Originally Posted by BraveSpear
Haven't actually seen this type of thread before, so I thought I'd ask the question: What is your favorite bike manufacturer and why? Mine is Trek. I do not really have an informed opinion, but have heard from a number of LBS's that Trek has the best manufacturing process available on the market today. You may disagree with me of course, but I'd like to know your opinions.
For mountain bike: Specialized. I've owned several and all of them perform better than expected and are a good value.
For touring bike: Cannondale T800. A true workhorse of a bike. Strong, stiff and comfortable under a heavy load.
For dream bike: Anything Italian with Campy. Never owned one. Just want one.
I don't have anything against Trek but they always seem to suffer from "Schwinnization". By that I mean, they seem to cost more than other brands and they are just a little out of my reach. Good stuff but maybe just too good for me.
As for custom, I tend to neglect my equipment but scratching it and breaking it. I hate to put a beautiful custom bike in my care because it would suffer a horrible life. Sort of Black Beauty-ish (the sadest book I ever read next to the non-Disney version of Bambi).