I might have picked a different comparable. When Daimler Benz took over Chrysler it took less than 18 months for the incest to start. There were more Chry-cedes and Merc-slers than most realize. Similarly when Gary left, the products were designed and built by Shimano. He had no control over the destiny of the Loomis product.
It will be interesting to see how many are actually bought with real money compared to how many are "bought" by the pro's.