Recommendations. Do it. Get better bikes. I may be the odd person out here, but I don't think brand matters at all. At a given price point most bike shop bikes are very comparable. One may have colors that you prefer. One may have ergonomics that seem the best. One shop might seem like the best to you. But that's about the only differences within a given price point. You can generally do a little bit better for your money if you get away from the largest bike brands, but that's not an absolute.