# Rank these Mountain Bike Manufacturer Brands



## EscapeVelo (May 1, 2012)

over the last 20 years or so...best to worst.

Barracuda
Cannondale
Diamondback
Fuji
Gary Fisher
Giant
GT
Haro
Ibis
Iron Horse
Jamis
K2
KHS
Kona
Marin
Mongoose
Norco
Parkpre
Rocky Mountain
Schwinn
Specialized
Trek
Yeti


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## Jwind (Mar 1, 2006)

Rank them for what? Sort of ubiquitous. That and you've listed like 1/2 at most.


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## EscapeVelo (May 1, 2012)

Jwind said:


> Rank them for what? Sort of ubiquitous. That and you've listed like 1/2 at most.


Overall. Feel free to insert your own biases and to expound upon them in your intro to your rankings.

If you think Ive missed some that should be on the list, by all means include them in your rankings....or Ill add them to the survey.

PS - I dont think that word "ubiquitous" means what you think it means. Perhaps you were looking for the word "ambiguous" or perhaps even better "vague."


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## Slozomby (Mar 22, 2012)

pretty easy. 

worst: brands sold in walmart ( where you have to be careful buying used because they have some good models ( that werent sold at walmart)) 

best: everything else.


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## Shalom (Nov 7, 2008)

Best - whatever you actually have to ride. 

Worst - not riding anything because you are a bike snob...

Nah, just kidding. At the end of the day, does it matter? The nest bike is the bike that works for you (geometry, suspension, components, etc etc).


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## Jwind (Mar 1, 2006)

EscapeVelo said:


> Overall. Feel free to insert your own biases and to expound upon them in your intro to your rankings.
> 
> If you think Ive missed some that should be on the list, by all means include them in your rankings....or Ill add them to the survey.
> 
> PS - I dont think that word "ubiquitous" means what you think it means. Perhaps you were looking for the word "ambiguous" or perhaps even better "vague."


Yes. Autocorrect. But even ubiquitous sort of works.

My point is, your questions i like asking what's the best "dinner" or the "best state to live in". While I think we can almost all agree that a dinner at Micky D's doesn't make the list for dinner and a wally-world mongoose might be out of the running for bikes, there are so many variables it's impossible to formulate and sort of valued added response.

We are lucky there are a lot of great bikes to choose from and depending on what you are looking for, your personal preferences and taste the best bike list will be different every time.


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## EscapeVelo (May 1, 2012)

Jwind said:


> Yes. Autocorrect. But even ubiquitous sort of works.
> 
> My point is, your questions i like asking what's the best "dinner" or the "best state to live in". While I think we can almost all agree that a dinner at Micky D's doesn't make the list for dinner and a wally-world mongoose might be out of the running for bikes, there are so many variables it's impossible to formulate and sort of valued added response.
> 
> We are lucky there are a lot of great bikes to choose from and depending on what you are looking for, your personal preferences and taste the best bike list will be different every time.


I appreciate the sentiment of nuance and personalization.

However a survey of this nature does have value (as do the amalgamated distribution of answers statistically), provided the sample is large enough.

I hope you give it a go.


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## EscapeVelo (May 1, 2012)

Here, Ill try.

Specialized
Gary Fisher
Kona
Yeti
Rocky Mountain
Trek
Giant
Norco
Ibis
Parkpre
Fuji
Marin
Jamis
GT
Iron Horse
KHS
Diamondback
Barracuda
Cannondale
K2
Haro
Schwinn
Mongoose


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## Cayenne_Pepa (Dec 18, 2007)

Cannondale should be #2 or 3 on that list. They are masters of manipulating aluminum tubing, and their ultra-light Hollowgram BB30 crankset(they pioneered it!) is among the _*world's best*_....in terms of weight, stiffness and power transfer.


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## EscapeVelo (May 1, 2012)

Zachariah said:


> Cannondale should be #2 or 3 on that list. They are masters of manipulating aluminum tubing, and their ultra-light Hollowgram BB30 crankset(they pioneered it!) is among the _*world's best*_....in terms of weight, stiffness and power transfer.


I didnt say my rankings were the most informed!

I was thinking of their proprietary uni-shock front fork, which they pursued for quite a few years. Wasnt a big hit, was it?

That being said, a friend of mine had an F300 that was very nice.


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## Cayenne_Pepa (Dec 18, 2007)

EscapeVelo said:


> I didnt say my rankings were the most informed!
> 
> I was thinking of their proprietary uni-shock front fork, which they pursued for quite a few years. Wasnt a big hit, was it?
> 
> That being said, a friend of mine had an F300 that was very nice.


Yes, the Lefty fork is a love-it or hate-it phenomenon. I'm not crazy about it. Otherwise, I would be all over a 110mm travel Headshok...if they ever made one again.


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## EscapeVelo (May 1, 2012)

I was referring to the Headshok....but that Lefty shock looks 100 times worse!

I guess Cannondale should be given props for its innovation apart from the crowd to the marketplace though.


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## charmon2 (Jun 6, 2005)

I'm going to be thinking about this one all night now. 

The big companies (Trek, Specialized, Giant, etc...) come to mind for the top since they have the funds to do a lot of R+D to develop new technologies and push the sport through their race programs. 

That being said, I really appreciate the smaller companies that build the best bikes they can without worrying about hitting a price point (ibis, intense, Ellsworth, etc...). I know it's not the first carbon fiber bike out there but I recall the ibis mojo being the first one that made me think that maybe it wasn't too fragile for real world use in mt. bike frames. 

As I think of it, of all the bikes I've owned I've had more Santa Cruz bikes than any other brand. Aside from my personal feelings on the brand I think they've done enough to make your list and maybe even place high on the list.


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## EscapeVelo (May 1, 2012)

Look forward to you and Zachariah's rankings!

Good Night for now!


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## AndrwSwitch (Nov 8, 2007)

The Lefty has some definite fans. It's supposed to be lighter and stiffer, at least as an XC race fork, than a lot of the competition. Haven't done any of my own research, so take it as such. Cannondale is definitely an early adopter's company, so any of their bikes are worth some research to make sure you can maintain them.

Some of those companies have moved around within the market in the last 20 years. Also it's a long list. So I'm not going to try to rank them. One good way to help figure out what you're getting is to see if it's on bikepedia.com. Bikepedia's not complete, necessarily, but it pretty much only lists "real" brands. When you have some actual bikes you're considering, find some reviews or ask about them here.


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## Newbie 15 (Aug 2, 2009)

Well, Trek IS Giant, so, 

C-dale
Specalized
Giant
Yeti
RM


and...

Cove.


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## Rev. 14 (Jan 22, 2012)

EscapeVelo said:


> Here, Ill try.
> 
> Specialized
> Gary Fisher
> ...


Hey that pretty good. I think I'd move Diamondback ahead of GT and KHS though. I would move Schwinn to the bottom. YOu also missed Cannondale and they could be just above the Trek/Giant.

Escape Velo, you failed to put Santa Cruz in here and Niner. Two the best mountain bike makers, you missed them.


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## fireball_jones (Mar 29, 2009)

These days, they're all pretty similar except for what suspension design they have patents on.

Historically... Gary Fisher would have to be up there, as they were more willing to experiment with geometry and sizing changes (29ers, etc). Cannondale was a big deal when their US made aluminum frames hit the market. Most older riders owned a Diamondback or a GT at some point. Mountain bikes are synonymous with Stumpjumpers and Trek 8000s.


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## VanillaEps (Aug 24, 2010)

EscapeVelo said:


> over the last 20 years or so...best to worst.
> 
> Barracuda
> Cannondale
> ...


Why no Niner?


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## clewttu (May 16, 2007)

fail


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## Gasp4Air (Jun 5, 2009)

EscapeVelo said:


> over the last 20 years or so...best to worst.
> 
> Barracuda
> Cannondale
> ...


Why?


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## vk45de (Feb 1, 2009)

In order of what I'd covet most when I see written on the side of a frame

Intense
C-dale (w/ lefty)
Moots
GT
Trek
Gary Fisher
C-dale
K2
DBR (Diamondback)
Iron Horse
Specialized - use to love em but they seem to like SR suntour too much these days
Fuji
Kona
KHS
Yeti
Schwinn
Giant
Marin
Jamis
Mongoose
Haro


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## EscapeVelo (May 1, 2012)

Thanks for your thoughts so far, everybody!


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## EscapeVelo (May 1, 2012)

Santa Cruz and Niner


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## zebrahum (Jun 29, 2005)

Zachariah said:


> Cannondale should be #2 or 3 on that list. They are masters of manipulating aluminum tubing, and their ultra-light Hollowgram BB30 crankset(they pioneered it!) is among the _*world's best*_....in terms of weight, stiffness and power transfer.


Don't mean to pick on Zachariah but this is exactly why a list like this is inherently flawed. Everyone's bias will show through and you'll find everyone just ranking the bike manufacturer they ride as the best. You will not be able to get a statistical group large enough to produce a meaningful result.

Perhaps you would be better served (and get more results) if you picked some tiers to put these manufacturers into. I'll take a rough shot at one:

Big Names, From Entry Level to Very High Quality:
-Cannondale, Gary Fisher, Giant, Kona, Specialized, Trek

Smaller Names, Very High Quality:
-Ibis, Intense, Niner, Pivot, Yeti

Smaller Names, Entry Level to High Quality:
-Norco, Rocky Mountain, KHS

Entry Level to Mid Level (Some Exceptions):
-Diamondback, GT, Haro, Jamis, Fuji, Marin, Mongoose

Pretty Sure They're Out of Business Making Mountain Bikes:
Barracuda,Iron Horse, K2 (coming back, apparently), Parkpre

Generally a Junk Show:
Mongoose (the rest of them)
Schwinn (they don't produce anything worthwhile anymore)

Anyway, putting things into categories makes it easier for people to rank them because quite frankly, there isn't too much difference between a Trek bike and a Giant bike and a Specialized bike when it comes down to it and that means there is no real reason to rank one higher than another save personal opinion.


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## mimi1885 (Aug 12, 2006)

EscapeVelo said:


> over the last 20 years or so...best to worst.
> 
> Barracuda
> Cannondale
> ...


Top of your list would be Barracuda and Schwinn. This is so pointless

However, it's the worst thread this week in BC by far:thumbsup:


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## Jwind (Mar 1, 2006)

EscapeVelo said:


> Thanks for your thoughts so far, everybody!


Judging by the OP past posts, they are all "hey, what do you think of this brand" ,"anyone a fan of brand X", "Is this brand good"...

Rather then getting hung up on brands, why don't you tell us what you are looking for in a bike, budget and the type of riding you like, and there are all sorts of people that will lend you their snarky options of what bike is best for you.


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## Cayenne_Pepa (Dec 18, 2007)

I've ridden at least three of every bike listed, and here is my rankings(if it even matters):

1) Specialized
2) Cannondale
3) Gary Fisher
4) Rocky Mountain
5) Yeti
6) Giant
7) Trek
8) Ibis
9) Kona
10) GT
11) Marin
12) Jamis
13) Fuji
14) Norco
15) Haro
16) Iron Horse
17) Parkpre
18) Diamond Back
19) Schwinn
20) Mongoose
21) K2
22) Barracuda(only last, because Ross Bicycles bought them)


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## mimi1885 (Aug 12, 2006)

Jwind said:


> Judging by the OP past posts, they are all "hey, what do you think of this brand" ,"anyone a fan of brand X", "Is this brand good"...
> 
> Rather then getting hung up on brands, why don't you tell us what you are looking for in a bike, budget and the type of riding you like, and there are all sorts of people that will lend you their snarky options of what bike is best for you.


Yeah comparing all those brands is not simple because of the different models and trims. OP would have an easier time choosing from these small companies
Seven
Sycip
Indy Fab
Eriksen
Lynsky
Wolfhound
Jeff Jones


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## pfox90 (Aug 8, 2010)

Ibis, other boutique stuff
Yeti, Transition, Santa Cruz
----------------
Specialized, Giant, Trek, Cannondale
----------------
GT, Kona
DB
-----------------
Really stopped caring after this point

Fuji, Haro, Marin
Schwinn, Crap, other brands


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## bigfruits (Mar 21, 2011)

west side is the best


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## scamry (Mar 10, 2012)

the best bike for you is the one you are riding and having fun on. getting caught up on brands and components just take you away from what's really important.


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## sanjuro (Sep 29, 2004)

This is a dumb list.

From a dealer perspective, I rank shops as 1st tier, 2nd tier, 3rd tier, and boutique.

From a riding perspective, some companies do a better job with certain kinds of bikes. Like Cannondale currently has very good XC bikes, but not so great downhill bikes. 

On the other hand, at one point Cannondale was the leader of the 1st tier companies in downhill.


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## pfox90 (Aug 8, 2010)

The claymore and jekyll are sick.


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## iamspartacus (May 21, 2012)

Scott should be up there with at least Giant.


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## EscapeVelo (May 1, 2012)

Thanks Zebrahum, Zachariah, pfox and sanjuro.

Ive managed to learn some things. Newbie dumb list and all.


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## paxy (Apr 6, 2012)

Don't forget fezzari. They sell a great frame. And yes, I'm biased


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