[Closed] What bike brands you are loyal to?

Cinelli road gear. It looks beautiful, the first road bike I ever bought was a Cinelli and they have a real sense of fun about the company. Never seem to take things too seriously, and still produce really top notch kit.

Does not compute - surely it's a case of appraising the best technology/price/service/fitness on a case by case basis?

Stella Artois. Why? WTF's it got to do with you

OUTSIDE NOW!!!!

I'm not particularly loyal to any brand.

For a lot of purchases it comes down to what's available at the best price at the time.

My main criteria is that it's a brand I've heard of and has a generally good reputation, or at least the item I'm buying has a good reputation even if the brand overall isn't fantastic.

None of them. Same with food, drink, music, books, tech, no matter what the brand if it's shite I won't buy it

Shimano brakes, fsa headsets

Fox
Kona
Hope
Mavic
Easton
Shimano

Shimano brakes

Pretty sure these will be added, once my avid/formuala's die.

Canondale & Kona bikes, Hope products.
Used to be Specialized but they lost their way (IMHO)

Would have said not fussy and willing to go for what ever, then thought about and a pattern does emerge, still a bit of a mix:
Hope Hubs on most bikes
Shimano on all bikes
Avids on nearly all bikes
More Conti tyres than others
More On Ones than other makes
Mostly Fox forks
Mostly CK headsets

But definite pattern else where:
Mostly Macs for 20 years plus - only Macs for last ten
Only ever had Orange mobile and now prob 15 years, not sure but when ever they started
Only ever been eclipse broadband now 13 years,
And think i have only ever worn M&S underwear!

Apollo.

kcnc

Castelli, Scott clothing, Giro helmets, Oakley specs, Giordana shorts, Shimano groupsets and SPDs, Mavic wheels, Selle Italia SLR saddles.

Easton carbon.
Thomson
XT

on the flip side, used to religiously buy Specialized shoes, saddles and helmets, and had a few of their bikes over the years.

After the Epic fiasco stopped buying their stuff irrespective of how well it fits me. Reinforced by the Volagi business. Specialized have a big history of litigation

Specialized

My Enduro broke and the guys in Chessington fixed it for me (new fork sir - sorry about the inconvenience) and tuned the suspension while I waited

Then I bought a Stumpy and kept breaking spokes in rear wheel. My excellent LBS (Cycleworks) got on the phone to Spesh, who said sorry and gave me £350 store credit towards a new set of wheels of my choice

honestly - they are brilliant

Oakley glasses
Spesh shoes and helmets
Gore winter gloves
Stan's rims
Schwalbe tyres

For clothing it used to be whatever was top of the 'biggest reduction' filter on CRC but now it has to be Endura for everything. The only MTB stuff I have worn that doesn't fall apart,split,tear,shrink,run,come unstuck or generally look knackered after a few month's riding.

Sunn (1990s) frames
TIME pedals
Magura Brakes
DT Swiss 240s

Ooooh, this is just what bike distributors want to hear!

I will only remain 'loyal' to my favourite products (rockshox, mavic rims, gore, kmc, spesh for shoes, superstar for all sorts) as long as they are good value for money in terms of performance and/or longevity.

If I could afford brand new bikes I suppose I might feel partisan towards a particular brand if their aftersales/warranty was good. (Specialized for example with lifetime frame garuantee, but only as good as your local spesh dealer!)

Hope, because of the numerous good experiences with them fixing my stuff for free when they were well within their rights to do nothing

Thomson, because their stems and posts are understated, and high quality.

Shimano cranks, 'cos I've never had a problem with one.

Easton bars, 'cos they're the right shape.

661, not blindly loyal, but I do have a full face, pressure suit and armoured shorts. It does fourfill the good/cheep/fits criteria.

DHB clothing, it may be wiggles own brand, but like 661 it's good/cheep/fits.

Specialized tyres at the moment.

Hope - but mainly 2nd hand, can't justify new prices.

For me:

Hope - hubs and brakes
Mechs and shifters - SRAM
Forks - Rockshox

Sticking to the above (for me) keeps maintenance simple. I like the "feel" of them too.

Shimano cranks (usually) and SPDs

I like the Thomson stems and seatposts etc but that's a case of what I can afford. Have been using Maxxis tyres recently and have been impressed.

Ooooh, this is just what bike distributors want to hear!

Not really, only 1 person distributes thompson posts, everyone else is wondering why their lighter, stronger, cheeper, better made posts can't sell in the same way.

Hope, looks so nice and works

Nukeproof, simple, effective and a good price.

Fox clothing and Endura

Shimano SLX, can't go wrong with it

not so much loyalty but brands that always get on a short list.

On-one/planet x - love my 456 and have had many small items from them (not necessarily on-one branded)

Bought a Cayo because it was good value and have since got a Mares cx bike because I liked the road bike (I looked at others but it fitted my requirements best).

DHB - because I've liked nearly everything I've bought from them clothes wise and when I need kit they are a first port of call.

Merlin cycles wheels - because they're well built.

Montane - not so much bike related but I realised I own 5 of their jackets (2xvelos, dt velocity, extreme pile and pertex and now hyena) and a pair of trousers so that might count as loyalty

Not really trying to be loyal to them, but inadvertently, Specialized.

I replaced my 01 Stumpjumper FSR with a 2010 model. I really wanted to get an EX8, but I didn't get on with the test one, whereas the Stumpjumper felt right straight away.

I've had Specialized gloves for years and they seem to last well & do the job (although my Gill and 661 gloves are just as good), I've got a Spesh jersey that must be 5 years old and is still in great condition and a pair of their tights that are really comfy and are lasting well.

Oh, their tyres seem to work OK too although I wouldn't go out of my way to look for them (I normally get what's going cheap).

My head doesn't suit their helmets though and I've never had any Spesh shoes or anything.

Lots of companies make nice kit, really. I try & get stuff that does the job, fits into budget and looks nice. I like to say I don't really care about the brand but if I can get a known one (e.g. Easton) for the same price as an unknown one and they are intrinsically the same, I'll probably go for the known brand.

Specialized shoes
Shimano drivechain and pedals
Selle Italia saddles.

I wouldn't say I'm loyal as such but I prefer known quantities over unknown, so once I've factored that in to whatever price point/quality range I'm looking at it does tend to be the same brands that come up.

Not really, only 1 person distributes thompson posts, everyone else is wondering why their lighter, stronger, cheeper, better made posts can't sell in the same way.

...and Mr Thomspon disibutor is trying to work out how much more he can rack up the UK rrp before we stop buying them.

Not sure about "loyal" but always had a soft spot for WTB.

Suppose I like how they seem to do their own thing and have some great, underrated products.

Shimano for transmission stuff and Hope for hubs. Also getting hooked on Maxxis rubber.

Great after sales service keeps me going back to Hope and Turner. Other than that I'm open minded.

Where are all you Orange owners!

joeegg - Member

Where are all you Orange owners!

At ten to five on a thursday? Trying to locate their Audis in the works secure underground car park, I should think. No 3G down there 😉

Shimano drive and point one racing; I love the split second stem and podium pedals. Also like Chromag parts and Dakine clothing.

Specialized clothing and shoes - cheap, fits and good quality. Tyres are nice too
Cotic frames - ride well, look nice, made nicely, like the brand values too
Easton bars - just seem to do the job very well and fit me
SRAM drivetrain - like the way it works
Avid brakes - like the way they work, and they're cheap used (due to the Hope tax)

I'm not completely loyal to any of them, but they tend to be the place I look first. Other stuff I'm less fickle about.

Hope hubs
Magura brakes
Specialized shoes
SDG saddles
Salsa bars, actually salsa everything

phil wood
goldtec
FTW
middleburn
shimano- old school last for years BB's (none of this HTII bother) good no fuss disk brakes

stuff that just works

Cannondale
Planet x
Mavic
Torq
Rapha
SRAM on mtb
Shimano on road & cx

None now. I was Giant through and through, but loyalty can blind you to other good stuff on the market
I was Shimano now I'm SRAM
I was Vittoria now I'm Challenge.
Mavic rims have been a constant though

Shimano
Giant

I was thinking none then read njee20's list and realised Spesh shoes/gloves and Stans rims. Spesh looks quite a popular choice, certainly for shoes.

Singular 🙂

Not really, only 1 person distributes thompson posts, everyone else is wondering why their lighter, stronger, cheeper, better made posts can't sell in the same way.

Care to name a brand that is lighter, stronger, better made and cheeper than a thompson, serious question as was thinking of a thompson for my reign as the one on my hardtail has been so good.

SDG saddles
Shimano drivetrain (xt and above)
Easton bars
Maxxis tyres
Anything made by chris king
Specialized enduro grips
Rockshox forks
Fox shocks (but am trying out a ccdb in the near future so that might change)
Mavic rims
Camelbak
5:10
Troy Lee Designs

I'm also very loyal to the second hand market! Of my current stable of 3 bikes the only things that were bought new are:
3 sets of grips (I loves enduro grips!)
1 XT rear mech
1 XT 9 speed shifter
A chain
A king headset
A stem
2 rims

I wouldn't say I'm loyal as I will buy others but fabourites so far:
Bikes - Whyte (19 is best hardtail I've ridden, test rode T120 and 146 and WANT)
Tyres - Maxxis (just like them) & Specialised (VFM)
Headsets & hubs - Hope (last for ever, cheaper than CK and english! Like the clicky noise)
Nightlights - Exposure - no cables

I've been trying to kick the ibis habit for 20 years and failing as Scott Nicol keeps producing damn fine bikes.

Otherwise...

King headsets and hubs
Hope disk brakes
Selle italia saddles
Specialized shoes
Crank bros pedals

Hope, purely on customer service. Topeak also, again on CS in sending me some lost multitool bits FOC. I'm a recent adoptee of Surly bits, & a Karate Monkey is up there with a Swift for my next frame.

Not a single one. Every frame a different manufacturer. Never had more than 4 tyres of the same brand. 3 pairs of shoes by 3 different companies. Saddles the same. I buy what makes sense at the time. The only slight nod is towards SRAM shifting as it just seems to work for me so I don't see the point in buying a new groupset. That said, it's only on MTB as I use Shimano on the road bike.

Hope hubs (but that's about it from them)
Shimano hydraulic disc brakes and drivetrain
On One / Planet X / Cyclestore - general shopping & buying experience
Selle Italia saddles
Deda
Vittoria / Maxxis tyres
Crank Brothers (pedals, QRs)
Pearl Izumi & Northwave clothing & shoes
Seem to have [s]had[/s] liked bikes / frames from a fairly limited number of companies over the last 20+ years: Spesh, Giant, On One, Planet X, Kinesis...

Hope
Shimano
Maxxis
Magura Forks (swapped a set of Wotans for some Lyriks. Can't wait to break them/sell them on to get another set of Woos)
Odi
DHB

I do like SRAM shifting and Maxxis tyres but I'm open to new stuff that might be better and cheaper.

Usually...
Scott Frames
Fox Suspension
Shimano shifting
Hope bearing products and finishing kit
Schwalbe or Maxxis tyres
Shimano Pedals
Fizik Saddles

Other ports of call,
Easton
Race Face
Dt Swiss
Mavic

Re bikes, for me Santa Cruz seem to have always been the best - no duffers!

northwave shoes
all the rest is the best i can get at the best price

spot
turner
dave yates
hope
velocity
phil wood
specialized shoes and helmets
sram

Like others here, less loyalty and more brands I look at first to see if they have anything that suits if I want something.

SRAM for drivetrain (despite what it says above I can't really remember the last time I had anything Shimano on my drivetrain).

Michelin for tyres (with Specialized being second port of call).

ODI grips.

Quite like Ragley/Nukeproof cockpit and contact points for the cost/function balance.

Was always DMR for pedals but Superstar have edged it now.

Fox and Oakley for bike clothing.

slainte 🙂 rob

XT
ZTR Wheels
Schwalbe rubber
Spech helmet and gloves
Sidi Mega
Oakley
King headsets
Rockshox

Cotic... Think that's it in fact. There's loads of other brands I like, and will keep using, but for actual loyalty it's just them, they've proved themselves more than once to be worth it.

Magicshine lights
Superstar brake pads
Chris king Hubs,headsets and BB
Shimano pedals and waterproof boots
WI freewheels
Maverick forks!

Brand loyalty is a recipe for disaster, but I am more inclined to look at Hope brakes before any other, and Hope hubs. But ultimately everything gets a performance/price/risk assessment before purchase.

I've never had/bought anything other than shimano mechs and shifters. Can't see meself ever buying non superstar brake pads and that's about it.

Oh, for some reason beyond my control I always seem to have a diamond back bike in my possesion! 😳

No brand loyalties as such, but I do have the reverse - brands I don't particularly like and just sort of avoid and then there's the brands I wouldn't touch with a shitty stick.

Mavic for Factory built road wheels, and Mavic Rims for MTB
Easton for carbon bits
Avid for brakes, but that is mainly because it would cost too much to change them across 3 bikes.
Exposure for lights - for convenience.
I can't remember the last time I strayed from these choices

But apart from that nothing really
Shimano versus SRAM - happy with either
RS versus FOX - prefer FOX, if specced on a bike, but never bought them as a aftermarket product too expensive.

Brand loyalty is a recipe for disaster

My brand loyalty is based on consistent product reliability. This isn't disastrous IME.

It's Thomson btw

Oakley
Santa Cruz
Chris King hubs and headset
Hope Brakes
Pace/DT Swiss forks
Shimano gearing
Thomson
USE lights

King Headsets
Hope Hubs
SDG Bel Air saddles
Middleburn rings
Cove frames

Alpkit - the personal service really appeals and their kit is such good value for money I seldom look elsewhere.
Plain Lazy tshirts, I just like them

Oh, and John Lewis for stuff for the house. I know it's a shop but we've got lots of their "own brand" things

Service is king

Cotic frames
Hope hubs/wheels, headsets & brakes
Shimano XT transmission

On all present and future bikes!

Also like Thomson (pins and stem), easton (bars and flatties), maxxis and fizik.

Hope hubs
Mavic rims
King headsets

I like the way their stuff just works. Its all easily serviceable, and doesn't need doing very often.

shimano
hope
rockshox

Fox forks
Shimano drivetrain and pedals
Fizik saddles - they just fit me
Easton
Ibis, I'm waiting for them to bring out a 29er hardtail
Gore bikewear
Exposure lights
Fox helmets
Endura Baabaa baselayers
Raceface clothing

It's great when you find a brand which just works for you, fits you and ultimately makes you feel comfortable when you're out riding.

Easton for handlebars

Thomson for stems and seatposts

SRAM for shifters, derailleurs and cassettes / chains

Shimano for Hollowtech II cranks, rim brakes and SPD shoes(road) and gear cabling

Avid for hydraulic disc brakes (mtb)

Fox for suspension forks and shocks

5-10 for riding shoes

Specialized for tires and frames

ODI for lock-on handlebar grips

WTB for saddles

Hope for wheel hubs and night riding lights

Stan's for wheel rims and tubeless sealant

E13 for chain devices

FSA for headsets

Fox - Helmets
Specialized - Shoes
White Industries - Freewheels
Surly - Hubs and a lot of stuff they do
Craft - Clothing
Topeak - A lot of their stuff
Panaracer - MTB Tyres
Conti - Road Tyres
Chris King - Headsets

Specialized for anything bike related - clothing, parts, bikes, it all seems to work well and hold up as it was intended.

Hope components - quality parts, backed up by serviceable and replaceable parts and easily found how to's. Customer service is apparently excellent too, although I've never had to use it 🙂

Thomson - great quality components

Endura - always seems to be the longest lasting and best fitting clothing. Range is from lightweight summer items to super sturdy Singletrack range.

Santa Cruz
Hope
Shimano
FSA
SDG
Maxxis
ODI
that is all...

Anything that last ... 🙄

[img] [/img]

Oakley specs
Troy Lee helmets
Odi lock-ons
THE number plates
Blackberry phones