A wider range of reccomendations?

[DJ]

I will start this By apologising for my spelling!

Sorry,I may get some flack for this, but i have been a bit frustrted at the narrow range of bikes that seem to be reccommended on here to newbies!
The names Giant,Spesh and Trek come up time and time again?

I understand that these are brilliant bikes, but there are litirally hundreds of makes out there! Can't we have a slightly broader range?

Perhaps I could tentavly start with Ridgeback, well I think they are lovely!

Any others?

 

[dantheman]

Dawes

 

[roshi chris]

Be specific about what you want to to use the bike for and you'll get specific recommendations, be nonspecific and you'll get the stock answers.

 

[Mr Creosote]

That would be because they offer something in pretty much all market segments and are stocked by most independent LBS.

But I will add:

Scott
Kona
Orange
Cove
Whyte
Cannondale
Marin
Muddy Fox
Claude Butler
Carerra
Raleigh
Brompton
Pashley

 

[mickle]

The reason that these brands are recommended most often is because they are built to a standard and are generally found in better bike shops. There are plenty of bike companies around which have no qualms about placing their bikes in any old shoot shop but the quality of after sales service is just as important as the actual bike. I've seen enough people riding ill fitting and or inappropriate bikes to know that a quality LBS is the only answer when it comes to providing beginners with the right kit.

 

[Fab Foodie]

I will start this By apologising for my spelling!

Sorry,I may get some flack for this, but i have been a bit frustrted at the narrow range of bikes that seem to be reccommended on here to newbies!
The names Giant,Spesh and Trek come up time and time again?

I understand that these are brilliant bikes, but there are litirally hundreds of makes out there! Can't we have a slightly broader range?

Perhaps I could tentavly start with Ridgeback, well I think they are lovely!

Any others?

I'm guilty of this but make no apologies for it.
The reasons I mention these are that they are the major popular brands and generally available across the country, have a very wide range, offer good value for money are often the technical innovators in the market.

I'm also very fond of Dawes for example but would only recommend one or two of their products.

Ridgeback are great as are Marin, Kona, Planet-X, Hewitt, Pearson and all the UK frame-makers and Zillions of others, but for Newbie first general enquiries I think it's good to start with something they can easily find and compare.
When more specific details of the posters needs/wants become apparent then more specific models from a narrower range of suppliers would be suggested.

Everybody is free to offer their own suggestions.

 

[wafflycat]

In no particular order...

Bianchi
Cervelo
Focus
Colnago
Sunday
Felt
Lemond
Look
Wilier
Time
Ice
Dolan
Deda
Kinesis
HP Velotechnik
Hase
Windcheetah

What you'll get recommended depends on planned use & budget.

personally I wouldn't have a Trek - I've known of some people have frame/paint finish problems on new ones - but there are loads who love them.

 

[mickle]

The approximate unit sales figures of bike brands in 2005:

Universal ………………… 600,000 (including Muddy Fox and Silver Fox)
Raleigh ………………… 400,000
Concept ………………… 385,000
Halfords” own labels …..355,000
Moore Large ……………228,000
Vega ………………… 200,000
Professional …………….. 180,000
Falcon (Tandem) ………….125,000
Giant ………………… 117,000
MV Sport (Tandem)………. 88,000+
Trek ………………… 75,000
Claud Butler/Shogun (Tandem) …….. 75,000
Specialized ……………. 72,000
Saracen ……………… 60,000 (inc. Pulse)
Cycle Citi ………………… 60,000
Boss/Townsend/Coventry Eagle (Tandem) ………………… 55,000
Optima (Tandem)………………… 55,000
Reece ………………… 50,000
Avocet ………………… 46,000 (from 14th Oct to 31st Dec)
Dawes (Tandem) ………………… 32,000
GT ………………… 30,000 (20k via IBDs, 10k via Halfords)
Mongoose ………………… 32,000
Ridgeback ………………… 25,000
Scott ………………… 24,000
Marin ………………… 21,000
Kona ………………… 18,000
Brompton ………………… 19,000
Pashley ………………… 10,000
Cannondale ………………… 10,000
Dahon ………………… 9000
Powabyke ………………… 5000
DDG ………………… 4000
Orange ………………… 2800, plus 800 frames
Norco ………………… 1200
Whyte ………………… 950
Others ………………… 100,000+

TOTAL
3,718,950

 

[Willow]

The approximate unit sales figures of bike brands in 2005:

Universal ………………… 600,000 (including Muddy Fox and Silver Fox)
Raleigh ………………… 400,000
Concept ………………… 385,000
Halfords” own labels …..355,000
Moore Large ……………228,000
Vega ………………… 200,000
Professional …………….. 180,000
Falcon (Tandem) ………….125,000
Giant ………………… 117,000
MV Sport (Tandem)………. 88,000+
Trek ………………… 75,000
Claud Butler/Shogun (Tandem) …….. 75,000
Specialized ……………. 72,000
Saracen ……………… 60,000 (inc. Pulse)
Cycle Citi ………………… 60,000
Boss/Townsend/Coventry Eagle (Tandem) ………………… 55,000
Optima (Tandem)………………… 55,000
Reece ………………… 50,000
Avocet ………………… 46,000 (from 14th Oct to 31st Dec)
Dawes (Tandem) ………………… 32,000
GT ………………… 30,000 (20k via IBDs, 10k via Halfords)
Mongoose ………………… 32,000
Ridgeback ………………… 25,000
Scott ………………… 24,000
Marin ………………… 21,000
Kona ………………… 18,000
Brompton ………………… 19,000
Pashley ………………… 10,000
Cannondale ………………… 10,000
Dahon ………………… 9000
Powabyke ………………… 5000
DDG ………………… 4000
Orange ………………… 2800, plus 800 frames
Norco ………………… 1200
Whyte ………………… 950
Others ………………… 100,000+

TOTAL
3,718,950

I bought a mongoose 450 as being good value on the recommendation of my LBS. First bike for 20 years. Given the figures above is there something else that would have been better. Was looking for mainly commuting bike 15 miles 2/3 times a week to begin with, mainly A roads but some gravel cycle path. The mongoose is fine but curious about whether something else would have been better cost me £350

 

[Blue]

I have 2 Lapierre bikes and I think that both are excellent machines. However, dealers are a bit thin on the ground - I just happen to live 2 miles away from one of only two dealers in Ireland.

 

[mickle]

Of the (something like) 200 brands available to western buyers 90% or more are manufactured in the far east. Taiwan has established itself as the number one manufacturer of quality bikes in the world, so whilst countries like India and Indonesia are taking business away from Taiwan due to their even lower labour rates, Taiwanese companies still account for around 50% of new bike sales in the UK.

A bike brand is not the same as a manufacturer although some are both, Giant and Merida for example. Specialized do not manufacture bikes, Raleigh do not manufacture bikes, but Giant make Giant and also make some bikes for Specialized, Univega, Trek and Colnago. Kona for example might approach several different factories for their range, one for their low end steel frames, another for their aluminum frames and another for their full suspension mountain bikes.

Dawes and Raleigh branded folders are 'made' by Dahon. But Dahon don't actually make bikes, they source them from five different factories.

Dawes had their 17" Ladies Red Feather model made in a completely different factory from the 19" ladies Red Feather last year.

My point is that it's not about the brand, the UK market is so stagnant that every brand is scrabbling just to maintain it's market share so no-one can afford to sell a bike which is poor value for money. Except Raleigh.

Your Mongoose may have been built on a production line in the factory which also builds Scott or Diamond back. If your bike suits your needs at the right price and you get good after sales it doesn't matter what it says on the label.

 

[wafflycat]

Let's see.

In the Wafflycat household we have a stable consisting:-

2 x Bianchi
3 x Cervelo
1 x Look
1 x Kinesis
1 x ICE
2 x Raleigh (1980s)

+ various bits & bobs...

So that's the brands we're happy with