Giant
Specialized
Cannondale

the best

Cannondale

I have had a Gemini Prophet and Touring Ultra all well sorted and good quality.

the worst

One one / Planet x poor quality and poor finish crap customer service.

Transition for me. Loved the look of the covert, they were built in a place named the same as the village where I live, Ferndale. my lbs were selling so I bought one.
Also bought the bandit and a patrol.
They’ve now moved premises, so I’ve ordered a yt.

Have a soft spot for Kona, as I’ve had the same one for 19 years

Been a Spesh fanboi for 11 tears

Can’t fault YT for selling £6k bikes for £3k (or actually selling £3k bikes for the right price)

Doubt I’ll ever have lifetime brand loyalty

DP

.

Foes. Had the choice of a FXC or a superlight and didn’t regret it for a moment, which leads neatly on to; Santa Cruz had a Chameleon for ages and it was capable of dealing with everything I threw at it

Nicolai.

Bombproof, amazing craftsmanship, plus Black Ano.

per post #2

Turner. Company ethos. And you can often talk to Dave Turner himself.

I’ve never owned nor even sat on one but they seem a very “decent” set-up

Orange
Charge
Stanton

Have one of each! I generally like smaller companies, not saying they are the best but just like the small scale ethos…there are many others I like but focus on the brands I have as there are a loads of great companies out there…BTR, Cotic, Chromag.

As great as the big boys are…Giant, Trek, etc I’m just not into the big corporates.

Cannondale for many of the reasons above, and Intense.

TiRed – Member
“Raleigh UK were one of the last do it all in one spot manufacturers IMO”
Both Giant and Look weave their own carbon fibre . Giant make their own hubs, rims and many other alloy components for their own and other brands.

True. I edited my comment to remove too many UKs and lost the sense of it. None of the current manufacturers make their own gearing systems though.

Who is big these days other than Giant and Merida.

Turner. As their slogan goes “It’s all about the ride”. DT makes a bike that is a blast to ride and will last for years. He doesn’t care about fashion or anew model each year.

All summed up in this quote from DT on the MTBR forum when the new RFX came out…

“No other colors planned. Black is the new ball burnished.

LOOK- Ya’ll wanted a carbon all-enduro-mtn-f’ride frame and I made it. Now you want color options? Is this a fashion show or mountain biking? What about enduro blue or neon, should be around another 6 months. How about if I put little splashes of color on the shifters/brakes and fork and a wee dash of color on the taint part of the saddle to matchy matchy match. Nope.”

Cannondale, for being the most interesting of the big brands. Some beautiful aluminium frames back in the day.

Admire the utilitarian quality of Giant. You can pick up an anthem for less than a grand, new, which suggests mountain biking = solved.

Turner.
The first bike I ever managed to test ride in my size (Sultan), the bike that improved my riding more than any other, the bike that can still give me grins, can still go back to back with a 6 year newer model from a big brand and still ride better and the most fantastic customer service when I’ve needed it.
Oh. It’s still a better bike than I am a rider.

Liteville – fell in love with the 301 4 years back and built up a great bike over the next year

Never felt the urge to replace it….but their new models always make me reconsider

I was asked to test a 650+ Santa Cruz Hightower the other week which was a hell of a machine…but i’ve heard too many horror stories about bearings, so wouldn’t consider spanking the cash on one

But then i recently learnt that the 301 MK13 is built around a 650b+ wheelsize…..so just counting up available funds… 🙂

With the exception of sturmey archer, I don’t think Raleigh made their own drivetrains. Certainly not on high end bikes. But your point is well taken.

Giant really do it all. Including the R&D. And it is this that I admire. They made over 50 Propel prototypes, for example. That’s not the same as drafting up a cad frame and contracting the supply to a CMO.

Both Giant and Merida started by making other people’s frames. As a CMO you learn fast.

So Look are my favourite and i’ll have a Mondrian 795 one day to complement the Giants 🙂 . I wouldn’t race it though!!!

On One. First proper bike after getting back in the saddle. Liked the brand, innovation, good value etc, however, they’ve gone a bit sports direct since Brant left and their email campaigns are too planetX heavy – #justsayin

Carrera. In the mid-late 2000’s you could get into trail riding, without buying the typical Spesh entry level garbage, via a Kraken or Fury. Good frames, Geometry that wouldn’t kill you and good parts spec. Overtaken by the Decathlon/Go Outdoors offerings now.

Rose Bikes. Producing very good bikes at competitive prices, can modify the spec using their configurator, service is solid with good communication, plus they are a family owned business, so whilst massive, it has a family feel.

Also Islabike. Lovely to deal with, great products, strong resale value.

TiRed – Member
With the exception of sturmey archer, I don’t think Raleigh made their own drivetrains. Certainly not on high end bikes. But your point is well taken.

I remember when derailleurs were the exception rather than the rule. 🙂

I really like Giants. I don’t understand why people pay heaps more for what is basically the same bike with added USA style marketing.