for a specialist team, I'd recommend buying a reasonable set of equipment at the start of the season, then if the improvements don't match the team, purchase better off the second hand market [which if I was worried I would have done this season].

[Vos]

Also I think that equipment is overrated,
for example in my experience 3 things about the racing staff have each (per 1 thing) a much bigger impact than equipment.

Altough I guess that most 1A managers have the most expensive equipment, every little bit helps.
Also a reason for me to have SPECIALIZED, is that I had many WC cards of 10% discount on equipment.
10% on 2M is a bigger amount to "save", than 10% on cheaper equipment.

[Kekipi]

I made a decision to make a push to get promoted, and barring a catastrophe, it looks like Div 1 is where my team will be for S16.

So I need all the help I can get to stay there for a few before returning to Div 2 and 3 for a new USA youth development project.

So, Vos, Aurora, and Sjiz, thanks for the feedback.