# Your Top 4 MTB Brands



## spec4life (May 14, 2008)

Alright folks in your opinion what is the best four MTB brands on the market today. Give us a list in order with the best first.

Heres mine:

Specialized
Trek
Kona 
Giant


----------



## f0rmula (Mar 9, 2008)

Specialized
Cannondale
Giant
Chumba


----------



## Alumni (Mar 2, 2007)

MisFit
Santa Cruz
Gary Fisher
Ventanna


----------



## Flyer (Jan 25, 2004)

Turner
Ventana
Knolly
Moots


----------



## SoloRider (Aug 6, 2004)

Vanilla
Vanilla
Vanilla
Vanilla


----------



## Keatan (Apr 23, 2008)

*Top 4 without getting into really expensive brands*

Cannondale
Kona
Specialized
Gary Fisher


----------



## zzsean (Nov 3, 2004)

Ibis
Turner
Intense
Transition


----------



## wizard22 (Dec 2, 2007)

Kona
Rocky Mountain
Norco
Devinci


----------



## rockyuphill (Nov 28, 2004)

Rocky Mountain 
DeVinci
Giant
Kona


----------



## HotBlack (Feb 9, 2008)

Eriksen (the ultimate in lifetime bikes)
Yeti (big bikes, still designed, built, beat & produced in Colorado, by cyclists, for cyclists)
Ventana (same, but California)
Curtlo (most custom frame bang for the buck)

All are master builders. Remember, there's no way around: you get what you pay for, and you pay for what you get (except sometimes on ebay). Those cheapo bikes might seem like a great deal when your wallets in your hand, but that low price always comes at other costs.


----------



## lidarman (Jan 12, 2004)

spec4life said:


> Alright folks in your opinion what is the best four MTB brands on the market today. Give us a list in order with the best first.
> 
> Heres mine:
> 
> ...


Your list appears to match the top four that advertise in magazines.


----------



## chase2wheels (Oct 16, 2003)

Intense
Orbea (really like their carbon hardtale)
Titus (never owned one, but I would)
Specialized (I've owned at least 5 - and they've always been quality bikes.

and I really like the new Canondale Scalpel too


----------



## sean salach (Sep 15, 2007)

surly
wtb
magura
bell


----------



## LyNx (Oct 26, 2004)

ROFLMAO  Is there a budget to what brands? Cause seriously they're just too damn many good bicycle manufacturers/people to list 4. If I was pushed, going by rep and product it'd have to be Turner, Ventana, Quiring, Knolly, I own non of their bikes, yet .


lidarman said:


> Your list appears to match the top four that advertise in magazines.


----------



## FoShizzle (Jan 18, 2004)

Ibex
Ibex
Ibex
Ibex


----------



## Roc (May 9, 2006)

Huffy

Next

Roadmaster

Team Murray


----------



## ejbluth (Nov 14, 2007)

Roc said:


> Huffy
> 
> Next
> 
> ...


QFT


----------



## mondaycurse (Nov 24, 2005)

Roc said:


> Huffy
> 
> Next
> 
> ...


Where are the Hummer bikes? Jeep Bikes? You're leaving way too much out here


----------



## Ze_Zaskar (Jan 3, 2008)

Wolfhound
Jeff Jones
Vanilla
Thorn


----------



## Hollis (Dec 19, 2003)

*how about the last 4 bikes owned?*

Giant Reign (best of the bunch)
Giant VT 
Ellsworth Isis 
Sunn Xchox


----------



## speedmetal (Feb 28, 2007)

Cannondale
Giant
Trek
Yeti


----------



## JonathanGennick (Sep 15, 2006)

Roc said:


> Huffy
> 
> Next
> 
> ...


LOL! Yeah, I was thinking it'd actually be easier to list my bottom four.

Otherwise, my top four are probably going to be the one's I'm most familiar with.


----------



## airs0ft3r (Sep 2, 2007)

Specialized (because I have one)
Bionicon
Ibis
Giant

Bikes companies I find the most innovative

Bionicon
Ibis
Giant
Specialized


----------



## jpine93 (Aug 7, 2007)

Santa Cruz
Specialized
Ibis
Trek


----------



## brankulo (Aug 29, 2005)

fuji-because i own one
yeti-because i want to own one
santa cruz-because i used to want one
mrazek-because it is made in my home country


----------



## Clutchman83 (Apr 16, 2006)

Way too many to list, but specialized wouldn't even be in the top 15.


----------



## Coach417 (Jul 13, 2007)

*Real world...blue collar*

Giant
Redline
Salsa
Intense (Big $)

Honorable mention:
Voodoo (love my Dambala SS)


----------



## aussiemegs (May 12, 2008)

specialized
norco
trek
santa cruz


----------



## bigpedaler (Jan 29, 2007)

Top 4 brands:

Santa Cruz
Ibis
Chumba
Jamis (would have been higher if the Dakar XLT hadn't been d/c'd)

Bottom 4:

Roadmaster
Murray
Huffy
Next/Magna
(if you scrape the bottom of the barrel so hard that you break through to UNDER the barrel, that's where you'll find these...)

Best 4 I've ridden:

Jamis
Weyless
Mongoose
Schwinn


----------



## KDGast (Dec 24, 2006)

Gary Fisher
Specialized
Cannondale
Redline


----------



## AggieXCRacer (Oct 10, 2005)

Titus (own one)
Orbea (own one)
Kona (cool company)
Yeti (cool company)


----------



## Dirt Bringer (May 10, 2006)

Specialized
Marin
Santa cruz
Giant


----------



## mjbIB (May 14, 2008)

Intense 5point5
Santa Cruz Blur LT2
Specialized Enduro SL or Stumpy
Santa Cruz Heckler


----------



## TwistedCrank (Aug 6, 2004)

95% if the manufacturers listed are silly jokes in it for the money and not the ride.

You guys must sprinkle paint chips on your morning bowls of Stupid.


----------



## EGF168 (Aug 13, 2007)

Best:
-Giant 1st place for all their Maestro bikes
-Cannondale for being cool 
-Rocky Mountain for great bikes and maple leaves
-Lapierre for saying F-off to the US and making bikes for Europe with US designs that ride great.

Whyte cos they are British and build nothing but the best.

Trek for the most improved.


----------



## sherijumper (Feb 19, 2007)

*my four best*

top 4 smaller companies

Ibis
moots
merlin "jeff jones"
Intense

top 4 larger companies

Rocky mountain
Specialized
Giant 
Gary fisher


----------



## MFDOOM (Mar 26, 2008)

TwistedCrank said:


> 95% if the manufacturers listed are silly jokes in it for the money and not the ride.
> 
> You guys must sprinkle paint chips on your morning bowls of Stupid.


----------



## Mordy (May 31, 2006)

Giant
Ventana
Trek
Transition

Niner 
Surly
Redline
Gary Fisher


----------



## FoShizzle (Jan 18, 2004)

TwistedCrank said:


> 95% if the manufacturers listed are silly jokes in it for the money and not the ride.
> 
> You guys must sprinkle paint chips on your morning bowls of Stupid.


you are very mean spirited and that is not appropriate for a forum such as mtbr where we all share a special passion and have a unique bond.

companies like Giant, Specialized, Trek, make bikes that are tops in in all regards. Boutique makers dont have the same equipment and cant possibly make bikes at that same level. For example, few people use the horst link and everybody knows it is the most advanced engineering that a bike can have. Turner, who used to have ok bikes had it at one point but now dont for some reason.


----------



## forkboy (Apr 20, 2004)

Nevermind.


----------



## bermluvr (Aug 2, 2006)

Giant
Devinci
Norco
Rocky Mountain


----------



## cbchess (Dec 20, 2003)

Ventana
Turner
Specialized
on-one


----------



## HotBlack (Feb 9, 2008)

FoShizzle said:


> companies like Giant, Specialized, Trek, make bikes that are tops in in all regards. Boutique makers dont have the same equipment and cant possibly make bikes at that same level. For example, few people use the horst link and everybody knows it is the most advanced engineering that a bike can have. Turner, who used to have ok bikes had it at one point but now dont for some reason.


It sounds nice, but that's not really how it works.

The big guys, Giant, Spec, Trek, Cdale, etc... make (usually buy) bikes as cheaply as possible, and sell them to you for the same price as a botique brand. Some people complain that it's all about profit, but profit is how large companies get to be large companies, and stay large companies. They figure, if you're happy to pay $2400 for a $600 bike, then they're happy to sell it to you, and everybody wins (which is true, to a point).

In a botique brand, you're not paying for all the marketing and overhead of a huge company, on top of a cheap imorted bike. You're paying for materials and craftsmanship. Botique brands spend far more time on precision mitres and fabrication, and in theory, you get a higher quality frame because they're not under the gun to kick out 2300 units a day from a guy holding a stopwatch and a list of people waiting to take the job.

If you knew why Turner and everyone else stopped using the Horst Link, you might likely think considerably less of Specialized and the Horst Link itself. Not a happy story.


----------



## FoShizzle (Jan 18, 2004)

HotBlack said:


> It sounds nice, but that's not really how it works.
> 
> The big guys, Giant, Spec, Trek, Cdale, etc... make (usually buy) bikes as cheaply as possible, and sell them to you for the same price as a botique brand. Some people complain that it's all about profit, but profit is how large companies get to be large companies, and stay large companies. They figure, if you're happy to pay $2400 for a $600 bike, then they're happy to sell it to you, and everybody wins (which is true, to a point).
> 
> ...


I am not sure what your last sentence refers to but as far as I am concerned, while Turner is sort of a kewl bike, I will never view them as advanced in their innovation as Specialized and Ellsworth, who really lead the market in so many ways. This is particularly true of Ellsworth, where all you have to do is take one look at the bike and it looks worlds more sophisticated than a Turner upon close inspection.


----------



## jgsatl (Sep 16, 2006)

i really like cane creek products and have received great customer service from them.


----------



## volleybrad (Dec 20, 2007)

Industry Nine
Crank Brothers
Formula
SRAM


----------



## 2_Tires (May 29, 2007)

Santa Cruz
Giant
BMC 
Specialized


----------



## TwistedCrank (Aug 6, 2004)

The worst thing about being Gary Fisher is having to ride those crappy bikes.


----------



## Franz (Jan 30, 2004)

Can't believe nobody's mentioned Shimano. Bikes would not be bikes without them.

Also in my list are Commencal, Santa Cruz, Foes and Thomson.


----------



## ryball (May 14, 2007)

If I were to buy a new bike, it would probably be from one of these:

Ventana
Specialized
Bionicon
Yeti

I would love a bike from Walt, Sycip, Lynskey, Blacksheep, Eriksen, Seven...


----------



## nachomc (Apr 26, 2006)

TwistedCrank said:


> 95% if the manufacturers listed are silly jokes in it for the money and not the ride.
> 
> You guys must sprinkle paint chips on your morning bowls of Stupid.


Grab a cold bud light, Mr. I-hate-corporations-because-I-don't-own-one guy. Here's to you.


----------



## sean salach (Sep 15, 2007)

FoShizzle said:


> I am not sure what your last sentence refers to but as far as I am concerned, while Turner is sort of a kewl bike, I will never view them as advanced in their innovation as Specialized and Ellsworth, who really lead the market in so many ways. This is particularly true of Ellsworth, where all you have to do is take one look at the bike and it looks worlds more sophisticated than a Turner upon close inspection.


pfft! whatever. those guys all copied off nishiki, the original innovators. shows how much you know.


----------



## ryball (May 14, 2007)

They're all reverse engineered from bikes found at Roswell.


----------



## That Geo Guy (Apr 14, 2008)

TwistedCrank said:


> The worst thing about being Gary Fisher is having to ride those crappy bikes.


----------



## Roswell52 (Mar 25, 2008)

Ryball....you are absolutely on the money. All of the frame technology these guys love was from Roswell. I should know, cause I was there.

You don't really think we invented Titanium welds and carbon fiber do you?


----------



## Mr Bacon Jr (Apr 2, 2008)

Yeti- have owned two, great bikes. Designed, tested, and for the most part, made, in the USA. 
Lynskey- cool TI
Elsworth
Hammerhead


----------



## LyNx (Oct 26, 2004)

Would someone give F'izzle a time out for trolling so blatantly with the newbs :skep: Fo go play in traffic, you have a while yet before 'Beast has any bike to sell you


----------



## TLL (Apr 28, 2008)

Univega
Magna
Shogun
Any bike with Camo paint


----------



## gsomtb (Jul 18, 2007)

Intense (have one on the way)
Vassago - love my single speed
Trek- Have owned a few and they were all good and Trek is pretty good w/ crash replacement
Lynsky - if I ever bought ti......


----------



## gsomtb (Jul 18, 2007)

I'd venture to guess that twistedcrank has more than just his crank twisted......really should lay off the hater-ade. Sometimes I just don't get it........


----------



## lidarman (Jan 12, 2004)

......................


----------



## croscoe (May 23, 2007)

Salsa & Surly. 

Yeah, that's only 2. Big whoop, wanna fight about it?


----------



## HandyMan (Feb 25, 2008)

Yeti
Ellsworth
Turner
Ventana

(and I don't own any of them, I ride a Specialized)


----------



## jackmcmanus21 (May 19, 2008)

Trek
Specialized
Cannondale
Kona


----------



## Dangeruss (Jan 24, 2006)

Yeti (brilliant frame design, robust, great cust. service, reputation, and people)
SantaCruz (Superlight, Blur,Heckler, Nomad, VPP - need we say more)
Specialized (50,000 Elvis fans can't be wrong)
Giant (best component specs for the money - nice susp. designs)


----------



## Bail_Monkey (May 8, 2007)

Roc said:


> Huffy
> 
> Next
> 
> ...


Costco


----------



## ahathaway (May 1, 2008)

Here is what we have so far:

Specialized 15
Giant 12
Santa Cruz 10
Ventanna 8
Yeti 8
Trek 7
Cannondale 6
Intense 6
Ibis 5
Kona 5
Turner 4
Ellsworth 3
Gary Fisher 3
Norco 3
Rocky Mountain 3
Bionicon 2
Chumba 2
Devinci 2
Knolly 2
Lynskey 2
Merlin/Jeff Jones 2
Moots 2
Redline 2
Orbea 2
Salsa 2
Surly 2
Titus 2
Transition 2
Vanilla 2
Bell
BMC
Cane Creek
Commencal
Crank Brothers
Curtlo
Eriksen
Foes
Formula
Fuji
Hammerhead
Ibex
Industry Nine
Jamis
Quiring
Lapierre
Magna
Magura
Marin
MisFit
Mrazek
On-One
Shimano
Shogun
SRAM
Sunn
Thorn
Univega
Vassago
Wolfhound
WTB


----------



## ryball (May 14, 2007)

Bail_Monkey said:


> Costco


Cadillac?


----------



## EGF168 (Aug 13, 2007)

We need to get more Giant people in here&#8230;&#8230;.


----------



## crazylax42 (Jan 17, 2007)

GT (for solid value)
Cannondale (solid craftsmanship and innovation)
Turner
Iron Horse (bringing dw link to the masses!)


----------



## KRob (Jan 13, 2004)

HotBlack said:


> It sounds nice, but that's not really how it works.
> 
> The big guys, Giant, Spec, Trek, Cdale, etc... make (usually buy) bikes as cheaply as possible, and sell them to you for the same price as a botique brand. Some people complain that it's all about profit, but profit is how large companies get to be large companies, and stay large companies. They figure, if you're happy to pay $2400 for a $600 bike, then they're happy to sell it to you, and everybody wins (which is true, to a point).
> 
> ...


Hook. Line. Sinker. You've been snagged by the master angler, Hotblack. You crack me up Fo. Keep up the good work.:thumbsup:

From what I've "learned" here on mtbr I'm pretty sure that the four best bike brands on the planet are:

*Turner
Ventana
Titus
Knolly*


----------



## dusty (Jun 9, 2004)

*4 mtb*

Yeti, Giant, Ibis and Avid


----------



## north20 (Nov 25, 2007)

Ventana
DeKerf
Curtlo
Trek


----------



## HotBlack (Feb 9, 2008)

KRob said:


> Hook. Line. Sinker. You've been snagged by the master angler


Man, I thought that was weird when I read that. After seeing Fo's posts everywhere, how could he still be so backward on builders...

Reading his second post was followed by a solid forehead smack. Shhhh...

Well played, Fo.


----------



## CactusJoe (Aug 10, 2005)

Santa Cruz
Yeti
Turner
Ventana


----------



## womble (Sep 8, 2006)

Shimano
Time
SRAM
Maxxis


----------



## FoShizzle (Jan 18, 2004)

HotBlack said:


> Man, I thought that was weird when I read that. After seeing Fo's posts everywhere, how could he still be so backward on builders...
> 
> Reading his second post was followed by a solid forehead smack. Shhhh...
> 
> Well played, Fo.


i try


----------



## Guest (May 20, 2008)

Strong
Moots
Eriksen
Seven


----------



## shwinn8 (Feb 25, 2006)

the Yeti built Homegrowns
Yeti
Ellsworth
Santa Cruz


----------



## JmZ (Jan 10, 2004)

Paul - such nifty toys.
Interloc - More nifty toys to keep toys running.
Ventana
Erickson
Insert any number of small builders (Wojick, Shamrock, BiCycles, Vanilla, Curlo, Teesdale... lots of nifty stuff coming from these guys - that's soon copied by Trek, Specialized, etc)

JmZ


----------



## knives out (Nov 23, 2007)

shwinn8 said:


> the Yeti built Homegrown


those were some cool bikes. I'd love to see Yeti do some kind of tribute to those bikes in the future... maybe offer some bass boat color schemes.

my top 4:

Yeti (my 575 is tits)
Knolly
Crank Bros
Chris King


----------



## warcricket (Mar 6, 2008)

surly
santa cruz
niner
giant


----------



## eat_dirt (May 26, 2008)

cove
surly
azonic
kona


----------



## spencer the kalmyk (Dec 6, 2006)

1Cannondale
2Magura
3Moots
4Seven


No experience with 3 or 4 but will soon


----------



## DrNickels (Jan 7, 2008)

Trek (have owned 2 and love them both and they ride nice and replacement is a breeze for cracked frames)
Kona - Want a hoss, have ridden them before, and will buy one when I get out of med school
Surly - what can I say the monkey is a sweet bike and very versatile
Astrix - they have one of the coolest looking bikes with awesome performance

Top mention to singular and can't wait till they get to the US in mass production because they make beautiful bikes!


----------



## jkkfam89 (Jan 2, 2007)

yeti
ventana
titus
ibis


----------



## poff (Dec 23, 2003)

Moots

Fox

Chris King

Independent Fab.


----------



## cocheese (Jan 12, 2004)

In no particular order:

Kent Eriksen
Knolly
Black Sheep
Jeff Jones


----------



## carbuncle (Dec 9, 2005)

My personal favorites are:

Transition
Kona
Santa Cruz
Knolly


----------



## Patterson (May 14, 2008)

I like:

Cove
Ellsworth
Yeti
Ibis


----------



## danyiluska (Sep 20, 2006)

Jeep
Ocean
Next
Trek...


----------



## xcolin (Apr 23, 2005)

Cove
Kona
Norco
Chromag


----------



## Blu Falcon (Apr 26, 2008)




----------



## Xayden (Feb 11, 2007)

Vassago 
Salsa
Turner
Indy Fab


----------



## Spartacus Rex (Dec 18, 2006)

*My .20*

Titus
Ellsworth
Ventana 
Turner


----------



## happy_ending (May 1, 2007)

turner- sick
ventana- sick_er_
knolly- sick_est_
chumba- best value in the market, imo (& why i own one)

i was throwing around foes and/or intense for a turner substitution but decided with the automatic dq due to putting out some of the ugliest (magna lookalike) frames out there...


----------



## JeffSpicoli (Jan 8, 2008)

Roc said:


> Huffy
> 
> Next
> 
> ...


LMFAO!!!!


----------



## JeffSpicoli (Jan 8, 2008)

Santa Cruz
Ellsworth
Maverick
GT


----------



## Mercury+Fly (Dec 20, 2006)

Bionicon (love mine!)
Specalized
Trek
Kona


----------



## Mojo Man (Sep 1, 2007)

Come on guys, lets get with current cutting edge bike technowlegy

IBIS MOJO SL


----------



## plorwax (Aug 24, 2009)

trek
santa cruz
specialize 
i only have three


----------



## jollybeggar (Feb 2, 2004)

It's not the brand or the bike, it's the motor. Kudos to God for awesome design and engineering. 

Now get out and ride!


----------



## Vlad (Feb 7, 2004)

I'm just going to name brands that I like, regardless of whether they are around or not:

Curtlo
Rock Lobster
Fat Chance
Igleheart
Ted Wojcik
Coconino
S&M
Terrible One
Retrotec
Bontrager (pre-Trek)
Tonic Fabrications


----------



## Joel. (Aug 16, 2009)

Cannondale
Corratec
Cube
Crank Brothers


----------



## mtmtbkr (Jul 16, 2008)

Strong


----------



## tex540 (Jul 12, 2009)

The four brands that sit in my garage and have served the family well:

Titus (mine)
Kona (semi-retired)
Specialized (my Son's)
Trek (my Wife's)


----------



## tg (Feb 1, 2006)

TURNER TURNER TURNER TURNER Ride one and you will see :thumbsup:


----------



## bingemtbr (Apr 1, 2004)

Top mountain bike "brands", those of you who are marketing edu-muh-kated will understand my reply:

1. King. Without a doubt, there is no other quite like Chris King. Whenever you see an MTB headset or US made head set start cropping up on $5k exotic euro roadie frames, you know something is up.

2. Specialized. The big red S. Ned Overend. They are as "corporate" and successful of a MTB company as we have ever had.

3. Sidi Shoes. Italian. Expensive. Performance. Like no others. 

4. Fox. There is some ambiguity as far as clothing versus hardware but Fox stands apart for their gloves, MX background, and relatively (the best thing you can say given the circumstances of operation) reliable mtb suspension products.


----------



## pop_martian (Mar 20, 2007)

Huffy, Next, Murray, Schwinn.:thumbsup:


----------



## jbt11string (Apr 7, 2008)

Rocky Mountain
Transition
Giant
Origin 8


----------



## New World Man (Jun 21, 2008)

I scanned through this pretty quickly and found it interesting that Scott doesn't appear. They seemed to be proud of thier 5 figure price tag bike for awhile in the magazine ads, this thread could be a lesson to them. Doesn't matter how good and expensive you make a bike if it you don't have solid reasonable priced bikes not many will be interested in your company.

My votes
Fisher
Trek
Giant
Specialized


----------



## LBIkid (Mar 16, 2007)

I've never owned a FS bike, so that excludes alot of companies for me (I won't vote for bikes/companies I have no experience with). That said, mine are:

Surly (not fancy, but definitely functional)
Salsa (more fancy and functional)
Vassago (cool company, a little outside the box geometry)
Siren (this one goes against my statement above, but I'd love to own their softtail)


----------



## lostmaniksoul (Jul 20, 2009)

Bikes:

Titus when Chris was around
Turner
Moots
Foes



Non-bikes:

Shimano
Chris King
Fox Shox 
Sidi


----------



## hotfeat1227 (May 15, 2007)

Trek
Engin
SRAM
Corsair


----------



## poppy (Jan 24, 2006)

Turner
Intense
Pivot
Niner

And smaller builders I actually want a bike from - 
Lenz
Jones
Strong
Eriksen


----------



## Fix the Spade (Aug 4, 2008)

1) Diamondback UK

Good cust service, cheap, well made, reliable, ride nice. Does for £1500 what many would charge £3000+ for.

2) Shimano

Big semi-faceless mega corp, but their products work well with the minimum of fuss and cost less than Raceface,SRAM,FSA and so on. Not an 'mtb' brand per se, but not many people own a bike without Shimano parts on it.

3) Banshee/Mythic

Very open company, approachable people. Reasonable pricing and good design. Always happy to talk about their bikes and offer good advice.

4) NS bikes.

Serious embarresment for other AM/DJ brands who charge double and deliver less than this lot from Gdansk. Surge rocks!

Near misses: Hope, Chromag, Trek, New Saracen, DMR. 
Hope can be occasionally random on their build quality, but are second to none on customer service (in the UK at least). Chromag, not enough experience of them to really rate them as a fav. Trek, good company but too much marketing spiel, it's a bike not the Large Hadron Collider. DMR, cheap, strong, lovely.

Saracen looks seriously exciting (check out their new Ariel AM bike) but nothing's actually out yet.

Will NEVER buy. Santa Cruz, GT/Mongoose.Cannondale, Chris King.
Santa Cruz, Giant built with new stickers and massive premiums, why? GT, Mong, C.dale, nothing wrong as such, just too expensive and overcomplicated. 
King, lovely product, but why am I paying £360 for one hub when Hope will build a whole wheelset, give me axle converters and post it to me for £270? Crazy expensive in the UK, too much to ever justify the spend.

Holy ****, there's a soapbox in my office...


----------



## iWiLRiDe (Apr 17, 2006)

Are we talking MTB manufacturers or any brand?

1) Chris King-Tried and proven time after time. 
2) Gravity Dropper. Awesome customer service and great product.
3) Fox- A standard (how does it compare to a fox?)
4) Hope-Solid...just solid

Bike Manufacturer.

1) Specialized-They take their work to another level with all the R and D. 
2) Giant- For making affordable bikes with good technology so more people can ride!
3) Ventana-Great customer service, local company
4) Santa Cruz-They take care of you when it comes to warranty issues.


----------



## GrampBredo (Dec 18, 2007)

Chris King
Surly
Kona
Pre-outsource Marzocchi


----------



## norcosam (Sep 27, 2008)

Nicolai
Turner
lapierre
specialized


----------



## Psycho Mike (Apr 2, 2006)

For me, bike brands (not component brands) would be:

Knolly (Delirium all the way)
Intense
Gary Fisher (The Roscoes are pretty decent and I'm riding a Cake)
Santa Cruz (sure, lots of hype and posers but good rides)


----------



## Trace (Jun 17, 2008)

I am going to just go on favorties...not saying they are the best but my favorite manufacturers in order:

1: Specialized (Stumpjumper FSR) - My Whip 2009 FSR Elite (Black/Green)








2: Santa Cruz (Blur)








3: Titus (FTM - Full Tilt Moto)








4: Yeti (575)









I totally get caught up in the lines of bikes and all the above have amazing looks + a lot of SWAG:thumbsup:

Just to add a little more I added my favorite bikes from my favorite manufacturers.

Honorable mention:

1. Turner


----------



## BIGfatED (Apr 26, 2005)

I won't choose four, but you can, at the Oregon Manifest. Lots of great builders and all made in the USA. Enjoy!

http://www.oregonmanifest.com/constructors/


----------



## carrot_top (Aug 22, 2007)

Morewood (who wouldnt want a Morewood between their legs?  )
Jamis (i own the dakar xlt)
Santa Cruz (ive always liked the frame designs)
Specialized (i know its a generic choice, but i like their frame designs and i think its cool how they came up with their own suspension line)


----------



## Thehemiman (Apr 3, 2009)

Kona
Sinister
Niner
Salsa

If I had one of each I would be mega pimpin'


----------



## TaS (Jun 25, 2007)

Niner (Had to try the big wheels on the RIP)
Santa Cruz (Throughly enjoy my new to me 03 Blur)
Specialized ( I have 3 -89 Stumpy Team, 98 S-Works, 03 Rockhopper)
Mountain Cycle (Innovative thinking in the 90' w/ hydro form, Prostop and Suspenders)

Tom
Littleton, CO


----------



## EGF168 (Aug 13, 2007)

It has been well over a year, things change and move on so my updated list:
- Gary Fisher for starting the 29in wheel thing and making some damn good ones
- Singular Cycles for being a totally amazing small UK based company with great bikes
- Rocky Mountain 
- Giant


----------



## Zoke2 (Nov 16, 2007)

VooDoo
Yeti
Kona
GT


----------



## mdobberina (Sep 22, 2007)

Pivot
Santa Cruz
Turner
Titus


----------



## Lawson Raider (Jul 24, 2006)

My list of 4 bikes that I own and want to own.

Own:
1) Yeti
2) Specialized

Want to own:
3) Transition
4) Titus


----------



## insanitylevel9 (Sep 23, 2009)

i got to go with 
specilized tough frames
surly ride great but never owned one
gt get really good deals on the really high end models and they ride really nice the high end ones
and yeti because i really want one
and maybe really old relighs they are built like tanks i can ride my old ten speed road bike off road its so tough cant spell for my life sorry


----------



## smoen81 (Aug 28, 2008)

Ventana
Engin
Indy Fab
Vassago


----------



## omegachicken (Jul 28, 2006)

Bike manufacturers:
Soma (only one that I own)
Lynskey
Knolly
Transition

Other parts:
Sram
Chris King
Crank Bros
Fox


----------



## p8ntsean55 (Jun 14, 2005)

zzsean said:


> Ibis
> Turner
> Intense
> Transition


You have expensive taste


----------



## benzology (Oct 31, 2005)

Frames...

Lapierre
Santa Cruz
Niner
Nicolai (always wanted one)

Parts/kit...

King
Raceface
Royal
Stans


----------



## matsoki (Oct 14, 2009)

Turner
Cove
Orange
Surly


----------



## snowjnky (Oct 7, 2005)

1. Santa Cruz 
(great bikes great customer service; plus they make the Nomad BBE)
2. Rocky Mountain 
(good line up, good price points, good build kits)
3. Ritchey 
( do I need to explain?)
4. Ibis 
( good company, great carbon, good price points)


----------



## spec4life (May 14, 2008)

spec4life said:


> Alright folks in your opinion what is the best four MTB brands on the market today. Give us a list in order with the best first.
> 
> Heres mine:
> 
> ...


wow someone pulled this up from the archives...can i try again????

Turner
Ericksen
Yeti
Specialized


----------



## zod (Jul 15, 2003)

Ventana
Kris Holm Unicycles
S&M/FitBikeCo
Knolly

(not all MTB frames but whatever, these companies rock)


----------



## oldskoolm4 (Jan 13, 2008)

I don't buy by the brand, I tend to go by how the bike rides and the geometry. Not saying I would buy an ugly frame though....haha.

Spot 
Intense
Turner
Spesh (I know, I know, but I've owned several and they have always been good to me)

Parts:
White Industries 
Hope
Thomson
Fox


----------



## Timmy (Jan 12, 2004)

Pereira
IF 
Yeti
and....

Hmmm, I guess I only have three.


----------



## BigSharks (Oct 4, 2009)

Haro.

And I would like to own a Yeti.


----------



## erosive (May 15, 2009)

Turner
Knolly
Nicolai
Intense

Vanilla and Jones are awesome but I doubt I'll ever spend that much on a hardtail.


----------



## cobi (Apr 29, 2008)

Two pages of people listing their top 4 brands and not one mention of Felt. Guess I shoulda done more homework!


----------



## ganu (Aug 8, 2009)

*Brodie - Where's the Love?*

I can't believe no one has mentioned Brodie!!! I had a '94 fully rigid Bodie Nucleus and it was the best bike I ever owned. It climbed like a Mo-Fo and you could whip it around corners like nobody's business. The only downfall - the bike lasted forever and it was tough to make a case for a new bike when the current one was still kickin'


----------



## eplanajr (Nov 7, 2008)

bingemtbr said:


> Top mountain bike "brands", those of you who are marketing edu-muh-kated will understand my reply:
> 
> 1. King. Without a doubt, there is no other quite like Chris King. Whenever you see an MTB headset or US made head set start cropping up on $5k exotic euro roadie frames, you know something is up.
> 
> ...


I'm thought that Fox Suspension and Fox Clothing are two completely different companies...

My list is...
Specialized
Norco
Evil
Kona


----------



## krott5333 (Aug 6, 2009)

i dont care about brands


----------



## moishlashen (Nov 28, 2006)

For frames:

Soulcraft
Dean
Sycip
Erickson



Components:

King
Thomson
DT Swiss
Fox


----------



## jmerrey (Jul 26, 2009)

trek
rocky mountain
santa cruz
yeti


----------



## chumleyX (Aug 24, 2009)

Yeti (own a 575)
Santa Cruz (own a Blur)
Ellsworth
Specialized

My first bike was a Gary Fisher Sugar 2+, great entry level bike.


----------



## Punkeyboozter (Mar 31, 2009)

In no particilar order

Blk Market
Santa Cruz
Morewood
Banshee
Nicolai
Old ass diamond back BMX's
yamaha
Honda


----------



## roc865 (Jun 29, 2009)

tg said:


> TURNER TURNER TURNER TURNER Ride one and you will see :thumbsup:


does turner make a hardtail? i didn't see any on their website. 
looks like fs only.


----------



## scoutcat (Mar 30, 2008)

santa cruz
formula
fox
maxxis

honorable mention: shimano, sram, thomson, ibis, pivot, specialized (not just bikes either, best shoes on the market right now), I9, dave weagle


----------



## el davido (Feb 23, 2009)

FoShizzle said:


> you are very mean spirited and that is not appropriate for a forum such as mtbr where we all share a special passion and have a unique bond.
> 
> companies like Giant, Specialized, Trek, make bikes that are tops in in all regards. Boutique makers dont have the same equipment and cant possibly make bikes at that same level. For example, few people use the horst link and everybody knows it is the most advanced engineering that a bike can have. Turner, who used to have ok bikes had it at one point but now dont for some reason.


Agree for sure with the first, but have to disagree with the horst link statement. The horst link creates a weak spot in the chain stay design. Sure it may give the rear suspension a more active and supple feel, but it also ads flex. I have seen my share of bikes that come in the store because of shifting issues with this design. That and of course paying specialized to use the design is why more company are not using it as much. Of course advancements in rear suspension designs also have made the horst link not as viable as before. MTB Action reviewed the turner and gave it a thumbs up.


----------



## el davido (Feb 23, 2009)

Oh Yeah-Gary Fisher- a truly innovative character-and because I ride a superfly ss and paragon and ferrous.
Any company willing to still manufacture steel rides!
Still like jamis for value per dollar
Trek because of there commitment to making an already near perfect product (OCLV) even better.


----------



## Kona0197 (Oct 19, 2004)

Cannondale
Santa Cruz
Kona
Specialized


----------



## clutch_08 (May 5, 2009)

trek
gary fisher
next 
huffy


----------



## goodvibe (Oct 4, 2005)

Here is mine: 
Trek (because I have 5)
Santa Cruz (I have one)
Gary Fisher (I have one)
Specialized (I had a pair of their shoes once)


----------



## firedawg225 (Jun 29, 2008)

Trek
Fox
Shimano
Easton


----------



## ronny (Apr 2, 2004)

Banshee
Turner
Ventana
Titus


----------



## Zasshu (Jun 6, 2008)

Isn't marketing amazing?

:thumbsup:


----------



## ronny (Apr 2, 2004)

*Depends what you mean.*



Zasshu said:


> Isn't marketing amazing?
> 
> :thumbsup:[/QUOTE
> 
> Brands like Banshee rely more on word of mouth than marketing campaigns. The same can be said of Knolly. These guys simply don't have the large monetary reserves to have big marketing campaigns. It is also why they are among my favorite brands.


----------



## leondelmonte (May 26, 2009)

I think it depends on the type of riding. Some brands are better at xc, others at dh, and other in between ohh well

Most popular

Specialized./ Cannondale / Trek / Giant

That I like

Yeti 
Ellsworth
Intense
Santa Cruz


----------



## Biohazard74 (Jul 16, 2009)

Giant
Transition
Gary Fisher
Intense


----------



## Psycho Marco (Nov 7, 2008)

I haven´t ridden a lot of bikes, currently have a Chumba which I love but if I were to buy another bike it would be a Specialized, Turner or Ibis. 

Currently I own 2 bikes, the Chumba VF2 and a Gary Fisher Piranha. 

Regards


----------



## CroMoHo (Oct 20, 2009)

*Soulcraft - Salsa - Seven - Ventana*


----------



## fesch (Jul 30, 2009)

yeti
gary fisher
specialized
trek


----------



## thaphillips (Sep 1, 2007)

I read this to be Bike Companies not Customer builders like Carl Strong. So I will leave the best builder Carl Strong out of this.


1 - Rocky Mountain (They offer steel hardtails,and have f/s 29" and 26")
2 - Salsa (Nice Steel Bikes and some nice AL bikes too)
3 - Kona (Good value for the price, nice variety of bikes)
4 - Bianchi (They don't sell steel MTB bikes anymore, but there Easton frames are light and are well built. Has anyone done more for single speeding?)




Below are my top 4 most overrated companies

1 - Santa Cruz (Do they build anything except aluminum bikes? .... OVER PRICED!)
2 - Cannondale (Because their bikes aren't compatiable w/ other bikes)
3 - Niner (Thats alot of money to pay just to have your bike recalled)
4 -Surly (Why are all of there bikes so heavy??? Atleast they build unusual products)


----------



## thaphillips (Sep 1, 2007)

bingemtbr said:


> Top mountain bike "brands", those of you who are marketing edu-muh-kated will understand my reply:
> 
> 1. King. Without a doubt, there is no other quite like Chris King. Whenever you see an MTB headset or US made head set start cropping up on $5k exotic euro roadie frames, you know something is up.
> 
> ...


King Headsets have a design flaw. They use a rubber O-Ring that causes their headsets to come loose on 29ers and Long Travel Bikes. Do an internet search.


----------



## thaphillips (Sep 1, 2007)

My top 4 - None Bike Making Companies.


1 - Fox - Because they have never produced a crappy suspension fork for MTB. All top notch forks.

2 - Stan's - because he made going tubeless mainstream and eliminated the need for heavy UST tires. He also offers great rims and lightweight X/C race tires

3 - Camel Back - because most other hydration packs are hit and miss, yet Camelback always seems to be right on the money.

4 - Performance Bike - Because their clothes line fits me w/o making me look gay. They offer reasonable prices for an LBS. There wrenches are better than the "high end" LBS's in my area!


----------



## Kona0197 (Oct 19, 2004)

> 2 - Cannondale (Because their bikes aren't compatiable w/ other bikes)


How are they not compatible with other bikes?


----------



## thaphillips (Sep 1, 2007)

Head Shock...etc.


----------



## JasperIN (May 16, 2009)

1. Gary Fisher
2. Cannondale
3. Trek
4. Specialized


----------



## Kona0197 (Oct 19, 2004)

thaphillips said:


> Head Shock...etc.


They do make a headset that allows the use of any fork. I have a Headshock on my bike. One of the best forks I have ever ridden. Best lockout in the business.


----------



## blunderbuss (Jan 11, 2004)

thaphillips said:


> 4 -Surly (Why are all of there bikes so heavy??? Atleast they build unusual products)


I can give you 4130 reasons


----------



## Punkeyboozter (Mar 31, 2009)

blunderbuss said:


> I can give you 4130 reasons


:thumbsup:


----------



## sandblast (Mar 27, 2006)

Turner
Crank Bro's
Sock Guy
Bontrager (dont hate, my Race X Lite wheels are sweeeeet).


----------



## limba (Jan 9, 2004)

Scott! I would buy Scott's road, cross, HT and full suspension bike if I had the money and space.
Cannondale because Peter Denk (ex Scott) works for them now.
Rocky Mountain. Cool Canadian bikes.
Giant. Again they make all kinds of nice bikes. Road, cross, HT, FS, commuters... best big brand in my opinion.

5. Lynskey. Mmmm, Lynskey ti.


----------



## stingray_coach (Jun 27, 2006)

Santa Cruz
Felt
Cannondale
Yeti


----------



## sundowner (Mar 13, 2007)

Frames:
Titus
Turner
Pivot
Intense

Parts:
Shimano
Fox
CK
scram


----------



## sundowner (Mar 13, 2007)

thaphillips said:


> King Headsets have a design flaw. They use a rubber O-Ring that causes their headsets to come loose on 29ers and Long Travel Bikes. Do an internet search.


Mine stays tight, most be and internet rumor.


----------



## dueruote (Oct 18, 2007)

1)Bianchi
2)Atala
3)Colnago
4)Bottecchia


----------



## kapusta (Jan 17, 2004)

PUSH Industries
SRAM
Dave Weagle (not a brand, but having a "DW-Link" sticker on a bike makes me like it)
Gravity Dropper


----------



## LaLD (May 18, 2007)

the ones i've owned:
Gary Fisher
Cannondale
Iron Horse
My Next Bike:
Salsa


----------



## threebikes (Aug 27, 2007)

Titus
Moots
Fose
Niner


----------



## nagatahawk (Jun 20, 2007)

Turner - tested one at the Corba bike fest two thumb up!
Trek - I love the look! 
Titus - made in USA!
Yeti - another sick bike! this should be my # 2 pick! and diamond back should be in there too!

I would like to enter Gary Fisher as Honorable mention, for his role in starting the mt. bike craze. I even had an old and early Gary Fisher Hooku eku, hardtail with solid front fork. I wish I had that one back!!


----------



## Barkleyfan (Jul 26, 2008)

Siren
Moots
Cove
Knolly
Titus
Rocky Mountain
Salsa
BMC


----------



## schneidie (Aug 30, 2008)

Sinister (Can't beat the r9/fbomb)
Turner
Intense 
Kona


----------



## Reign rider (Oct 30, 2008)

Canfield
Evil
Santa Cruz
Giant


----------



## roc865 (Jun 29, 2009)

Huffy
Diamondback
Mongoose
Smith and Wessen


----------



## erosive (May 15, 2009)

^ You just named the four horsemen of the apocolypse.
...now we're all gonna die, thanks alot!


----------



## ettore (Nov 13, 2004)

Specialized
Kona
Santa Cruz
Devinci


----------



## kbollox (May 27, 2008)

Independent Fabrication
Soulcraft
Dean
Surly


----------



## Page 449 (Dec 19, 2008)

Best bikes:
Santa Cruz
Pivot
Yeti
Ellsworth

Coolest companies:
Surly
Kona
Rocky Mountain
Salsa


----------



## Casquete (Nov 23, 2010)

Kona
Ellsworth
Scott
Trek


----------



## N247hp (Jun 28, 2011)

Titus 
Giant
Ibis
Intense


----------



## MarshallStax (Sep 21, 2010)

1. Intense
2. Santa Cruz
3. Turner
4. Trek


----------



## ricky916 (Jun 7, 2011)

Santa Cruz 
Ibis
Intense 
Yeti

Sent from my Nexus S 4G using Tapatalk


----------



## squealing breaks (Dec 28, 2011)

Ibis
Santa Cruz
Turner
Knolly


----------



## jollybeggar (Feb 2, 2004)

Giant 4 Value 
Bronto 4 Coolness
Trek 4 Gary Fisher Carbon 29
Jeff Jones 4 Something completely different.


----------



## ricky916 (Jun 7, 2011)

jollybeggar said:


> Giant 4 Value
> Bronto 4 Coolness
> Trek 4 Gary Fisher Carbon 29
> Jeff Jones 4 Something completely different.


For value GT as well.

Sent from my Nexus S 4G using Tapatalk


----------



## Whafe (May 27, 2004)

Nicolai
Knolly
Niner
Wolfhound


----------



## Loudviking (Oct 23, 2011)

Here comes the flaming,
Airborne/ best riding bike I've ever been on
Kona/ cause I had one when they first started
Brew/ rode one a friend had, steel is still real.
Van Nickolas/ was with Airborne, and damn they are pretty.


----------



## leshark (Jul 18, 2008)

Whyte
Bionicon
EPX (sadly no longer with us, carbon at its best!)
Specialized (but only for their frames, they need to stay away from everythink else, and their support & logic is non-existant!)


----------



## Fruita Girl (Dec 29, 2007)

Turner
Turner
Moots
Gunnar


----------



## mykel (Jul 31, 2006)

Knolly
Turner
Nicolai
Jones - in another life maybe a ti spaceframe etc...

michael


----------



## sustos (Jan 7, 2012)

Bimex
Apache
Benotto
Despiadada


----------



## CabinDweller (Aug 14, 2011)

Trek
Specialized
Cannondale
Giant


----------



## DIRTJUNKIE (Oct 18, 2000)

With only having read a small fraction of this lengthy thread I don't know if anyone has said this. But here it goes. In my opinion you could narrow the field down to several brands back in the 1990's and early two thousands. But in this day and age it is an impossibility to narrow it down to even twenty brands. There is a huge amount of fine crafted brands out there these days. Even the big companies that have their frames made in Taiwan are turning out some descent rides. I myself will always stick withe smaller companies that are hand made in the U.S.A.:thumbsup:


----------



## walkertalker (Dec 13, 2011)

Canyon
Scott 
Lapierre
Ibis


----------



## BigHit-Maniac (Apr 13, 2004)

Pivot
Cannondale
Intense
Santa Cruz


I currently own a Specialized, and a Versus. I like the Versus a ton, but unfortunately they're out of business.

 

I'm so done with Specialized. Really sick of their antics, attitude, corporate garbage. I really wish people would understand how much of a SH***Y company they are and quit buying their products.


----------



## Stuartfleming (Dec 8, 2010)

Kona (Best ride of any bike I have ever had)
Morewood (Great South African bikes and I am from South Africa)
Cannondale (Always trying to innovate and do things differently from other companies)
GT (Who's dream bike wasn't a Zaskar in the 90's)


----------



## johns81347 (Apr 7, 2010)

Niner 
Foundry
Trek
Scott


----------



## MTBeing (Jan 11, 2012)

Santa Cruz
Felt (duh, avatar)
Ibis
Giant


Sent from my mountain bike while crashing


----------



## michael1 (Nov 17, 2011)

Ibis
Specialized
Trek
Intense


----------



## limba (Jan 9, 2004)

johns81347 said:


> Niner
> Foundry
> Trek
> Scott


Do you own a Foundry? The cross bike looks pretty good. I've been thinking about that one.


----------



## johns81347 (Apr 7, 2010)

limba said:


> Do you own a Foundry? The cross bike looks pretty good. I've been thinking about that one.


I don't but hopefully someday. The Auger looks very solid, although I think I'd like the canti over the disc. If I ever owned a Router, I'd probably build it up rigid SS.


----------



## dta tx (Dec 13, 2009)

Black Sheep, Dean, Moots, Specialized


----------



## vinylrichy (Sep 13, 2010)

c_davis_jr said:


> Intense
> Orbea (really like their carbon hardtale)
> Titus (never owned one, but I would)
> Specialized (I've owned at least 5 - and they've always been quality bikes.
> ...


Exact same


----------



## pattongb (Jun 5, 2011)

Im surprised Niner wasnt mentioned more.
Im pretty much a noob yet so take my list with a grain of salt.

*Giant* - (I own one and I love it. Also love the look of their newer bikes)
*Niner* - (Have a LBS that sells them, great people, im looking to build a Niner from scratch soon)
*Specialized* - (They sponsor my race team and I have smoked the local trails on a rented Stumpy and I loved it)
*Airborne* - (For $1200 the Goblin 29er looks pretty damn sweet, especially the green paint job!)


----------



## ranier (Sep 9, 2003)

In no particular order:

-Storck
-Corratec
-Niner
-Engin


----------



## tcapri87 (Jan 17, 2009)

Trek
Specialized
Santa Cruz
Fox Shox


----------



## BlueSpecializedFox (Jul 9, 2013)

Somebody knows what they are talking about!!!! Yay!


----------



## FerrouSS (Oct 24, 2007)

Indy Fab
Waterford
Bianchi
Santa Cruz


----------



## CannondaleF9 (Nov 17, 2012)

Trek
Cannondale
Scott
Niner


----------



## 6BR (Jun 17, 2013)

Moots
Yeti
Santa Cruz
Niner


----------



## trailrider24 (Dec 14, 2012)

Specialized
Santa Cruz
Cube
Lapierre


----------



## dubbaduba (Jul 23, 2012)

Yeti
Specialized
Santa Cruz
Trek


----------



## bigpedaler (Jan 29, 2007)

bigpedaler said:


> Top 4 brands:
> 
> Santa Cruz
> Ibis
> ...


Been 5 years from this post, wanted to think about how my tastes have changed:

TOP 4:

Santa Cruz
Kona
Giant
Banshee

Bottom 4 pretty much unchanged; Murray, being long gone, would be replaced by Kent. As for the best 4 I've ridden:

Kona Coiler
Jamis XLT
Specialized Epic
Giant AC


----------



## sandyeggo (Mar 6, 2011)

For me (based only on bikes I've ridden):

Santa Cruz
Cannondale
Kona
Specialized

My favorite bike ever was an early 80's PK Ripper.


----------



## VTSession (Aug 18, 2005)

Transition - great company, great bikes, awesome customer support, they actually care about their customers.

Santa Cruz - another great company. I ordered new bearings online for my old Butcher. A few minutes later I got a phone call from Santa Cruz and the customer service guy told me, "I canceled you order for new bearings. We'll send them to you for free. Those are guaranteed for life." That is top notch service.

Yeti - beautifully made bikes, quality craftsmanship, progressive engineering, you gotta appreciate that.

SRAM - their stuff just works every time you use it. I've been using SRAM stuff for a while with very few problems. The few times I've had an issue, its been taken care of thanks to their no B.S. warrantee.

Bottom 4:

Crank Bros: their stuff is just crap. I've broken every part I've owned made by them.
Specialized: unethical company, ho hum bikes, overpriced, the Bank of America of the bike biz.
Iron Horse: used to be a such a great company in the 2000s and bad management brought them down.
Can't think of a fourth right now....


----------



## Shawnskee22 (Mar 25, 2012)

I think that a little thought has to be put into why each bike is ranking where it does. First off, it has to be a company that uses excellent components and avoids crap. Second the quality of the frame they produce and third and most importantly the integrity of the warranty. If a bike company won't stand behind the bikes they produce then there is no way they can be considered one of the best mountain bike brands.

That said, my top brands would be as follows.

Niner
Giant
Felt
Specialized (though over priced)


Full disclosure, I included a link to more complete thoughts on what makes a good bike brand.


----------



## CannondaleF9 (Nov 17, 2012)

Shawnskee22 said:


> I think that a little thought has to be put into why each bike is ranking where it does. First off, it has to be a company that uses excellent components and avoids crap. Second the quality of the frame they produce and third and most importantly the integrity of the warranty. If a bike company won't stand behind the bikes they produce then there is no way they can be considered one of the best mountain bike brands.
> 
> That said, my top brands would be as follows.
> 
> ...


In that case it would be:

1. Scott
2. Cannondale
3. Trek
4. Giant


----------



## TwoEars (Oct 31, 2013)

My top 4 brands (as in I like brand, not necessarily the bikes) would have to be:

1. GT
2. Yeti
3. Klein
4. Kona
5. (would be Gary Fisher)

My top 4 bike manufacturers (as in I know they make good bikes but not necessarily a fan of the brand) would have to be:

1. Giant
2. Trek
3. Merida
4. Scott

Special mention to shimano without much of what we see today wouldn't have been possible. At the time the first XT and XTR groups were mind blowing.


----------



## DIRTJUNKIE (Oct 18, 2000)

Surprising to me how many people choose the big corporation company's. And with them it's all about how many generic bikes they can crank out. Selling fully assembled bikes that they choose the parts group which brings them the most profit.

There are numerous boutique brand smaller companies that produce higher quality frames. 
And you build it or at the least pick the parts to go 
on it.


----------



## BlueSpecializedFox (Jul 9, 2013)

Specialized
Santa Cruz
Trek
Transition

I like specialized because their xc bikes come with mostly rockshox and they are light. And I get a discount on them, but I liked them before I got a discount. 
I like Santa Cruz because they are designed locally and have been making quality bikes for a long time.
I will never buy a trek, simply because they don't have what I want, but their bikes are quality, but over priced. 
Transitions may look sloppily made, but they will take a beating and have their own beauty. 

Honorable mention to Kona for their many bikes, especially in xc.


----------



## Blk02 (Apr 15, 2006)

1) Pivot (Some of the best frames made by man period)
2) Santa Cruz (Some of the best handling bikes period and VPP2 is awesome)
3) Giant (Overall great suspension and bike selection)
4) Turner (Have to respect made in the USA aluminum)
5) Ibis (The Mojo is a classic and the new Ripley will be as well)


----------



## Bird (Mar 26, 2004)

CANNONDALE ( Lefty is that good )
SANTA CRUZ ( have they ever made a bad bike )
SPECIALIZED ( Company has done so much for the sport )
TURNER ( God I loved the original 5-Spot )


----------



## Biohazard74 (Jul 16, 2009)

DIRTJUNKIE said:


> Surprising to me how many people choose the big corporation company's. And with them it's all about how many generic bikes they can crank out. Selling fully assembled bikes that they choose the parts group which brings them the most profit.
> 
> There are numerous boutique brand smaller companies that produce higher quality frames.
> And you build it or at the least pick the parts to go
> on it.


 Everyone is biased for some reason or another. Some avoid good companies just because they aren't from the USA. Some avoid smaller boutique brands because they can be a lot more expensive a d only carry 5 year warranty on the frame tops. Everyone has a reason for their choices. You can't look down on anyone because of their prefference.


----------



## TwoEars (Oct 31, 2013)

Biohazard74 said:


> Everyone is biased for some reason or another. Some avoid good companies just because they aren't from the USA. Some avoid smaller boutique brands because they can be a lot more expensive a d only carry 5 year warranty on the frame tops. Everyone has a reason for their choices. You can't look down on anyone because of their prefference.


I agree, there is no right and wrong here.

I generally love the "genius in a shed with a welder" guys but I'm primarily into MTB'ing to actually ride the bikes. I tend to want spend as little time as possible servicing them and sorting out weird issues.

And you can say what you will about the "big brands" but they tend to have their **** fairly sorted. And if there is some problem there are usually several people who will know how to fix it.

By all means go ahead and buy from a "genius shed guy". I think that's awesome and I 100% supported it but it's not for me.


----------



## TopGun619 (Jun 20, 2013)

Trek
Specialized
Santa Cruz
Yeti or GT or Giant


----------



## Shakester (Jun 26, 2012)

Assuming "brands" isn't limited to just frames.

Rocky Mountain - Cuz thats what I ride
Fox - in my opinion, the best suspension stuff around
Shimano - Big debate vs. Sram, but I favor Shimano
Park Tools - Industry standard and iconic tools.


----------



## mtb_beginner (Jul 20, 2013)

4 - Trek
3 - Niner 
2 - Specialized
1 - Scott


----------



## RudyKaos (Mar 16, 2014)

1 - Ibis
2 - Knolly
3 - Niner
4 - Intense


----------

