So after all my back-and-forth bull**** between this bike, and that bike I went back to my LBS and talked with the owner. I explained that I really was put off by the '**** off' attitude I got from them and expressed my desire to really work with them in buying a product.

He and I came to an agreement (of sorts) I think and he showed me something I actually like, and fell in love with.

Origin-8 Scout 29. I rode it, loved it (albiet a SS and not a FG) and think it'll work well. The bonus is it gives me a reason to ask the wife in a couple months to let me buy the One Way.

I'll get pictures up this weekend.

Way to go! That took guts to go back and work it out but it sounds like it's paid off for both of you.

My LBS sells Origin8 stuff. It's pretty good quality.

I can't bring myself to trust Origin8's quality. Maybe if it wasn't just another J&B house brand.

It's all made in the same factories anyway, the brand on it is kinda arbitrary.

yeah Origin8's products are a classic example of mid grade generic products with a bran name that doesn't cost extra

Maybe I need to use the search engine, I'm not following what makes a 'J&B house brand' item worse than say a BD bike, or anything else out there that is sub $1k?

Enlightenment awaits me on your response, Biking Sefus.

https://74.8.32.132/nondealer/product...=24626&large=1

The one I bought is black and charcoal, not black and white.

So I found it, J&B Importers that is. Took some digging:

Not sure if the implication is 'their stuff is crap' or something, but check this out:

3T
ABUS
ACROS
ACS
AIRIUS
ALEX
ALLEN
ALPHA
AME
APEX
AVID
AZTEC
BATTERIES
BIKE TRAINER HANDLE
BIKE TREE
BLACK OPS
BULLETPROOF
BUZZTRONICS
CALIFORNIA BIKE GEAR
CAMPAGNOLO
CANE CREEK
CAROUSEL
CATEYE
CAYNE BIKES
CENTRIC SAFE HAVEN
CH
CHENGSHIN
CHINA
CHROMAX
CINELLI
CLARKS
CLOUD-9
COMPETITION CHEMICALS
CRONOMETRO
CYCLE-RAC
CYCLEAWARE
CYCLEOPS
CYCLO GEAR
CYCO ACTIVE
CYGO
DEDICATED ATHLETE
DELTA
DIA COMPE
DT SWISS
DVN PRODUCTS
EARTHGUARD
EASY SEAT
ELDI
ELECTRIC BIKE FACTORY
ELITE
ENDURANCE FILMS
ERGO
ESGE
FANCY FURRY
FINISH LINE
FIRST PRINIPALS PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS
FMF
FORMULA
FORZA
FULL SPEED AHEAD
GEARUP
GEL-BOT
GLOWSPEK
GRABER
GREENFIELD
GT-85
HALT
HARKEN
HATTA
HAYNES PUBLICATIONS
HEADLAND
HEADSWEATS
HENRYETTAS
HOBSON
HOLLYWOOD
HONEY STINGER
HONKA HOOTA
HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY
HOZAN
HUBS
HUDZ
HUNT WILDE
IBERT
ICETOOLZ
INNOVATIONS
INTENSE
IPS
IRC
ISM
ITALI TRIKES
JITTERY JOES
JPW
KENDA
KMC
KNOX LOCKS
KOOLSTOP
KORE
KRYPTONITE
KT
LEZYNE
LIGHTWEIGHT SAFETY LIMITED
LIN
LIQUID CADDY
LITTLE TRANSPORT
LIZARD SKINZ
MATRIX BICYCLES
MAVIC
MAXELL
MAXXIS
MINOURA
MIRRYCLE
MKS
MOTORBOOKS INTERNATIONAL
MR TUFFY
MUC-OFF
NITEFLUX
NITTO
NU-TECK
ODI
ODYSSEY
OHGI
ON-ONE
ONZA
ORIGIN8
OURY
PACE
PACENTI
PAL PRODUCTS
PANARACER
PARK TOOL
PEDROS
PHIL WOOD
PINHEAD
PIT-STOP
PLANET BIKE
PLETSCHER
POLAR
PRIMO
PRO GOLD
PYRAMID
QUAD
QUICK STICK
QUICKEX
QUICKWAY BRANDS
RACOR
REELIGHT
REICH
REMA
ROCK N ROLL
ROCKWERKS
RODALE BOOKS
SAFETY VEHICLE EMBLEM
SAPIM
SARIS
SAVAGE
SECURE A CYCLE
SELLE ANATOMICA
SELLE ITALIA
SHARE THE ROAD
SHIMANO
SIDETRACK
SIGMA
SIMPLE GREEN
SKS
SLIME
SOYO
SPINNER
SPORT MASTERS
SPRINTECH
SRAM
SST
STOP FLATS2
STRONGLIGHT
STURMEY ARCHER
SUGINO
SUN BICYCLES
SUN RIMS
SUNLITE
SUNRACE
SUTHERLANDS
SUZUE
SWEAT GUTR
SYRACUSE
T-9 BOESHIELD
TAKE A LOOK
TALENT
TAMER
TANGE
TEKTRO
TENSILE
THE CAN CARRIER CO.
THIRDEYE
THOMSON
TIOGA
TOPEAK
TOPLINE
TRAIL GATOR
TRI-FLOW
TRICK TOPS
TRUVATIV
TWO FISH
UNION
VELO PRESS
VELOCITY
VELOX
WALD PRODUCTS
WALKING BIRD PUBLICATIONS
WEINMANN
WELLGO
WHEEL MASTER
WHEELS MANUFACTURING
WHEELSMITH
WHITE LIGHTNING
WHW
WILDERNESS TRAIL BIKES
WILLWORX
XERO
XPEDO
YELLOW RACER
ZEFAL
ZOOM

All connected to them. SO basically, if you ride a bike at all, odds are you've got something of theirs involved in your bike.

A "house brand" is a line of products that are made by the catalog they're sold in. For instance Soma and Pake are owned by the Merry Sales Catalog. Surly and Salsa are owned by another catalog. I guess origin8 is owned by QBP. All these catalogs sell other companies' products as well.