Originally Posted by
Wildwood
edit: If you live in USA, support bikes made in America, by craftsmen who are experienced in their trade. If you live elsewhere, buy from experienced local builders. Trek and Spesh will always have their supporters and enough buyers.
Screw that. I wanted to build up a gravel bike for under $1300 and couldnt have come close if the frame was built domestically.
got a black mountain cycles frameset for less than $600 and built it up with a modern 105 drivetrain.
designed and sold domestically is good enough for me.
Buying local in the US mostly limits a buyer to steel and for 2-5x more than buying a reputable and reliable Taiwan built frame.
the few local builders dealing in carbon, to, and aluminum are also 2-5x more expensive...and it seriously is few compared to global options.
so I pay 2-5x more and significantly reduce my options. It may work for some, but not really a winning setup for many.
i have noticed that cost is a primary driver for most when buying a new frame/bike.