Does the brand really make that much of a difference?

Green Lantern

I went to a store that sold Trek, Bianchi, Specialized, and Cannondale. The sales person told me, if you put Shimano 105 or Ultegra group on any of these bikes which are in the same price range, they really all perform very similar to each other. The geometry on these bikes $2,000 - $2,500 are more serious rider position and not a racer position. So they are all comfortable for us non racers. So it really comes down to the look of the bike or perhaps a slightly lower price that will make you choose one bike over the other.

What that tells me is that everyone's carbon frames are pretty much even with technology and design. Are you in agreement with this?

ALaPlage

Not exactly. Yes there will be minimal difference in the frames between manufacturers when you strip off all the groupset, wheels, finishing kit et al. That said its not just looks that differentiates them.

Different geometry means different brands feel different to ride and comfort and fit is an important factor. The R and D that goes into the bikes all can add to the fit and feel of a ride although for the keen amateur cyclist most of that would be minimal as not to matter other than how the bike felt but you can feel a difference in how a bike flexes or how stiff it is under power and cornering. And that changes by Brand.

mamba80

At that price point, head tube height and top tube length is what would marginally matter in terms of feel, i doubt there are too many on here who can tell the difference btwn a 73 seat tube angle and a 73.5.

Yesterday, i just test rode a Giant Defy 1 and a TCR 2 and after messing around with stem height and reach, both felt more or less the same, despite being completely different frames....maybe a much longer ride on both would show up bigger differences but i doubt it.

the overall fit and Wheels and tires/psi make a far bigger difference... your salesperson was just being honest

rolf_f

mamba80 wrote:

....maybe a much longer ride on both would show up bigger differences but i doubt it.

This is the thing - it does take miles for the slight differences to make themselves felt. Short test rides are probably no more use than sitting on the bike in the shop and that certainly doesn't tell you much unless you are getting a proper fit.

giant_man

The points raised so far regarding feeling no difference in seat tube angles are fair enough, but every one of those frames will feel different. Every carbon frame does feel different in some way. The monocoque frames will feel similar, what may be different is weight and handling. Comfort is such a personal thing.

That is why a test ride of some length will tell the rider whether that frame feels good or not.

Green Lantern

My first choice for a road bike as a non racier was Bianchi or Pinarello. However the dealer would have to order the bike for me to even test ride it. My Trek dealer had my size in stock; they offered great customer service as well. I would talk to them over 15 times on the phone regarding the 3.1 vrs the 4.5. I could also A/B both these bikes the same day. Some bike stores seem to offer several brands but the likelihood of them having your size would not be good. Other bike stores have a limited brands but they have most of the sizes in stock or another one of their stores in the chain had it.

Though Trek was not my first, or second choice, I am glad I purchased my 4.5. After changing the derails to Ultegra and my saddle to a larger size there is nothing on my bike I don't love. Knowing its an American company though it was made overseas made me feel a little better too.

FunBus

In answer to the question though, yes, if you compare internationally branded bikes at the same price point, they will all perform the same (or very similar). Different geometries etc make the difference but most brands have a raft of different options all enevitably overlapping with other brands at some point.

Same with anything - compare a BMW with a Mercedes at the same price - very similar. It's just the brand people buy into as everyone has their own brand preference from advertising, street cred, what you're mates think etc etc.

The only time this changes is with smaller brands - their brands cannot demand such high price tags (and they dont need such a high margin to fund global advertising etc) so with smaller brands, you can sometimes get more bike for your money......

Again, to put in another industry, KIA isn't a 'cool' car brand, but you get quite a lot of kit for your money, in comparison to bigger names

Gladiator

In one sense he's right, gearing is gearing no matter what bike it goes on.

However, frame geometry is far more important than most beginners realize and in this i think he's wrong. The frame quality might be the same (afterall, Giant make frames for other leading brands) and the materials used will probably be similar, but the design can be way different and this is where sitting on them is a must. This is where a good brand would have spent proper money on testing frame design and aero benefits as opposed to some producers who just knock them out.

Jens Voigt made a good point about riding, he said things like bike frames might be 1% better here or there, but throw in other considerations like comfort, wheels, riding position, saddles etc and they can all add up to an extra 10%. That extra 10% can be the difference between a nice ride and a great ride.

TMR

Of course, amongst all the technical differences, one mustn't forget that the biggest influence on the bike is you. It's obviously nice to own a bike that makes you feel proud to own and ride, but your own fitness and ability will ultimately be the arbiter of the performance you can get out of it.

Put any Pro on the sh*ttest bike, with the heaviest frame, groupset and wheels and he'd still destroy any of us on a £10,000 super machine.

Don't get too caught up in the details is what I'm trying to say. Just buy the best you can afford and ride it like you stole it

migrantwing

The Mad Rapper wrote:

Of course, amongst all the technical differences, one mustn't forget that the biggest influence on the bike is you. It's obviously nice to own a bike that makes you feel proud to own and ride, but your own fitness and ability will ultimately be the arbiter of the performance you can get out of it.

Put any Pro on the sh*ttest bike, with the heaviest frame, groupset and wheels and he'd still destroy any of us on a £10,000 super machine.

Don't get too caught up in the details is what I'm trying to say. Just buy the best you can afford and ride it like you stole it

Well said, that man!

Crankbrother

I bought my first 3 road bikes as frame only and built them somewhere between what I could afford and halfway decent weight/looks wise ...

My last 2 road bikes have been off the peg buys, one having everything I wanted (and I mean that) and the latest one having the frame I want and kit that is passable until I upgrade ...

At the same pricepoint there were about 5 frames I could have considered but I chose the one with less shiny kit knowing I would want to upgrade regardless of what I bought ...

Every of the peg bike I have bought (including mtbs and city bikes) I have immediately spent money making it my own ... So accepting a bike as generic, to me, just makes no sense ... There is always something beyond the advertising that draws YOU (or me) in ...