What are considered to be the best brands?

[Rebel Ian]

I know that with every bike there are subtle differences in geometry that might make similar priced bikes be more suitable to some people than others. With components there seems to be an accepted hierarchy that makes it easy to see whether something is better than something else. For example if buying a Campag groupsets it's clear that Super Record is best then Record and so on.

It's not that easy with bicyle brands though. A mate of mine, who by his own admission loves all things Italian, has suggested I look at a De Rosa. How does a De Rosa compare though to a Colnago or Bianchi or Specialized?

Are there some brands that are generally considered to be above others or does it all come down to what you put on them and how they fit you personally?

 

[Tim Bennet.]

There's only two types of bikes: Ones with 'Eddy Merckx' on the frame and the others.

Yours friend obviously has an unhealthy obsession with second best.

I hope this has helped.

 

[Globalti]

I think there are good names for bikes, my first proper MTB was a Specialized Rockhopper because I loved the name Specialized.

 

[Bicycle]

I think that, broadly speaking, if your cattle aren't being stolen and they're not being confused with another farmer's stock then the brand is a good one.

It helps to have something that can be identified at a distance with relative ease.

It may also be worth thinking about a shape or pattern that's easy to manufacture, although these days dye is preferred to old-fashioned burning, which is apparently cruel.

Designs incorporating the initials of the farmer or farmers are popular.

See what neighbouring farms have and consider going for something that won't be confused with theirs.

In terms of bicycles, I think Apollo are excellent. I believe Halfords stock these frames.

Failing that, there is an Italian framebuilder called Simoncini. I have a couple of theirs and they are twelve different flavours of Excellent.

I'm sure others are lighter, more high-tech or more fashionable but for me, Simoncini frames are like Mummy Bear's porridge:

Just right.

 

[Xiorell]

I'm starting to feel that to a degree alot of this "so and so is better than that brand", is a load of cobblers.

I have thought this for a while about other things, for example I'm really keen on fish keeping. I always brought big brand filters and such in the past because they were "better". Last aquarium I got, I decided to take a punt on an unknown Chinese thing (filter), it was 60quid new/delivered and at that price I figured it didn't matter to much if it was cack, I'd go buy an ehiem of fluval or something. My £330 Eheim and 180quid Fluval on other tanks have gone wrong in the same period of time, the "crap" 60quid one is still going perfect.


It seems that Raleigh have a dodgy name in the bike world, however there's a lovely Raleigh race bike (forget the model now) down the LBS I am really tempted by, it's fitted with decent groupset, is seriously light and when I've cocked my leg over it feels considerabley more comfortable than the Trek and Specialized stuff it's next to.



I think alot of the time it comes down to what you like and what you don't like, nothing more.

 

[Alembicbassman]

Raleigh's name had been sullied since their collapse, their brand has been applied to some very nasty cheap Chinese BSOs

Their higher spec machines are very good.

I have one of their Avanti road bikes. Under 9kg for alu-carbon is as good as any of the big names. Their Airlite range is pretty competetive too. Their top line full carbon stuff is under 8kg

Their Raleigh Royal Tourer is very good value at £400 (cheapest) with a proper Cr-Mo steel touring frame.

 

[Xiorell]

Raleigh's name had been sullied since their collapse, their brand has been applied to some very nasty cheap Chinese BSOs

Their higher spec machines are very good.

I have one of their Avanti road bikes. Under 9kg for alu-carbon is as good as any of the big names. Their Airlite range is pretty competetive too.

Their Raleigh Royale Tourer is very good value at £400 (cheapest) with a proper Cr-Mo steel touring frame.

I think it is an Avanti I like, I think it's a bloody lovely bike. I would be very happy with the Airlite 300 aswell. They have the 1, 2 and 300 in there they are all very nice IMO, they all felt very comfortable.



Quick google search suggests it IS the Avanti I was thinking of, got the 105 kit on in? Very tempted by it the when I go spending more hard earned moneys on another bike.

 

[smokeysmoo]

Most frames seem to made in only a handful of factories anyway. For example Trek frames are widely known to be made by Giant, and as Giant are the largest bicycle manufacturer in the world I suspect they make frames for many other companies too.

The rest is a simply a case of 1960's/70's British Leyland - badge engineering

 

[Rebel Ian]

As I suspected - a lot of it is down to snobbery then!

 

[RecordAceFromNew]

"Best" brands? This might be of some interest to you then if your head did not spin like mine by the time I was a quarter of the way through the document...

 

[kevin_cambs_uk]

Most frames seem to made in only a handful of factories anyway. For example Trek frames are widely known to be made by Giant, and as Giant are the largest bicycle manufacturer in the world I suspect they make frames for many other companies too.

The rest is a simply a case of 1960's/70's British Leyland - badge engineering

I am not so sure about that mate.
My frame says made in wisconsin, USA, Made by Trek....

 

[smokeysmoo]

I am not so sure about that mate.
My frame says made in wisconsin, USA, Made by Trek....

Never said they all are, have a look at the page posted earlier by RAFN HERE

 

[Rebel Ian]

"Best" brands? This might be of some interest to you then if your head did not spin like mine by the time I was a quarter of the way through the document...

Excellent article - thanks for that. Very interesting.

 

[martint235]

I think there are good names for bikes, my first proper MTB was a Specialized Rockhopper because I loved the name Specialized.

I always aspired to the Stumpjumper cos it sounded cool and proper mountainbike-ish! Never got one though!

 

[Globalti]

It may say "Made in the USA" but was that made or just finished off?