Originally Posted by
Bbike4ever
You do realize all companies do this don't you? Very few bike brands are still made by the original manufacturer. Pacific owns Schwinn. Dorel owns Cannondale. Buying a name is so common in business you have to expect it.
All companies do this? There is a difference between one company buying another company and a company licensing a name. I agree that the Schwinns being produced today are Schwinns in name only.
Cannondale is a little different. Dorel didn't just buy the right to use Cannondale's name, - they bought the whole bicycle division. The product line has continued. You can argue that they are moving in the wrong direction under the new ownership, but in my mind it is still completely different from what BD has done with classic brands like Windsor and Motobecane.
But yeah, other companies do what BD has done. Other companies also have other deceptive practices. I still don't like it. It's not OK in my mind just because BD isn't the only company doing it.
BD's bogus sales vs list prices also put me off. Having said that, people can be quite happy with the bikes available from BD. I just wish they took a more honest approach to their marketing.