Is there a brand of bicycle that is so "uncool" to you, that you don't consider them?
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Nope! I'd ride what I can afford and any bike would be cool enough to ride under these circumstances.
I started on a Huffy. Couple guys I knew said they sucked but I was doing 60 mile rides and they were doing 20 on their Klein roadies (early 90's).
I learned more and got much nicer bikes ($3000 level), but I'm sure there are still other riders mocking my bikes. THAT! Is UNCOOL!
I started on a Huffy. Couple guys I knew said they sucked but I was doing 60 mile rides and they were doing 20 on their Klein roadies (early 90's).
I learned more and got much nicer bikes ($3000 level), but I'm sure there are still other riders mocking my bikes. THAT! Is UNCOOL!
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#328
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My last ride purchase was based on fit, affordability, lack of real knowledge about what's out there, and convenience (and a little bit of brand loyalty - since I loved my 1984), but I wouldn't rule anything out due to cool factor. At my age the bike cool factor is more about the motor than the bike itself. For instance, my bike's motor is underpowered, overweight, and lacks any sense of style - ergo my bike isn't cool. Luckily I'm okay with that. More importantly, my bike's partner's motor is okay with that too.
#330
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Not sure "uncool" is the right word, but a couple-few brands I have an irrational (or maybe not) aversion to:
1) Trek - don't like the way they put all their credibility in the basket of a guy who was pretty well known to be a doper, and trashed the clean guy who said, when asked, yeah, he might be a doper. Also had bad experiences with two LBS that are Trek-heavy.
2) Diamondback - this one really doesn't make sense. My dad has a Diamondback MTB that's almost 40 years old and still going strong after a lot of hard miles. Then they became a box-store brand. Now they've got a mega-$ tri bike. I have to admit this is snobbish of me, but if in the extremely unlikely event I was going to spend new car money on a tri bike, I'd kind of like to have some brand cachet. Roadmaster could come out with the greatest tri bike in the history of the universe tomorrow, and I'd still have a disconnect about paying elite money for something with the Roadmaster brand on it. Hey, I said this was irrational, and doubly so because I'd never spend that kind of money on a tri bike in any case.
3) Specialized - don't like the way they tried to crush Volagi and Robert Choi, when Robert was just trying to make a product that Specialized had said, definitively, they had zero interest in ever producing under any circumstances. OK, sure, IP law and whatever. But if you're saying you're dead set never to build this bike, why can't you let the guy go off on his own and build it himself?
1) Trek - don't like the way they put all their credibility in the basket of a guy who was pretty well known to be a doper, and trashed the clean guy who said, when asked, yeah, he might be a doper. Also had bad experiences with two LBS that are Trek-heavy.
2) Diamondback - this one really doesn't make sense. My dad has a Diamondback MTB that's almost 40 years old and still going strong after a lot of hard miles. Then they became a box-store brand. Now they've got a mega-$ tri bike. I have to admit this is snobbish of me, but if in the extremely unlikely event I was going to spend new car money on a tri bike, I'd kind of like to have some brand cachet. Roadmaster could come out with the greatest tri bike in the history of the universe tomorrow, and I'd still have a disconnect about paying elite money for something with the Roadmaster brand on it. Hey, I said this was irrational, and doubly so because I'd never spend that kind of money on a tri bike in any case.
3) Specialized - don't like the way they tried to crush Volagi and Robert Choi, when Robert was just trying to make a product that Specialized had said, definitively, they had zero interest in ever producing under any circumstances. OK, sure, IP law and whatever. But if you're saying you're dead set never to build this bike, why can't you let the guy go off on his own and build it himself?
#331
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When big, classic names get sold out into BSO big-box store junk, it tarnishes the name forever. Diamondback and Schwinn are prime examples.
#332
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2) Diamondback - this one really doesn't make sense. My dad has a Diamondback MTB that's almost 40 years old and still going strong after a lot of hard miles. Then they became a box-store brand. Now they've got a mega-$ tri bike. I have to admit this is snobbish of me, but if in the extremely unlikely event I was going to spend new car money on a tri bike, I'd kind of like to have some brand cachet. Roadmaster could come out with the greatest tri bike in the history of the universe tomorrow, and I'd still have a disconnect about paying elite money for something with the Roadmaster brand on it. Hey, I said this was irrational, and doubly so because I'd never spend that kind of money on a tri bike in any case.
I have a 2010 Diamondback Insight that I've put a ton of commuting miles on over the years. It's been an extremely solid bike for me. Curiously enough, a co-worker has a Giant hybrid of about the same vintage and when comparing the two bikes it's pretty obvious they rolled off the exact same assembly line. Only the branding and the seats are different.
However, if I were going to drop mega-$ on a bike, I doubt it would be a Diamondback.
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I have a 2010 Diamondback Insight that I've put a ton of commuting miles on over the years. It's been an extremely solid bike for me. Curiously enough, a co-worker has a Giant hybrid of about the same vintage and when comparing the two bikes it's pretty obvious they rolled off the exact same assembly line. Only the branding and the seats are different.
I just saw a craigslist ad for the exact same bike with Specialized branding.
Sometimes it is just the stickers.
#334
Member
I'm so poor that I am just grateful to have any bike at all!
I got lucky one day and got an old StumpJumper at a garage sale for $12
I got lucky one day and got an old StumpJumper at a garage sale for $12
#335
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Branding is very low on the priority scale for me. What I look for in a bike mostly comes down to the frame. I look for affordable chromoly steel with a long, horizontal top tube and tire clearance, plus monochrome paint and muted/removable logos. Already I've eliminated most available bikes out there. The final criteria is it has to fit my 6'2" self, and now I've eliminated even more options as many company's "large" frames are too small for me. To think about branding preferences at this point would leave me with no bike at all.
Last edited by Brennan; 02-03-17 at 06:34 AM.
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Branding is very low on the priority scale for me. What I look for in a bike mostly comes down to the frame. I look for affordable chromoly steel with a long, horizontal top tube and tire clearance, plus monochrome paint and muted/removable logos. Already I've eliminated most available bikes out there. The final criteria is it has to fit my 6'2" self, and now I've eliminated even more options as many company's "large" frames are too small for me. To think about branding preferences at this point would leave me with no bike at all.
Is it possible to build a bike from scratch, buy all the parts you want? I'm sure it would be more expensive, but you could build your dream bike
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Uncool ---- Bikes I can not afford, so all bikes over $500.00
Schwinn - Picked up a bike @ Target for $90.00. Returned the bike because the assembly was atrocious and a few broken parts. Do I hate Schwinn --- No. But learned to shop next time at a real bike store.
I did purchase a Schwinn from a local bike store. For this class of bike, during my research, the more popular brands had the same type of bike for more $$$. But the components on the bike were almost identical !! In fact you can change the decals and I might not know the difference.
Trek --- I like the 2017 FX-2. Why ? It fits me much better for a price within my budget. Also I love how it rides, it fits my needs. The saleslady I spoke with was very nice and knowledgeable. This is a very basic bike with very subdued black color.
So I returned the Schwinn bike (within the satisfaction gurantee period) and puchased the Trek.
Schwinn - Picked up a bike @ Target for $90.00. Returned the bike because the assembly was atrocious and a few broken parts. Do I hate Schwinn --- No. But learned to shop next time at a real bike store.
I did purchase a Schwinn from a local bike store. For this class of bike, during my research, the more popular brands had the same type of bike for more $$$. But the components on the bike were almost identical !! In fact you can change the decals and I might not know the difference.
Trek --- I like the 2017 FX-2. Why ? It fits me much better for a price within my budget. Also I love how it rides, it fits my needs. The saleslady I spoke with was very nice and knowledgeable. This is a very basic bike with very subdued black color.
So I returned the Schwinn bike (within the satisfaction gurantee period) and puchased the Trek.
#338
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#339
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That's basically what I ended up doing with both of my bikes. I built my Cross Check from the frame up, and my Trek has been so extensively modified, the only original parts left besides the frame are the wheels, headset, and brake calipers. It's the other reason why it makes no sense for me to obsess about branding, since each bike is really a collection of many different brands, and neither is even close to being a stock setup.
#341
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Trek.
Not because they make a bad bike, but for what the company and it's president did to Greg Lemond. They protected a liar (Lance Armstrong) and punished a good and innocent man. Armstrong wanted Lemond put out of business for going so far as just to hint that Armstrong was not clean. Trek complied with Armstrong's wishes.
Back in his TDF days, Lemond visited the shop where I worked. There was no entourage or body guards, just a friendly and smiling young man who shook everyone's hand, and autographed most of the magazines and bike seats in the shop during his visit. He was a genuinely good person, and I cannot forgive Trek for hurting Lemond to satisfy Armstrong's ego.
Not because they make a bad bike, but for what the company and it's president did to Greg Lemond. They protected a liar (Lance Armstrong) and punished a good and innocent man. Armstrong wanted Lemond put out of business for going so far as just to hint that Armstrong was not clean. Trek complied with Armstrong's wishes.
Back in his TDF days, Lemond visited the shop where I worked. There was no entourage or body guards, just a friendly and smiling young man who shook everyone's hand, and autographed most of the magazines and bike seats in the shop during his visit. He was a genuinely good person, and I cannot forgive Trek for hurting Lemond to satisfy Armstrong's ego.
#342
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Of course. I bought a Marin Pine Mountain steel MTB frame for really cheap, and transferred parts over from another bike, plus added a few new ones. Than I built my old MTB back up again with mostly spare parts I had laying around. In the end I took one bike, plus about $300, and made it into 2 bikes - one upright riding utility bike with disc brakes, and one rigid MTB that sees more "gravel grinder" type of riding.
#343
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Trek.
Not because they make a bad bike, but for what the company and it's president did to Greg Lemond. They protected a liar (Lance Armstrong) and punished a good and innocent man. Armstrong wanted Lemond put out of business for going so far as just to hint that Armstrong was not clean. Trek complied with Armstrong's wishes.
Back in his TDF days, Lemond visited the shop where I worked. There was no entourage or body guards, just a friendly and smiling young man who shook everyone's hand, and autographed most of the magazines and bike seats in the shop during his visit. He was a genuinely good person, and I cannot forgive Trek for hurting Lemond to satisfy Armstrong's ego.
Not because they make a bad bike, but for what the company and it's president did to Greg Lemond. They protected a liar (Lance Armstrong) and punished a good and innocent man. Armstrong wanted Lemond put out of business for going so far as just to hint that Armstrong was not clean. Trek complied with Armstrong's wishes.
Back in his TDF days, Lemond visited the shop where I worked. There was no entourage or body guards, just a friendly and smiling young man who shook everyone's hand, and autographed most of the magazines and bike seats in the shop during his visit. He was a genuinely good person, and I cannot forgive Trek for hurting Lemond to satisfy Armstrong's ego.
#344
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I will go for the highest quality I can get for the money I have.
I don't subscribe to the notion of buying/not buying a brand of bikes based on their philosophy or corporate past. It's all marketing. Also, I would wager that there's not one mid-to-large sized bike company out there that has never done anything that people would find to be morally reprehensible in order to gain greater market share. Trek and Specialized's moves were just more high profile than others.
That being said, I'll always love those awesome pre-Trek Klein MTB's. Too bad Klein couldn't be saved.
I don't subscribe to the notion of buying/not buying a brand of bikes based on their philosophy or corporate past. It's all marketing. Also, I would wager that there's not one mid-to-large sized bike company out there that has never done anything that people would find to be morally reprehensible in order to gain greater market share. Trek and Specialized's moves were just more high profile than others.
That being said, I'll always love those awesome pre-Trek Klein MTB's. Too bad Klein couldn't be saved.
Last edited by Oracle7775; 02-06-17 at 04:19 PM.
#345
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#346
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I would never ride a bicycle made by the ACME Corporation. So uncool!
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#348
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I think Giant has recently gotten some of the branding under control. My Fastroad's isn't that bad. Awhile ago I thought someone here posted a thread with a picture of a Giant bike and we counted the number of times the word Giant was on the bike. I want to say it came out to around 24 instances.
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#350
Fredly Fredster
The hate for Trek is strong in this forum.
I own 4 Treks, but if it makes me any "cooler"... I may be in the market for a gravel bike soon, particularly a Motobecane (with 105 components) from Bikes Direct. Trek's Boone and Crockett are nice, but I can get more bike for less $ with the Motobecane.
As far as uncool goes... no one brand really offends me. I'm not a fan of comfort or hybrid bikes. Cool bikes in my world are road bikes (with drop bars), gravel/xc bikes, hardtail mountain bikes and fat bikes.
I own 4 Treks, but if it makes me any "cooler"... I may be in the market for a gravel bike soon, particularly a Motobecane (with 105 components) from Bikes Direct. Trek's Boone and Crockett are nice, but I can get more bike for less $ with the Motobecane.
As far as uncool goes... no one brand really offends me. I'm not a fan of comfort or hybrid bikes. Cool bikes in my world are road bikes (with drop bars), gravel/xc bikes, hardtail mountain bikes and fat bikes.