2 different road bikes, same purpose and sperated by thousands£££££

[San Remo GT]

Pricing around a shop the other day and saw one bike for £650 and the other for £3200 but they looked very much the same, apart from the brand name. So if you saw 2 such bikes on the street, how would you tell them apart? What difference would you expect to notice if you were to ride them back to back?

 

[Volnix]

Which bikes?

 

[alienator]

Pricing around a shop the other day and saw one bike for £650 and the other for £3200 but they looked very much the same, apart from the brand name. So if you saw 2 such bikes on the street, how would you tell them apart? What difference would you expect to notice if you were to ride them back to back?

First I'd have the realization that just because two things look similar doesn't they are the same. A Ford Fiesta and a Bugatti look alike in many ways, yet they have a bit of a price disparity. At any rate, if I saw two bikes and there was a large cost disparity, I'd consider the following:

• What gruppo is on each bike and where does each gruppo rank in its manufacturers product echelon?
• What's the difference in wheels?
• What's the difference in other components (handlebars, stem seat post,tires)?
• What is the difference in materials, construction method, and QC?
• What is the difference in prices between the two bike manufacturers for bikes of similar spec?

It's impossible to say what difference in ride quality and handling would be. That depends on the rider and how interprets his own sensory information, the geometry of the bike, the design intent of the bike (tourer, commuter, sportive bike, racer...), the tires, the air pressure in the tires, the nature of the route used on a test ride, the mood of the rider, and a number of other things.

 

[alfeng]

Originally Posted by San Remo GT .

Pricing around a shop the other day and saw one bike for £650 and the other for £3200 but they looked very much the same, apart from the brand name. So if you saw 2 such bikes on the street, how would you tell them apart? What difference would you expect to notice if you were to ride them back to back?

Because most of the components on a given bike sold in a bike shop are generally of a given quality-and-price level, perhaps the FASTEST way to discern the difference of two bikes when viewed at a distance of one-to-three meters is to look at the shifters, first ...

So, that £3200 ROAD bike will probably have either Shimano Dura Ace or Campagnolo Record components ... possibly, electronic shifters & derailleurs ... and, the total weight of the bike will probably be under 8 kg.

The £650 ROAD bike might have either Shimano 105 or Campagnolo Veloce components ... and, the total weight of the bike will probably be closer to 10 kg. (sometimes, more!).

The frame beneath the shiny paint on the less expensive bike may have agricultural looking welds/etc. [French bikes set the standard for agricultural looking workmanship, IMO, back in the day ... but, some British frames were dodgy looking, too] vs. fairly nice workmanship on the more expensive frames.

As they say -- If YOU can't see the difference, then why pay the difference?

 

[Volnix]

Originally Posted by alfeng .


The frame beneath the shiny paint on the less expensive bike may have agricultural looking welds/etc. [French bikes set the standard for agricultural looking workmanship, IMO, back in the day ... but, some British frames were dodgy looking, too] vs. fairly nice workmanship on the more expensive frames.

As they say -- If YOU can't see the difference, then why pay the difference?

Agricultural looking??? lolololol /img/vbsmilies/smilies/biggrin.gif

 

[oldbobcat]

Originally Posted by Volnix .

Agricultural looking??? lolololol /img/vbsmilies/smilies/biggrin.gif

As if cobbled by a farmer. If you've ever seen how old farm equipment gets held together with wire, spare nuts and bolts, and arc welds, you'd understand in a minute.