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well, specific models. Jamis, Giant, Felt and Fuji all have full carbon bikes around $1,700 and entry level aluminum bikes with more competitive components. KHS certainly has a good value on all their bikes. I personally don't think Cervelo is a great value on any of their bikes though (but they are awesome).
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Originally Posted by rschleicher
(Post 12464575)
The flip-side of this question is: for which brands are you paying the most premium for their "name"?
No offense to any of the companies mentioned, but it has seemed to me that both Trek and Specialized command a bit of a price premium due to their well-known brands, compared to Cannondale, Felt, Scott, Jamis, Giant, etc. (Perhaps Cannondale is sort of between Trek/Specialized and the others.) |
Originally Posted by urbanknight
(Post 12465651)
I seem to have observed the opposite. When shopping for a bike last year, it seemed that Specialized and Trek offerings in my price range had 105 components while Cannondale offered Tiagra at the same price, and wanted $200 more for 105. Cannondale has been well-known for a couple decades now and has been probably the #1 choice for amateur racers (look at all the CAAD recommendations here on the forum) for almost as long.
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Originally Posted by IcySmooth52
(Post 12466883)
Well I think Cannondale is a better value because the frame is 10x better. Specialized Allez are nice frames but I don't think Trek makes a very good Al frame.
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Cannondale is way better value-wise than both Trek and Specialized.
Trek 2.1: 105, r600 crank, tektro brakes, alu steerer fork, heavy mediocre alu frame $1370 Specialized Allez Apex: apex, lowest end SRAM crank-set(square taper lol), ~1400 gram frame, tektro brakes, alu tapered steerer fork (600grams lol) $1450 Cannondale CAAD 10-5: 105, most advanced ALU frame around, ~1200 grams, 390 gram full carbon tapered fork, BB30 tektro brakes, fsa gossamer crank $1500 (also around 600-800 grams lighter than the ones above) Now, regarding the CAAD IMO the value is at the ~1800 price 10-4 with Rival, which gives you a Force carbon crank and SRAM brakes(probably apex?). Of course, this bumps you into entry level carbon but those are all crap really. |
Originally Posted by kabex
(Post 12467098)
Now, regarding the CAAD IMO the value is at the ~1800 price 10-4 with Rival, which gives you a Force carbon crank and SRAM brakes(probably apex?). Of course, this bumps you into entry level carbon but those are all crap really.
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Originally Posted by kabex
(Post 12467098)
Of course, this bumps you into entry level carbon but those are all crap really.
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Originally Posted by WhyFi
(Post 12467352)
Really? Which ones do you have experience with that you would avoid, aka - regard as crap?
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Originally Posted by kabex
(Post 12467438)
I was strictly speaking from a value stand-point, ie. higher spec alu is where I'd place my bet. You can get something really nice in alu from neuvation, or titanium from bikesdirect etc for that price compared to an entry level brand name carbon.
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My CAAD ended up being a "low value" bike for me because I quickly got tired of the aluminum ride quality (especially on long rides) and decided to upgrade to a carbon frame. I would have gotten better value for my money if I would have just bought the better bike that I could live with long term at the beginning.
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Originally Posted by IcySmooth52
(Post 12466883)
Well I think Cannondale is a better value because the frame is 10x better. Specialized Allez are nice frames but I don't think Trek makes a very good Al frame.
*When I worked for a shop, a rep called Cannondales Crack 'n Fails. Too bad it was poor taste to do that right in front of a customer buying one. His brand has since then been bought a few times and got relegated to big box stores. |
So far most of the comments are anecdotal, whether from real experience or "heard about it". That's not to be unexpected though. This is exactly the kind of discussion that the bike companies want their customers to have; it creates brand loyalties. It's quite obvious some of us have drunk the various Kool-Aid of said company.
For me, at least for now, I'm brand-agnostic. Admittedly - call it vanity or narcisstic tendencies - coolness and rarity are a couple of the features that's important to me, regardless of brand. |
Originally Posted by urbanknight
(Post 12467894)
I personally can't tell the difference in performance or durability between Specialized and Cannondale, ...
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Actually, each road bike I've had was a different brand. Trek was first, then Specialized, now Jamis. The Trek and Specialized was the same price point, and the Specialized Allez was far better. I test rode many bikes in the $2k range and was easily sold on the Jamis Xenith Endura 2. The Felt F5 was up there too. So that's why I say Jamis is a great value, but as for Fuji and Giant I say so from friends input and comparing them to bikes from other companies (components, frame construction, and such).
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Originally Posted by hao
(Post 12468034)
Exactly, and I would bet that most people can't.
Originally Posted by mpath
(Post 12467950)
For me, at least for now, I'm brand-agnostic. Admittedly - call it vanity or narcisstic tendencies - coolness and rarity are a couple of the features that's important to me, regardless of brand.
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This happens every time a post like this comes up... every time.
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What does?
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Originally Posted by Puget Pounder
(Post 12468340)
This happens every time a post like this comes up... every time.
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Originally Posted by rschleicher
(Post 12464575)
The flip-side of this question is: for which brands are you paying the most premium for their "name"?
No offense to any of the companies mentioned, but it has seemed to me that both Trek and Specialized command a bit of a price premium due to their well-known brands, compared to Cannondale, Felt, Scott, Jamis, Giant, etc. (Perhaps Cannondale is sort of between Trek/Specialized and the others.) Note that I'm not ordering the brands in terms of quality - just in terms of price premium paid for the name. As one specfic example, when I bought my Scott CR1 Team for right around $2000, I was looking at very comparable Trek and Specialized models being more like $2400. In the Specialized case it was the same component group and the same wheels, and so the comparison was pretty direct. I'm only including companies in the above list that have broad product lines in the first place, including lower-end, more mass-market products. Certainly there is a significant "name premium" associated with a lot of other brands, such as Cervelo, Pinarello, Colnago, etc., which may or may not be completely justified, depending on your point of view.... |
What does everyone else think of Jamis? I personally think they're one of the best values around for a brand with a name people recognize.
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I think Jamis used to be a great value, then people caught on and the company realized they were then popular enough to charge what the bid boys charge. Still, nice bikes.
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This is a tough question to answer because any high end bikes, no matter who the manufacturer is, is a great value. unfortunately they come with a massive pricetag to match. what the question should be is " where can I find a highend kickass bike for an insanely low price?" People will dissagree, but the kestrels at bikesdirect are sometimes half off the original retail price. I think that is a hella deal.
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From another perspective think about how you can receive value by buying your gear slightly used (one to three years old)... amazing deals can be had on CL, ebay and working other local LBS trades. If you can find what you want first then set your mind on going shopping for it in the used market can save you a ton of $$. Patience is key and will usually reward you with a much higher end offering in the end.
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