General Cycling Discussion - Bike Brand Question

I've been reading a lot on these (and other) boards about everyone's rides and I noticed the bike talk centers a lot on, what I would consider, "upscale" bikes like Lemond, Bianchi, Cannondale, Litespeed, Merlin, Felt, customs, etc. Which is great if you can afford them. I wish I could. :(

So, now I'll try and get to my question. Very rarely do I see anything on the boards about brands like Fuji, Schwinn, GT, or other "low-end"(?) bikes. Is there something wrong with these brands?

I really would like to know as I put an '03 Fuji Newest on layaway but I may reconsider my purchase if there's something inherently wrong with this brand.

I'm not trying to offend anyone with my question; I'm just being a noob! :)

Well, Noob, my Felt cost less than $600. High-end components on a low-priced bike. Would that suit you?

Is there any difference between the low end model of the high end brand and the high end model of the low end brand? :rolleyes: ;)

I have a Fuji and I like it. Many say a good bang for the buck. The later models (I don't know if the 2003s are included) have some upgraded equipment. I thought I saw in Bicycling Mag that the Newest was sporting Tiagra shifters. The review for the Newest was positive. Though not 105s or Ultegra it's a move up from Sora - which was standard on the Finest model a couple years back. Of course we'd all love to have the next best thing. I just love the Douglas plastered on the last page of Colarado Cyclings latest catalog.

A cycling publication compared a $10,000 Merlin, with Dura-Ace, with a $1100 Motobecane, with Dura-Ace. In the summary, for $9000 more you got a slightly stiffer ride and the same BB click. Go figure. I've kept up and pulled packs of riders on high end bikes with an antique Univega before I got this 9 year old Cannondale. It's not really all about the bike, but the ride.

While an upscale bike has its merits, the main thing is to ride and enjoy yourself. You can have plenty of fun on the bike your looking at. Today's lower end bikes have a lot of features (cotterless cranks, lots of gears, better brakes) that weren't common among their lower priced bretheren a couple of decades back.

Fuji and Giant are good value for the money, Schwinn is now just a cheap dept store bike.

You can have lots of fun on a cheaper bike. And it will perform just fine. However, there is a point to where you would be buying crap. That is a perfect way to do a few rides and decide that cycling just isn't any fun, so you give up.

Schwinn was the standard yeard ago. The name was purchased and they are now Wal-Mart bikes with a recognizable name on them.

GT - used to make awsome bikes. They were puchaced by Pacific (again, Wal-Mart crap). They no longer are making road bikes. I am not sure of the quality of what they are making now.

The cheaper bike store bikes will be fine. The X-mart bikes are not.

DieselDan hit the nail on the head: it's not about the bike, it's about the ride.

GT - used to make awsome bikes. They were puchaced by Pacific (again, Wal-Mart crap). They no longer are making road bikes. I am not sure of the quality of what they are making now.

The cheaper bike store bikes will be fine. The X-mart bikes are not.[/QUOTE]

GT was bought out by Pacific however they have maintained their quality. They are still making the idrive and have just recently in the Action mountain bike mag released a new system. The MTB section of GT is still going strong! You probably won't see a GT in Wal-Mart in the near future.

So, now I'll try and get to my question. Very rarely do I see anything on the boards about brands like Fuji, Schwinn, GT, or other "low-end"(?) bikes. Is there something wrong with these brands?
I have a 1999 Raleigh R600. Great bike. :beer:

I've been reading a lot on these (and other) boards about everyone's rides and I noticed the bike talk centers a lot on, what I would consider, "upscale" bikes like Lemond, Bianchi, Cannondale, Litespeed, Merlin, Felt, customs, etc. Which is great if you can afford them. I wish I could. :(

So, now I'll try and get to my question. Very rarely do I see anything on the boards about brands like Fuji, Schwinn, GT, or other "low-end"(?) bikes. Is there something wrong with these brands?

I really would like to know as I put an '03 Fuji Newest on layaway but I may reconsider my purchase if there's something inherently wrong with this brand.

I'm not trying to offend anyone with my question; I'm just being a noob! :)

There is absolutely nothing wrong with the bike you have on layaway. Fuji makes a very good product. As for all the high end bikes mentioned on this board one has to realize that people posting to this board are into bicycles bigtime. For many there is no financial limit to pursuing one's passion. It's no different than any other sport or hobby. If you stay with this and your financial situation allows you may find yourself trying to decide which $5000 dollar machine you'd rather have. Maybe you'll do as Robin Williams does and opt for one of everything.

I have a £100 commuter hack and a £1200 custom tourer. The hack bike is more fun to ride.
There is a point on the price/performance curve where you get best value, and a bit further up, where the law of diminishing returns kicks in. Fuji always seem to e well-placed on this curve. They are well designed and specced, and they seem to be the only big brand making good women's bikes at sensible prices.

Thx to all for the responses. This makes me feel a lot better about my choice. Until I pick up my new Fuji, my main ride is a '73 Motobecane Grand Record. Now you would think given the age of the bike I'd have ridden it a lot but that's not the case. For many a year it sat dormant while the pounds accumulated on my gut.

I've just started to get back into riding and decided that while I still enjoy riding my G.R. I needed to be more up-to-date and the Fuji seemed to be the right bike at the right $$; albeit with some stretching of the budget.

Categorizations without thought!!
My $1,300 (1999 dollars) dollar Schwinn was at the low end of the Schwinn road bikes five years ago.

Felt and Jamis offer the most bang for your buck in my opinion.