Originally Posted by
Tohtruck
One of the dude's at a bike shop i went to in Alphabet City (in the east village) was telling me that for the most part, almost all the bikes around the various price ranges under $1,000 aren't going to be much different since everything is manufactured in taiwan. Is that true? So in other words, one bike that goes for $600 isn't going to be much different than another brand that goes for $600. And if so, should I just choose the one that looks the coolest?
I think it would be more accurate to say that bikes around the same price are pretty similar in quality (assuming they are have roughly the same types of components). At the same price, they may have different brands of brakes or rims or whatever, but those components should be in the same ballpark quality-wise. To see if two frames are really "the same" you should download the geometry charts from the manufacturers and see how they differ. Even so, subtle differences like the selected tubing might make otherwise similar bikes feel different.