Bicycle Mechanics - better/best new bike brands from mechanical perspective

Hello,

Burning question of the day:

If one were considering opening a bike shop and were trying to decided which brand(s) to carry, which brands would you say are better/best (or worst) from a mechanical perspective, especially those that have bikes in the entry level range?

Would love to hear from mechanics who work in shops that carry new road, mountain, hybrid, and comfort bikes.

Thanks for your insights!

Primitive Don

I'll probably get flogged for saying this, but IME (as a wrench) the big S.

Schwinn???

Giant

The shop I currently work in doesn't carry Giant, they deal with used bikes only.

The previous shop I worked in sold Treks, I'm not that impressed with them.

Treks sell - and I like many of them. Giant for certain. And I'll toss in Specialized. Of course there is always Cannondale...

I'm not sure the brand of bike is that important from a mechanical standpoint. Once you get past the real junk level like Huffy, they all use the same parts from the same big four or five suppliers (Shimano, SRAM, FSA, Truvative, etc.) Of course Campy is also excellent but there aren't any low or enty level Campy equipped bikes in this country.

What counts is how well the manufacturer or importer supports the shop.

I've been content enough with the Haro comfort/hybrid bikes we sell. Build almost always goes pretty smoothly, with surprisingly few problems that require any real extra work.

The Jamis bikes we sell have been good in the higher levels, but the base level Commuters and Codas can be a hassle.

The OP is asking for better, best, or worse.

Is the big S, the worse?

I'm not sure the brand of bike is that important from a mechanical standpoint. Once you get past the real junk level like Huffy, they all use the same parts from the same big four or five suppliers (Shimano, SRAM, FSA, Truvative, etc.) Of course Campy is also excellent but there aren't any low or enty level Campy equipped bikes in this country.

What counts is how well the manufacturer or importer supports the shop.

+1 When you consider the brand, all it really describes is the quality of the frame, which they may not have made either. So if you are into steel, any of the decent frame materials, plus the component grade of your choice, makes the best bike. And in general, maintenance is all directed at the components and the wheels. So again, get good components and good wheels, and the brand on the frame is almost meaningless.

Now the really cheap brands (go see Walmart) also have cheap components. But every once in a while, a cheap brand will have good components (read the Ross Signature thread we had going in the classic area).