How Should I Choose A Bike When Big Name Bike Brands Aren’t Always Better?

When buying a bike, are you paying for quality or brand name?

Oftentimes it can be really hard to tell if what you're paying for is legit and bike buyers have a lot of questions regarding this very point.

Are all bikes made in China? Are bikes made in the USA really of a better quality? What should I look for in a bike manufacturer and in the listed price? With so many bike brands on the market, how do you know what bike prices are legitimate, where a bike is manufactured, and what that means about the quality of the bike?

These are all common questions for bike buyers in today’s consumer market. Most bikes are actually made in Taiwan, but here’s the low-down on which bikes are made in the US, what to look for in price, and why marketing doesn’t always mean that you’re hearing the truth about a specific bike brand.

Most bicycles that you see on the streets these days are made in Taiwan. This isn’t a bad thing—in most cases the better-quality bikes you see people riding are probably from Taiwan. Taiwan is known as the center of the bicycle industry, and has been for decades. Taiwan factories are capable of manufacturing high-quality bikes without the high price tag that many US bikes have. It may also shock you to learn that 99% of all primary bicycle brands manufacture their bikes in Taiwan, even some who claim to be made in the US!

Advertising and marketing in the bicycle industry often makes it hard to determine fact from fiction and what the differences between price and quality truly mean. Lots of the big brands in the cycle industry spend more money for marketing than they do for quality manufacturing. This is the main reason why consumers believe that the “big brands” are the best brands. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. If you’re in the market to buy a bicycle, make sure to research the brand, its origin, and its manufacturing process. If you need help, you can do online research or, even better, ask your local experts at a reputable bike shop.

With bicycles, typically the cheaper bikes of a lesser quality all come from China. You can almost always tell if a bike you’re interested in comes from Taiwan or China simply by looking at the price tag. When you see a bike with a price that looks “too good to be true”—it’s from China. You will find these bikes ranging in the $200 - $300 neighborhood. The difference between these cheaper bikes that are made in China as compared to bikes made in Taiwan is exclusively the quality of craftsmanship and parts. The cheaper Chinese alternative is never going to last as long, perform as well, and it typically weighs more than a slightly more expensive Taiwan model.

As a bike expert for a Santa Monica, California bike shop, my recommendation is always going to be: “Buy well to buy once!”

There are always exceptions to the rule and certainly not all bicycles are made overseas. Intense Cycles is the brand leader for US-made performance mountain bikes that are handmade in Temecula, California. Another good example of a high-quality US bike brand is Litespeed. Litespeed stands for the highest quality of titanium road and mountain bikes and are still hand crafted to this day in Tennessee. One thing is for certain: bikes that are handmade in the US definitely mean a higher-quality bike than a bike made in a factory overseas.

Unfortunately the price tag of an Intense mountain bike or a titanium Litespeed is quite high. It’s true that all high-end mountain bikes and road bikes are expensive, even the ones made in Taiwan. This is interesting information for bike consumers because a lot of high-end mountain bikes and road bikes made in Taiwan carry the same price tag as US-made brands like Intense or Litespeed, which are definitively of a better quality. What the consumer can glean from this is that the manufacturer clearly has a bigger profit margin built into the price for the Taiwan brands.

In summary, my bike buying advice, based on budget, would be to:

Find a manufacturer in the US if you want to buy a high-end road or mountain bike because the quality will be higher than overseas bikes of a similar price. If you’re in the market for a medium-priced road or mountain bike, find a good manufacturer who fabricates in Taiwan and who doesn’t spend too much in marketing efforts. Of the Taiwan manufacturers, all brand names are of equally good quality, just make sure to compare the parts and components because some brands are higher priced for the same parts and products.

A good illustration of this using brand name would be to compare Norco or KHS bikes with brands such as Specialized, Cannondale and Trek. The latter are often more popular in the market place, but Norco and KHS are of equally good quality and often carry a lower price tag for complete bikes or frame sets.

If you’re in the market for a “cheap” bike, please weigh some of the cost-to-benefit considerations such as: how long do you plan to keep the bike? What terrain will you be riding on? How much use will this bike get and will the use be vigorous or casual? If you’re looking for a durable bike for daily use, save your money—or you could end up buying twice.