Road Cycling - Cannondale Vs. Trek

I've purchased a C'dale R2000 all Ultegra. I see Trek mania all over! Why though? Personally, I think Trek is way overpriced and not all that superior a product. Aside from the fact that everyone has 5200 fever---I think this came from the Postal Team----talk about goin Postal! Can anyone enlighten me on this topic and could you run a contrast withe C'dale or like products. Thanks

Both are quite fine bikes, industrial, rather than crafted, and both have big money marketing departments, so they are not such good value for money compared to smaller less well known firms.

Cannondale and Trek make fine bikes. They are, as MichaelW points out, mass-produced products with industry-standard components. Neither is better or worse than the other. They're also somewhat over-priced, in my mind -- in the way a Dell computer is overpriced compared to a system of equal quality from a smaller company.

Trek's are so popular because they're the USPostal bikes. Lance and Postal are not only the best-known cyclists in America, tney are probably the ONLY well-known cyclists in America. Consequently, Joe Bikebuyer equates Trek with performance. [It's a fetish thing.] That gives Trek a massive marketing edge over other brands in North America.

Trek makes a fine bike, so does Cannondale... so do Richard Sachs, Waterford, Litespeed, Marinoni, Guru, Seven, Steelman, Redline and a whole lot of other companies of varying sizes, not to mention some of the less-branded Euro companies. The quality of a bike does not reside in the brand name, or in the identity of its best-known rider. I'd give my left testicle to own a carbon fibre Argon 18 like the one I saw the other day... Ever heard of Argon18? Does Lance ride one?

so do Richard Sachs, Waterford, Litespeed, Marinoni, Guru, Seven, Steelman, Redline...
While these are all fine bikes, they are also somewhat
more expensive than the 5200, no?
I think the average american will pale at the thought of paying
several thousand dollars for a frame/fork combo
when they can spend the same amount and ride
the same bike as LANCE.....
whats even funnier, people will almost ignore a 5200 if it isn't
USPS colours. check e-bay sometime...

Marty

Personally I don't think Trek is any more overpriced than Cannondale.I think Trek is more reasonably priced than Cannondale.The 5200 may seem expensive because it is Carbon fiber, whereas the R2000 is Aluminum.

Why are carbon frames so expensve ? You can buy a carbon/kevlar canoe for $3k, so its not the material. The mould is made once and used hundreds or thousands of times. There is no precise mitreing, hand welding, or alignment to do. Carbon composite is the one material which really benefits from large scale production, so why, for a volume producer, is the price equal to a handcrafted custom frame ?

Originally posted by lotek

While these are all fine bikes, they are also somewhat
more expensive than the 5200, no?
No. You can get a custom-made Marinoni or Guru with Campy Chorus for less than $3k US. With off-the-shelf sizing, that'd be more in the $2-2.5K range. The difference is that Lance doesn't ride a 'Noni or a 'Ru.

Originally posted by MichaelW
Both are quite fine bikes, industrial, rather than crafted, and both have big money marketing departments, so they are not such good value for money compared to smaller less well known firms. mass production is what allows companies to sell high quality products for LESS money... i don't understand your rationale of this part of the discussion in this thread.

Originally posted by s_boy
mass production is what allows companies to sell high quality products for LESS money... i don't understand your rationale of this part of the discussion in this thread.
I'm not so sure about that. Big manufacturers have investments in manufactuiring infrastructure and distribution that smaller manufacturers don't have. It costs money to build or rent a plant.

The other thing that raises big manufacturers' overhead is inventory. Every bike that isn't shipped to a dealer has to be stored. If it isn't sold at the end of the year -- and some of the big manufacturers have had as much as 30% unsold merchandise at the end of a product year -- it is loss, pure and simple. Smaller manufacturers typically operated BEHIND demand. If you order a Marinoni in May, you probably won't see it until the end of June because it either hansn't been built yet, or it hasn't been built-up.

Big manufacturers have the advantage of economies of scale, but that isn't much of an advantage in a high-end consumer business like high-end bikes [it IS an advantage in commodity bikes]. The smaller manufacturers have the advantage of shorter production cycles and BTO and JIT manufacturing.

Originally posted by s_boy
mass production is what allows companies to sell high quality products for LESS money... i don't understand your rationale of this part of the discussion in this thread.

But they are not cheaper, that is the point. High end TREKs are not custom made but cost the same, if not more than fine custom made frames.
Comapre other products for custom vs production prices
Custom Production
shoes £60 £300
suits £300 £3000
bicycles £3000 £3000

And big companies usually have to answer to BoDs and shareholders, which tends to eliminate savings as well. [N.B. Are these two publicly held companies?]

Cheers...Gary

Originally posted by gmason
And big companies usually have to answer to BoDs and shareholders, which tends to eliminate savings as well. [N.B. Are these two publicly held companies?]
Cannondale is traded publicly under BIKE. Trek is private but there's a persistent rumour that it will go public following the Tour de France this year. Haven't seen an paperwork on that yet, but you wouldn't until May, or so...

If you like to read a good article on the big guys vs. the small guy may I suggest the article in April 2002 Bike Rag err I mean Bike magazine. I like the smaller guy myself. Paid all the money for a Merlyn ExtraLight still find myself having a better time on my lessor known and price other bike.

I want Lance to win all the freaking tours he can by the biggest landslides he can make it. The more people in the US that are exposed to this sport the better off we will be. Lance was second in sportsmen of the year next to Mr. Selfish, Berry Bonds. If he wins this year; he is due!!!!!!!

If more people are exposed to the personalities and teams in cycling the better of we will all be. Don’t you think the American consumer had enough of the shenanigans going on in the big four professional sports in the US. Maybe then they might put down their Joysticks and feel the accomplishment of a big hill or going 40 plus down a hill. Maybe then you could buy a decent road bike for 1,000 bucks or maybe we could get full coverage of the Frenchy tour or other great tours and events.