Originally Posted by
PaulRivers
My (albeit limited) experience from test riding was that cheaper frames tended to use old straightforward designs that were poor at handling road vibration. I'm kinda of sensitive to it. You could also consider that the better aluminum bikes come with a carbon fiber fork that can also vary in quality. The more recent and more expensive aluminum frames handled road buzz far far better. I test road a Giant frame recently and was kinda shocked how decently it rode over potholes etc on the road.
I think you get a little bit better quality in the materials and build, but where you really benefit is better design.
I think Giant are the largest bicycle company in the world by revenue and have the most advanced factories although the Taiwanese plants are meant to be better than the Chinese mainland facilities. I'm a big fan of Giant I have to say, not only do they make beautiful great riding frames, they have the highest weight limits, a lifetime warranty and pretty much a great attitude to customer service although this may vary by country. If I was spending serious money on a bike I'd certainly want to make sure I check out their models however admittedly I'm often swayed by the best deals and I'm very price sensitive.