Brand Loyalty
 

I am curious about how many of you are Brand loyal. I road mtb a ton in the 90's but had a family and moved. Thus, I migrated to the road. I have always ridden GT and still have my mtb from 1993. I LOVE that bike. When I first got into road I wanted to go GT of course but there were no shops around that carried them. I went with Felt and later Colnago. I did buy a GT hybrid a few years ago but it was not the same GT as before. Recently I started riding the mtb's again with my son. I wanted him to get a GT BMX bike but he went Jamis. He switched to a Giant mtb for his 8th BDay. My old GT 26er seems too small for me so I looked at some new 29ers. I really wanted to go GT but they just are not the same bike. (Yes, I know about all their changes). In the end I went with a Giant but I still feel bad about not getting a GT. I wanted to support my LBS and my son wanted me to ride what he was riding so I just gave in.
Are others loyal like this to a bike brand? I can say that I am Brand loyal for most things but bikes have a special pull for some reason. I can't ever see myself riding anything but Campy for a road bike again but I am not sure about the frame loyalty yet. I doubt that I will have it with Giant for mtb because they just seem soul less. I am just bummed that GT took such a bad turn. It was such an excellent brand and bike in the day. My purple Karakoram is still the best looking bike that I have ever seen or ridden, even though I recently converted it to a rigid hybrid like ride.

^^ That's pretty cool and it makes sense.

Honestly, I think there are a lot of great bikes out there, and I wouldn't hesitate to ride a Giant. Geometry was the same for quite a while on MTBs, then slowly changing and it seems like it has started changing a lot more (in my opinion) when 29ers became mainstream.

When it comes to full suspension, there are some real differences in how well the bike pedals, how progressive or linear the suspension, chainstay length, and so on. I'm loyal to Santa Cruz because I like how their rear suspension works. (I'm on my 2nd, and my wife has one.) However, if I lived somewhere that I could ride a downhill bike, I'm not sure I'd pick Santa Cruz because while their V10 is completely awesome, it's also carbon and heinously expensive. And if I bought a 27/29+ hardtail bike or fatbike, I wouldn't have any particular reason to choose Santa Cruz for that, in fact they currently don't offer them.

I am fiercely loyal to brands . . . but I have a great amount of incentive to be that way :D

Only loyal to a good deal.
All of my bikes have been previous year model closeouts, discounted heavily 40-50%.

How about both loyal and cheap? :D I have bought two new Santa Cruz frames for 40-50% off with full warranty.

I used to be very loyal to Specialized, but after a stir up at the LBS the ownership split and the owner that I like now deals with Trek, Giant and Santa Cruz. So, after nearly 15 years an a ton of different bikes (all specialized) I realized I am loyal to the people that sold the brand not the brand

Nope no loyalty. For mtn bikes have a diamondback, surly, and iron horse and I have a trek road bike. I buy all my bikes used anyway. I guess I'm loyal to shimano hydraulic brakes if that counts for anything :).

GT makes a damn sexy road/gavel/cx bike called the Grade carbon.

I buy Year end closeouts and used only..

That shinny new bike bug means nothing to me.

Had two Scotts now because that LBS had the best deals on Scott closeouts..

Bought a like new used Tour Easy for less than half the cost of a new one, Tires had almost no wear.
A New Tour Easy Is $2500,, No thank you :P

When you buy used that first scratch means little.

It's hard to get a bad bike these days, If you use your head.
Each one may ride a bit different,, no biggie I learn the bike I ride as I ride....

The grade is pretty nice. I have zero need for a clx bike though. It is very sad to see a brand go south like that though. I am sure they are still good but the designs and paint look like crap.

Cheapness was what originally begat my loyalty . . . "Gimme a pro-deal and I'm yours." :D

I'm diggin' Salsa bikes. I have this illogical notion that they're a niche builder, outside of the mainstream and therefore need to be supported ahead of bigger brands like Trek. Kinda like supporting your local retailer versus shopping at Walmart.
Now I know this isn't the case, Salsa are owned by QBP who are pretty big, and I know the niche-builder is a perception they strive hard for with their marketing/branding....

Anyway, I have two of their bikes with an eye on a third, though just one eye.

Of course if they didn't make good bikes I wouldn't buy them.

The Grade looks like a really interesting design. I recently had a GT Avalanche 1.0, very solid bike. Unfortunately, perhaps a little too solid, as in heavy. Good bike though, but can't really compare with a Yeti 575. I probably wouldn't buy another one, but that's mostly because I'm not a huge fan of Performance Bike. I'd rather shop at a smaller local shop or just shop online.

I like to use the brand KHS, currently I use KHS Tucson. :lol:

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