Most prestigious brands

2

Comments

  • canny_lad
    canny_lad Posts: 329
    VTech wrote:
    Astons are great but dont last like Jags, having said that, there is something special about driving an aston, they are far from quick but they look so nice.

    Far from quick :? Back in the real world you can't say Aston's are far from quick ffs. One of my mates had a V8 Vantage and it was fookin quick round our local roads. I'm sure one of your beloved Ferraris would have been quicker up the Ironbridge bypass but that's not the point. The missus's uncle has treated himself to a DB9 convertible and I'm trying to wangle a go in that. I agree with you that Astons are special, they always seem to generate respect not ridicule/jealousy like some makes do.

    BTW I drive a VW, fastest car I've driven was a Skyline GTR and I know very little about bike heritage but do like Colnagos :)
  • goonz
    goonz Posts: 3,106
    OP out of interest are you thinking of buying a bike from one of the 'prestigious' brands?

    If so surely you should pick the brand that you find the most prestigious or has the most history/heritage? For that you would need to know a thing or two about those brands. In cars we all know what brands have the history and which are deemed the most prestigious. Even in car brands, the big guns are owned by firms that we would not really class as prestigious.

    I'd pick a bike due to what I find attractive in that company and whether I know their history not from a shortlist selected from a forum survey.
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  • Camus
    Camus Posts: 189
    One day I will own a Patek calatrava, beautiful watch.

    As for bike brands Rapha! Assos! Not frame manufacturers but hey. But am I being entirely serious or reopening a can of worms?
  • I actually ride a Ribble as when I was in the market for it their shop was in walking distance from my house, they gave me a lot for my money, spent a lot of time setting me up on it and I got the satisfaction of supporting a local company.

    My next road bike will hopefully be a hand made Brian Rourke due to the fact that I aspire to have a master craftsman create something specifically for me and there just so happens to be a master frame builder in my home county I'm a born and bred Stokie "I bleed clay and oatcakes".

    The question was purely out of interest.
  • VTech
    VTech Posts: 4,736
    Canny lad wrote:
    VTech wrote:
    Astons are great but dont last like Jags, having said that, there is something special about driving an aston, they are far from quick but they look so nice.

    Far from quick :? Back in the real world you can't say Aston's are far from quick ffs. One of my mates had a V8 Vantage and it was fookin quick round our local roads. I'm sure one of your beloved Ferraris would have been quicker up the Ironbridge bypass but that's not the point. The missus's uncle has treated himself to a DB9 convertible and I'm trying to wangle a go in that. I agree with you that Astons are special, they always seem to generate respect not ridicule/jealousy like some makes do.

    BTW I drive a VW, fastest car I've driven was a Skyline GTR and I know very little about bike heritage but do like Colnagos :)


    I'm not adding to an argument with my post. The biggest complaint about Aston Martin cars is performance, they simply don't compete and I'm not referring to my love I Ferrari with that statement either.
    Put the vantage or DB against an XKR jag and here is no competition as he jag shoots into the sunset leaving the Aston far behind.
    Also, the upgradability of the Aston doesn't compete with the NA engine whilst the counterpart jag can be upgraded from 500hp too 650hp for less than £1k whilst the Vantage is stuck with 420hp.

    I'm not knocking the Aston, I LOVE them and will have one at some point in my life an my comment were only aimed at performance but as the topic is about prestige, the Aston trumps the jag.

    I also like Bentley's. they are great value as a 1-2 year old car but as stated above, they come with a stigma.
    My dream car as a kid was a Porsche, when I got one it was the best day of my life outside of truly personal events (kids, marriage etc) I felt extatic driving it and changed it for a Ferrari a year later which although more beautiful, it didnt drive as nice.
    I've driven in the XKR and the drive is amazing and power is as good as any super car in that power class but overall, the 1.9d VW golf, 2.0d VW and 2.0turbo VW are amazing cars offering amazing drives and bags of power.
    There are so many hot hatches that in real terms are incredibly desirable but easy access to them takes them out of the desirable league, quite unfairly so.
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  • This is a good question. Are people conflating "prestigious" with "rare and/or expensive"? Surely a prestigious brand is one that conjures up an image and is more than the sum of its parts.

    Campagnolo for instance make affordable component but are IMO prestigious.

    Shimano make some very expensive and efficient components, but prestigious? Probably not.
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  • rolf_f
    rolf_f Posts: 16,015
    ju5t1n wrote:
    If there is such a thing then I reckon Colnago is the most prestigious brand in the world of bicycles, they're often described as the Ferrari of cycling. The two have companies collaborated in the past. I saw one on eBay the other day. It looked shit

    Yes, the Colnago collaboration with Ferrari is a bit embarrassing and Colnago, if they aren't careful, will ruin their image just as Ferrari have done because of it. I was at the Ferrari shop in Milan a couple of years back (and what a ghastly shop it is too). They had a Colnago Ferrari MTB. Can't remember how much it cost but I think it was about £3k plus for a hardtail. It was fitted with Shimano Deore. That says everything about the bike and the person who would buy it. You can't get into the habit of making trash and keeping your image intact. Personally, I think the Ferrari association is bad for Colnago.
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  • VTech
    VTech Posts: 4,736
    Rolf F wrote:
    ju5t1n wrote:
    If there is such a thing then I reckon Colnago is the most prestigious brand in the world of bicycles, they're often described as the Ferrari of cycling. The two have companies collaborated in the past. I saw one on eBay the other day. It looked shit

    Yes, the Colnago collaboration with Ferrari is a bit embarrassing and Colnago, if they aren't careful, will ruin their image just as Ferrari have done because of it. I was at the Ferrari shop in Milan a couple of years back (and what a ghastly shop it is too). They had a Colnago Ferrari MTB. Can't remember how much it cost but I think it was about £3k plus for a hardtail. It was fitted with Shimano Deore. That says everything about the bike and the person who would buy it. You can't get into the habit of making trash and keeping your image intact. Personally, I think the Ferrari association is bad for Colnago.


    Great reply, and accurate.
    The problem I have found with Ferrari is that they will sell their name to anything for a few quid where other brands hold back. You can get a £50 Ferrari watch or a laptop with Ferrari badge which does no good for image.
    Having said that, maybe history has another bindin effect as I love them and would have a Ferrari anyday over so many other brands.
    I have always had an affinity to Lamborghini ever since a boy with the countach posters. They are better to drive nowadays but still nothing like as nice as a Porsche.

    As above, prestige is in the eye of the beholder, just like beauty.
    Living MY dream.
  • goonz
    goonz Posts: 3,106
    Think Colnago should collaborate with Pagani. Now that would be prestigious.
    Scott Speedster S20 Roadie for Speed
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  • simonhead
    simonhead Posts: 1,399
    goonz wrote:
    Think Colnago should collaborate with Pagani. Now that would be prestigious.

    Bonkers but brilliant
    Life isnt like a box of chocolates, its like a bag of pic n mix.
  • smoggysteve
    smoggysteve Posts: 2,909
    Prestige is a mixture of desirability and success.

    So for bikes that look nice and have actual race winning credentials over the decades has to be Bianchi

    Win list as long as your arm and beautiful to look at and ride.
  • schweiz
    schweiz Posts: 1,644
    The wife has a Bianchi mountain bike. It's rubbish! Bianchi do make some very nice bikes but they are a bit like Fiat group in that there's everything from a Punto to a Ferrari Enzo in the range.
  • Paul 8v
    Paul 8v Posts: 5,458
    Sounds like a conversation one would have at the Golf club.

    Cycling IS the new golf I'm told... As far as I can work out people only play golf so they can brag to each other about how much they've spent on their new driver or their ridiculous pair of trousers. With cycling this can be taken to the next level "I spent £12k on my Colnago" "Well I spent £13k on my Pinarello" :P

    Prestigious brands for cycling?

    Anything Italian really
  • VTech
    VTech Posts: 4,736
    Prestige is often fake.
    The first prestigious thing I ever bought has never worked like I wanted it too or like the much cheaper ones had done in the past but I still love it.
    Its amazing what we hold dear.
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  • "Prestige is often fake.
    The first prestigious thing I ever bought has never worked like I wanted it too or like the much cheaper ones had done in the past but I still love it.
    Its amazing what we hold dear."

    Yep, this is often my fear when I'm getting close to getting something I have aspired to get.

    It certainly is amazing what we hold dear, it also never ceases to amaze me how something about certain brands makes me covet their products. Every now and then beyond all rhyme and reason certain brands have the ability to evoke something base and primal and are just plain desirable.
  • VTech
    VTech Posts: 4,736
    It can be a costly mistake so "sieze the day" is not good in this case.

    I've always loved watches, always wanted a Rolex and it was my first prestigious buy but it's a terrible time keeper yet I won't let it go.
    I've done the same with cars, toys, clothes etc.

    A timex watch
    VW golf
    Few pairs of jeans
    Few pair of assorted shoes/trainers

    What more could we really want ?
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  • anything that doesnt sell at the lower end of the market, but is reasonably well known in cycling circles imo.

    thus time, look, colnago etc.

    the more boutique brands are prestigious in their own way and often very expensive, but as many havent heard of them i dont think they cna come into it.
  • Mccaria
    Mccaria Posts: 869
    edited April 2013
    Several years back did a transaction for one of the top watch manufacturers, selling very expensive pieces. They told us that the Swatch mechanisms were more accurate and reliable than pretty much all of the premium brands.

    Prestige should really include varying elements of exclusivity, heritage, performance and provenance.
  • Paul 8v wrote:
    Sounds like a conversation one would have at the Golf club.

    Cycling IS the new golf I'm told... As far as I can work out people only play golf so they can brag to each other about how much they've spent on their new driver or their ridiculous pair of trousers. With cycling this can be taken to the next level "I spent £12k on my Colnago" "Well I spent £13k on my Pinarello" :P

    Prestigious brands for cycling?

    Anything Italian really

    Thats bollox. I tell people I paid a few hundred £s for my bike, when I actually paid twice as much. Plus had new wheels. Feel a bit embarrassed to tell friends or relatives how much it really cost. Most likely just me.

    A prestigious bike: colnago-ferrari-cf-7.jpg
  • Lol, that Colnago looks like it should be the official bike of Wales.

    Mccaria wrote:
    Several years back did a transaction for one of the top watch manufacturers, selling very expensive pieces. They told us that the Swatch mechanisms were more accurate and reliable than pretty much all of the premium brands.

    Prestige should really include varying elements of exclusivity, heritage, performance and provenance.

    Yet I have always coveted a Breitling Navitimer in steel with a blue face and an Omega Speedmaster in Steel with a black face. I know that in reality these are mass made models in the mid luxury category which will lose more time than a digital Casio. I also know that a timepiece by a marque such as Piguet, Blancpain, Breguet, Patek, Nardin or Constantin would earn me more kudos from those in the know.
    But none of that matters because The Breitling and Omega are prestigious to me, I have wanted both since I was a teenager and at some point in my life I know I will have both. Again this is strange because I don't need them as I have a decent enough Casio Edifice which goes with me everywhere and still somehow manages to look brand new, and a beautiful 1970's Longines Automatic which was gifted to me and has astronomical sentimental value.
  • Paul 8v
    Paul 8v Posts: 5,458
    Paul 8v wrote:
    Sounds like a conversation one would have at the Golf club.

    Cycling IS the new golf I'm told... As far as I can work out people only play golf so they can brag to each other about how much they've spent on their new driver or their ridiculous pair of trousers. With cycling this can be taken to the next level "I spent £12k on my Colnago" "Well I spent £13k on my Pinarello" :P

    Prestigious brands for cycling?

    Anything Italian really

    Thats bollox. I tell people I paid a few hundred £s for my bike, when I actually paid twice as much. Plus had new wheels. Feel a bit embarrassed to tell friends or relatives how much it really cost. Most likely just me.

    A prestigious bike: colnago-ferrari-cf-7.jpg

    Think you might have got the wrong end of the stick there old chap, I was referring to the golfers who have converted to cycling because it's the "New golf" not your average cyclist ;-) From what I can see from a large portion of golfers (Not all obviously) part of the sport involves bragging about how much you have spent on things, maybe I've only met the annoying ones, who knows!
  • VTech
    VTech Posts: 4,736
    Lol, that Colnago looks like it should be the official bike of Wales.

    Mccaria wrote:
    Several years back did a transaction for one of the top watch manufacturers, selling very expensive pieces. They told us that the Swatch mechanisms were more accurate and reliable than pretty much all of the premium brands.

    Prestige should really include varying elements of exclusivity, heritage, performance and provenance.

    Yet I have always coveted a Breitling Navitimer in steel with a blue face and an Omega Speedmaster in Steel with a black face. I know that in reality these are mass made models in the mid luxury category which will lose more time than a digital Casio. I also know that a timepiece by a marque such as Piguet, Blancpain, Breguet, Patek, Nardin or Constantin would earn me more kudos from those in the know.
    But none of that matters because The Breitling and Omega are prestigious to me, I have wanted both since I was a teenager and at some point in my life I know I will have both. Again this is strange because I don't need them as I have a decent enough Casio Edifice which goes with me everywhere and still somehow manages to look brand new, and a beautiful 1970's Longines Automatic which was gifted to me and has astronomical sentimental value.


    I was given a breitling for my 40th, its a great looking watch and keeps perfect time if worn but it has no sentimental value. Ive never owned any other true value watch other than some sentimental Boy London watches that I recently purchased that I couldnt afford as a kid.
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  • pride4ever
    pride4ever Posts: 510
    CAMPY.
    the deeper the section the deeper the pleasure.
  • pride4ever wrote:
    CAMPY.

    You in lycra LOL?
    I'm sorry you don't believe in miracles
  • rolf_f
    rolf_f Posts: 16,015
    Mccaria wrote:
    Several years back did a transaction for one of the top watch manufacturers, selling very expensive pieces. They told us that the Swatch mechanisms were more accurate and reliable than pretty much all of the premium brands.

    Yes, but a Swatch has a quartz movement which is always going to be pretty hard to beat for timekeeping and reliability yet cost nothing to make. A hand made chronometer movement won't be as good at timekeeping as a quartz watch but it is infinitely more desirable.

    The problem is now that people covet cheap bling and the image of quality rather than actual genuine quality. They'll buy a £1500 Omega with a quartz movement that cost 20p to make. A £2500 Omega with a mechanical movement will always be the better buy in the long run and at least you know you are getting something for your money that is deeper than a printed on brand name but most won't bother because the £1500 looks the part.

    It's sad really. My old Saab is really well made all the way through but the fixtures and fittings do look a bit crude compared to, say, a modern Audi with all the lovely fine detailing. Yet, underneath the surface finish, it is all cheap plastics with finishes that rub off and all held together with cheap fixtures that rattle and squeak from new - it's not bad but it isn't exactly high quality. Even at a Bentley level, the Breitling clock on the dash is identical to the VW badged clock in a Passat but it doesn't matter because the badge has prestige so the object can be cheap and mass produced - nobody will care and they'll point to their Breitling dash clock with pride even though Breitling never actually had anything to do with it.
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  • I think it appears that he three posts have run the majority of their course, I would like to thank everyone who expressed an opinion.

    It has been said a couple of times that perhaps I picked the wrong word by using Prestigious, on reflection this may or may not have been the case but I'm not totally decided.

    I have found the replies interesting and although this has been far from scientific and has only accessed a very small amount of society, I will perhaps jump to a couple of conclusions :lol:

    1. Branding appears to have much less of an affect on commuters. Well perhaps they are too busy thinking about out and out quality and out and out value and this is more conducive to utility and utility is not always that desirable..... Ce the well duh! :D

    2. Branding is very effective within the world of road cycling, perhaps this is because of the age of the sport and the heritage this brings to some of its brands. some Italian manufacturers seem to have been able to have attained a quasi legendary status. I personally believe that this is perhaps driven by the popularity of the major sporting events "TDF" and the on avarage age ranges and therefore disposable cash of the people who take part.

    3. Mountain bikers are certainly affected by brand but nowhere near the level of the Road cyclists, perhaps this is due in part to the relative young age of the sport and the fact that it may sill been seen as an alternative choice when "Alternative and or Niche" brands are king. While there is certainly a racing heritage in Mountain biking perhaps certain brands have not been as totally dominant for such long periods of time and with the vast parity between the many different forms of racing perhaps there is just not enou "Focus" it also may be that the USA and Far East have failed to market in a way that Italy has in past decades?

    It is probably no surprise to many that the details of specific brands were not necisarily my interest when I started these threads, but I feel that I have personally confirmed a couple things that I thought and and perhaps learnt a couple things I hadn't considered.

    So again, thanks for all the replies!

    Marc
  • Great reply, and accurate.
    The problem I have found with Ferrari is that they will sell their name to anything for a few quid where other brands hold back. You can get a £50 Ferrari watch or a laptop with Ferrari badge which does no good for image.
    Having said that, maybe history has another bindin effect as I love them and would have a Ferrari anyday over so many other brands.
    I have always had an affinity to Lamborghini ever since a boy with the countach posters. They are better to drive nowadays but still nothing like as nice as a Porsche.

    As above, prestige is in the eye of the beholder, just like beauty.

    So this Ferrari laptop.

    Will it be faster than my Dell?
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  • VTech
    VTech Posts: 4,736
    I wouldnt have thought so :)
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  • Bar Shaker
    Bar Shaker Posts: 2,313
    Great reply, and accurate.
    The problem I have found with Ferrari is that they will sell their name to anything for a few quid where other brands hold back. You can get a £50 Ferrari watch or a laptop with Ferrari badge which does no good for image.
    Having said that, maybe history has another bindin effect as I love them and would have a Ferrari anyday over so many other brands.
    I have always had an affinity to Lamborghini ever since a boy with the countach posters. They are better to drive nowadays but still nothing like as nice as a Porsche.

    As above, prestige is in the eye of the beholder, just like beauty.

    So this Ferrari laptop.

    Will it be faster than my Dell?

    A little bit but the Dell 991GT3 will be much nicer to live with.

    Brand is a strange thing. The best brands are out of the price reach of 95% of the population. It should be the case that the best brands are the best performing or most reliable, but this isn't always the case. In many instances, they are way below the performance norm but attract a price premium and this gives them status that the actual performance doesn't warrant. My old Navitimer was a perfect example and I came to hate it. My brother has a Montbrilliant and that is forever needing repair. My current Tag Carrera is far superior in performance but is probably behind the Breitling in brand status. It shouldn't be.

    There is a standard that most top flight kit needs to exceed before being judged a desirable brand and that some of it is so expensive often means people will not complain about it, for fear of looking foolish.

    There is also a reverse snobbery. Some people avoid brands because they have a knob image. Rolex, for me, is just such a brand. As a brand it is only known for being expensive.

    There is also the target discipline to consider. In diving, a £500 Suunto has just as much desirability as a £5k Omega. In golf, people buy the clubs that their hero uses, whether they suit them or not. Tri competitors are buying Boardman AiR bikes like they are going out of fashion. They may not make the owner perform like a Brownlee, just as me riding a Venge may not make me sprint like Cav. But if the brand adds to their performance because they feel they have an edge, then it does become worthwhile.

    And that is what it is all about, when we pull up at the bike club, the diving school or the first tee... because if what we have bought makes us feel good about what we are about to do, then the brand has achieved all the prestige it needs.
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  • VTech
    VTech Posts: 4,736
    Bar Shaker wrote:
    Great reply, and accurate.
    The problem I have found with Ferrari is that they will sell their name to anything for a few quid where other brands hold back. You can get a £50 Ferrari watch or a laptop with Ferrari badge which does no good for image.
    Having said that, maybe history has another bindin effect as I love them and would have a Ferrari anyday over so many other brands.
    I have always had an affinity to Lamborghini ever since a boy with the countach posters. They are better to drive nowadays but still nothing like as nice as a Porsche.

    As above, prestige is in the eye of the beholder, just like beauty.

    So this Ferrari laptop.

    Will it be faster than my Dell?

    A little bit but the Dell 991GT3 will be much nicer to live with.

    Brand is a strange thing. The best brands are out of the price reach of 95% of the population. It should be the case that the best brands are the best performing or most reliable, but this isn't always the case. In many instances, they are way below the performance norm but attract a price premium and this gives them status that the actual performance doesn't warrant. My old Navitimer was a perfect example and I came to hate it. My brother has a Montbrilliant and that is forever needing repair. My current Tag Carrera is far superior in performance but is probably behind the Breitling in brand status. It shouldn't be.

    There is a standard that most top flight kit needs to exceed before being judged a desirable brand and that some of it is so expensive often means people will not complain about it, for fear of looking foolish.

    There is also a reverse snobbery. Some people avoid brands because they have a knob image. Rolex, for me, is just such a brand. As a brand it is only known for being expensive.

    There is also the target discipline to consider. In diving, a £500 Suunto has just as much desirability as a £5k Omega. In golf, people buy the clubs that their hero uses, whether they suit them or not. Tri competitors are buying Boardman AiR bikes like they are going out of fashion. They may not make the owner perform like a Brownlee, just as me riding a Venge may not make me sprint like Cav. But if the brand adds to their performance because they feel they have an edge, then it does become worthwhile.

    And that is what it is all about, when we pull up at the bike club, the diving school or the first tee... because if what we have bought makes us feel good about what we are about to do, then the brand has achieved all the prestige it needs.

    Are you in marketing by any chance ?
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