Mountain Biking - Top 5 mountain bike manufacturers? (Need help)

I'm working on a project where I list the top 5 manufacturers of a specific type of bikes.

This time I'm looking for the top 5 mountain bike manufacturers.

The list should be based on image of the company and the quality of the bike. Price categories doesn't really matter.

Every bit of help is much appreciated, thanks in advance.

#1. GARY FISHER. from what i hear he wrote the book on mountain biking. im probably wrong though.

The most common bikes I see are Specialized, Trek, Giant, Kona, and Gary Fisher.

Keep in mind this may be skewed by geography. For example, I see a lot of Transition bikes, but that's because I live about an hour from their headquarters.

In no particular order, these are the manufacturers I would consider the Top 5:

1. Trek
2. Gary Fisher
3. Cannondale
4. Giant
5. Specialized

This is what I'm looking for, keep it coming please :thumb:

Santa Cruz
Transition
Trek
Specialized
Seven

Thats really subjective question. I think probably the biggest brands out there are trek, specialized, giant, then maybe cannondale and gary fisher, but who's to say they're the best?

If you want best bikes in the world, watch the olympics and pause every time you can see a brand name...:lol:

Thats really subjective question. I think probably the biggest brands out there are trek, specialized, giant, then maybe cannondale and gary fisher, but who's to say they're the best?
Just getting some idea's of what the top manufactures are. Of course this is a matter of personal experience and most list would probably lookalike.

Trek, Specialized, Kona, Santa Cruz, Giant

Trek, Specialized, Kona, Santa Cruz, Giant

+1

that'd be my list.

----
edit:

actually, giving it a little more thought i'd throw out kona and throw in jamis.

The list should be based on image of the company and the quality of the bike. Price categories doesn't really matter.



If you're serious about the above statement, you can forget any company that outsources production to Taiwan (Trek, Fisher, Specialized, Santa Cruz, Giant...etc.).

My short list:

1. Moots
2. Seven
3. Independent Fabrication
4. Ventana
5. Turner

I think BenLi is right about the geography thing. Looking at the replies, I think it's safe to say that Trek, Specialized, Giant, and Fisher are probably the top 4. As for the last brand...when I lived on the east coast, I would have said Cannondale, hands down. Now I hardly ever see Cannondales. And the only time I see Konas are on Craigslist...on the trail, I see Intenses more than I see Konas, and I doubt they're common enough to include in the top 5. I see tons of Santa Cruz and Yeti, but I think that's because there's a really great SC and Yeti dealer in this town, plus I'm pretty close to Yeti headquarters.

(This is assuming you're looking for a combination of quality and how common they are. Mongoose probably sells more bikes, but 99% of them are probably their Walmart bikes, with only a few actually being their quality bikes. And someone like Seven probably makes nicer bikes, but they're not very common.)

If you're serious about the above statement, you can forget any company that outsources production to Taiwan (Trek, Fisher, Specialized, Santa Cruz, Giant...etc.).

My short list:

1. Moots
2. Seven
3. Independent Fabrication
4. Ventana
5. Turner

Why would you automatically assume that products made overseas are necessarily inferior?

1. trek / fisher - same company
2. Specialized
3. Giant
4. cannondale
5. this is a hard one maybe kona or Marin or it could be a high end comany as titus or santa cruz.

Why would you automatically assume that products made overseas are necessarily inferior?

Why would you assume he's assuming that? The bikes he listed are all held in high esteem "based on image of the company and the quality of the bike. Price categories doesn't really matter."

Why would you assume he's assuming that? The bikes he listed are all held in high esteem "based on image of the company and the quality of the bike. Price categories doesn't really matter."

He implies that "Trek, Fisher, Specialized, Santa Cruz, [and] Giant" would all not make the top five list based on a criteria of image and quality, because they are produced overseas. Which is either saying that they do not have good image, or that they are inferior in quality.

The only alternative I see is if he meant that Americans don't like it because it's produced overseas and thus does not support domestic production.

Top 5 BMX manufacturers?

Why post a BMX Q in the MTB forum?

Why post a BMX Q in the MTB forum?



Ed, you're rabbel-rousing! :roflmao2:

Ed, you're rabbel-rousing! :roflmao2:

Crap man...I had to google that one:lol:

(you spelled rabble wrong, hehe)

1. trek / fisher - same company

Just because the former owns the latter doesn't mean they don't build completely different bikes. Besides, if you're going to go down that road, don't trek and specialized sell their frames to virtually every other bike manufacturer in the western world?

According to Mountain Bike Action these are Specialized, Trek, Giant, Kona, and Gary Fisher.

Crap man...I had to google that one:lol:

(you spelled rabble wrong, hehe)

Yup! Let my guard down on good grammar.

rabble-rouser : A leader or speaker who stirs up the passions of the masses; a demagogue.

Yeah, that's you.

I would add Ellsworth to the lists that have already been provided.

Yup! Let my guard down on good grammar.

rabble-rouser : A leader or speaker who stirs up the passions of the masses; a demagogue.

Yeah, that's you.

Guilty:o

Yeti
Turner
Scott
Ventana
Ellsworth

Santa Cruz
Transition
Trek
Specialized
Seven

Yeah, throw Banshee in there why dont you...

Pretty much endless/useless drivel from this point.

THREAD CLOSED

Thanks for all the input folks. Much more info then I needed.

Why would you assume he's assuming that? The bikes he listed are all held in high esteem "based on image of the company and the quality of the bike. Price categories doesn't really matter."

I don't assume to know why he assumed that he was assum:roflmao2:img that?!

Why would you automatically assume that products made overseas are necessarily inferior?


Beacuse when cost is no object and the absolute highest quality is everything, no one goes to Taiwan for production. Think airplanes, medical equipment, nuclear weapons....etc.

Why did Titus outsource production of their Motolite to Taiwan? Was the quality coming out of their own shop not high enough?

Do riders of frames produced in the US or Europe secretly wish those frames were made in Taiwan?


Yes the stuff coming out of the Pacific rim is pretty good these days, but you have to draw a line somewhere.

Beacuse when cost is no object and the absolute highest quality is everything, no one goes to Taiwan for production. Think airplanes, medical equipment, nuclear weapons....etc.


Sure, but bike frames, unfortunately, are not in this category. They're simply not important enough to receive the quality control that medical equipment do. A more accurate illustration would be cars, an industry that Japan has dominated for a while.

Besides, talking about where the frame is make is one thing, but even if the frame is made in the USA, most parts that are going to be on it are made overseas.

Also, I know someone who's a senior stress engineer for Boeing. The manufacturing tolerances aren't as high as you might think.

Next
Roadmaster
Huffy
Jeep
Ellsworth

In no particular order.

Next
Roadmaster
Huffy
Jeep
Ellsworth

In no particular order.

Is this part of your promise to make your posts stupider from now on?

Next
Roadmaster
Huffy
Jeep
Ellsworth

In no particular order.

I disagree. Although they are all POS bikes, I think the first 4 will offer some level of customer service.

I disagree. Although they are all POS bikes, I think the first 4 will offer some level of customer service.

Burn!

Giant
Trek
Specialized
Norco
Rocky Mountain

I was waiting for an awesome replay of department store bikes.

1. Motiv
2. Next
3. GMC
4. Pacific
5. Huffy


THose bikes arent worth tuning. But I want to get my hands on an old huffy, ride it on the trails and try to break it.

Beacuse when cost is no object and the absolute highest quality is everything, no one goes to Taiwan for production. Think airplanes, medical equipment, nuclear weapons....etc.


That is absurdly false. Taiwan manufacturers can deliver as high quality as anybody, for less money. It is just not as cost effective on limited production runs, and then there is the almighty snob factor.

That said, I have had custom steel frames made for me here in U.S., and I happily paid the premium for personal service. But I would not let hacks from LBS to touch my bikes, nor will I sponsor them with mark-ups on stuff they sell.