ft_critical

Okay, so there is a lot of hate for Trek, Cannondale, Giant and possibly Specialized. So does this mean that all the returns (money) they are making from the common bikes (low-end) they sell goes in to making their high-end offerings pretty good/sophisticated?

Or are all you mass-market brand haters suggesting all offerings from these companies are rubbish. This is not a troll, I would be guessing that the Madone and SuperSix are pretty awesome.

ovrrdrive

If I can piggyback your question, I'd like to know how people here rate those 4 brands above in order of good to bad quality...

Being new to roadbiking I'm probably going with one of them as a starter bike.

botto 

only an idiot, or someone talking out of their ass, would make such a statement.

jet sanchEz

I'd say that without those 4 large companies you've named, none of us would be here on Bikeforums.net...

michaelmc

This guy named a Specialized Tarmac SL2 one of his "unforgettable rides."

Namenda

ElJamoquio

If you say so...

rufvelo

There is a lot of hate for BikesDirect in general, but not a lot for the top of the line Moto.

halfspeed

Dislike for the major brands is mostly about image. A 'real' cyclist can distinguish himself from n00bie hoi-poloi by riding something deemed more exotic.

halfspeed

Their quality at the same price point is equivalent. Purchase based on suitability for you purpose, fit, and shop quality. All other things being equal, get the best color.

BHBiker

I dont know if this is necessarily the feeling of the majority. I own a Specialized Tarmac and am very happy with it. I would love to own a Cannondale Supersix or a Trek TTX or a Giant TCR 0....there are a few haters on each brand but thats just BF being BF....its not the feeling of the majority I suppose.

pseudobrit

Which is silver, black, white or red.

BHBiker

You can never go wrong with Black and Red.....

rbart4506

Personally I like to support my LBS with my bike purchase, therefore I buy what fits me and what they sell. That is why I own a Specialized Roubaix and am about to get a Tarmac. The Roubaix has been awesome and I have not lost anything by owning it, hence the decision to get a Tarmac was a no-brainer. I could have searched for a more exotic brand, but I wanted to deal with my LBS and they only sell Specialized and Cannondale.

crydee

Almost everyone according to that other thread would never own a Trek. They said they hated them too.

BHBiker

This is just a testament of how many BF members are....there should be as many who likes treks as there are who hate it if nt more. Variety in preferences abound in BF.

koine2002

I must say that I appreciate the Greek! Although I consider myself part of the hoi poloi (but not noobie). Nothing wrong with being part of the many.

late

You can't. They have good years and off years. Within a particular category they may rock the world or they may be just shoving an ancient model out the door...

Then there is the matter of fit... One brand may fit better than another.

But I must confess I am very impressed with what Specialized has been doing lately.

hos13

After test ridding a several Treks and Specialized last week, it was difficult to find one that I didn't like. I did find what fit and frame size I liked and what components I liked. But none of that had to do with the brand of the bike. I didn't get into the warranty and replacement details with the salesman of each brand.

LIUser22

+1

prendrefeu

I believe that those companies *do* have quality bicycles, all the way through their lines - even though some may end up being a bit over priced for what you're getting. My dislike of some of these companies (Trek, Cannondale, others) is that they are increasingly releasing "high-end" bicycles that are completely proprietary. They're setting up particulars and binding their customers to their 'systems' when truly, their 'systems' offer no substantial benefit of function when compared to using industry-wide standards that would allow their customers to modify and customize their bicycle as they see fit.

THAT is where I start hating - and would not want to own - bicycles from those brands.

Sidetrack: is it only an American thing? This is the only country where (normally) you can't just buy a mobile phone readily and then chose your provider separately. When you buy a car, do you have to only put in one specific brand of fuel?? No. Why should it be that way with mobile phones? And this is - what looks like - a similar path being followed by the American companies of Trek, Cannondale, and the lot...

Yep

Welp, the brands you listed are the ones that guys are winning major races on. Those "major" brands are the ones that have the most money in R&D.

Having said that, it's not about the bike, right? So why then would you pay more for a high-end "boutique" manufacturer's bike when they don't have the palmares, AND they're more expensive.

I think Cannondale and Giant each won just as many races for their respective teams this year as Colnago did. They probably won more that Pinarello or BMC.

Italian bikes are pretty.

p.s. In the interest of full disclosure, I ride a TCR Advanced.

Chris_F

And, more importantly to the subject of winning races, they spend more on advertising.

Tri-FatBoy

It's a bike, it is smooth, efficient, and graceful. I revel in that, and decide based on how it feels, not where it comes from. That said, I ride a Specialized and want a Blue.

DocRay

It doesn't help that that they released the new Madone with a non-replaceable rear dropout. This is a $400m company -does anyone there ride a bike?