I’m talking about the aftersale warranty and the level of kit supplied with the bike

if you look at spesh or giant they seem to offer a higher level of forks, drivetrain, brakes etc for your money than some of the smaller brands i.e lappy, commencal, orange etc

or do the smaller brands have better frames therfore making up for the add-ons???

Not much in it, a lot of the bigger brands come with things like own brand wheels, which quite often aren’t worth much.

There is also re-sale value to consider. Some bikes seem to hold their value extremely well, others lose 50% the first time they turn a wheel.

It’s better value for money to buy the bike that has the most value to you as a thing to ride and have fun on rather than what your perception of the kit hanging off it is.

This is where blind tests would be useful if a little dangerous.

Sometimes you need to look past the spec and pick the best riding one. The kit on it does not guarantee what it will ride like.

Value for money is a subjective thing.

buy the bike you like riding the most. everything else is secondary.

Yeah, and Specialized are the best.

All the bikes I’ve built up (admittedly only one…a Bullit…and a very good fixed gear) have been nothing but trouble.

We don’t all like fannying around in the garage with tools etc.

All the bikes I’ve built up

Hmm – I have built 4 bikes up now and I love them more for it – without any issues!! Maybe your not very good a building bikes 😉 LOL

So some people think the components ont their bikes are specifically chosen for that bike – nothing do do with cost/profit margins etc? Of course buying a new bike generally costs less than buying individual components but start with a good frame you can put what you want on them rather than waiting for them to “wear out” and “upgrade”?

Some of the top range Specialized leave a little to be desired in terms of value for money.

I was bored once and worked out I could buy a S-Works frame and all the identical components (with even some upgrades) from the shops for less than Specialized were wanting for some S-Works Stumpy (or Epic)!

thebikechain speaks sense.

The real top end bikes (£4k plus) are just there to take money off mugs though, aren’t they?

Giant, Spesh and Trek might give marginally better kit for the same price tag – but a lot of riders would rather have slightly cheaper components on what they regard as a higher-quality or better-designed (for them) frame from a manufacturer like Lapierre or Orange.

Although if I wanted a normal XC FS bike I’d be very tempted to get an Anthem X or Fuel EX.

When you consider what you can build if you shop wisely i wonder on some 3-4k bikes where the money has gone on them..??

if a trek frame breaks you will probably get something sorted on warranty 10 years later, some of the boutique brands you’ll be lucky if the importer is still going 12 months later.

Spend your money how you want, but aftersales is always something to consider.

+! for high end I cant see why someone would buy true “off-the-peg”, what are the chances the bike has exactly the spec you want? Maybe people who buy top of the range complete bikes do get the shop to chop and change spec to suit them?

The bigger brands have more buying power with their suppliers so can drive a favourable rate (whether or not they pass this on), and due to stocking levels are possibly more likely to be found reduced end-of-year.
The only time Ive bought a full bike it was a Kona from pauls cycles with over 50% off rrp, and if I was ever to do it again it would be something like a high end Giant from same.

like this, a Trance X1 for the price of a similarly performing chichi frame (and this is speaking as a Nomad owner 😳 😆

http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/products.php?plid=m1b0s1p2269

(not connected to Pauls, just love a bargain)

I’m not sure why niche brands are considered better designed or more innovative. Just look at Giant – the design are radical (too radical for some), light, and technologically advanced. And they replace a frame if it breaks.

This is exactly what i’m thinking, I’m starting to stockpile cash for a purchase in the new year, £2.5k budget and the big brands are looking good VFM right now, especially the new stumpy elite – 2×10 XTR/Carbon cranked goodness or the comp carbon for the same cash with carbon front end and 2×10 again

Interesting to see that Specialized tactic of ‘overspeccing’ the rear mech still works for some consumers.

Its a lovely looking machine and pretty good value but look past the bling rear mech and crank and your getting slx shifters, x.7 front mech, slx cassette, open bath RL standard QR forks… Not saying you will get oodles more spec by buying another bike (infact its on a par with most other stuff at this price) but its not really an ‘XTR Bike’ 😉