Price Vs Brand

[OGRICHBOI]

Hey, today I have a question about the brand and prices of bikes. Does price necessarily correlate with the quality of the bike? I've seen cheap bikes online and in-store. but have questioned the quality of it. Also, I have been looking into brands that specialize and are popular in the biking community. Are these going to perform the same as the cheap bikes?

Any advice is appreciated! I'm a bit tight on money currently, but I would still like to pursue this profession.

 

[Lizel]

No, if you search well then you can buy a cheap bike for an accurate price (not so excessive).
Search halfords.com/cycling or go for ebay, wish you luck in searching.

 

[Owboduz]

There's lots of lower cost bikes out there and, while they may not have the fanciest groups, that doesn't mean they're not good. I've never had any trouble with the Shimano Tourney group on my hybrid.

 

[gavinfree]

I wouldn't buy a sub-$200 bike for anything other than casual riding. Outside of that price range, though, you can find plenty of brand name bikes that are affordable. It really depends upon individual bikes and what you need from them. A $1,000 bike is probably going to outshine a $300 bike by a country mile for serious riders, but the average person that rides casually or not-that-often would feel like they're the exact same bike. You definitely don't have to spend a fortune to get a great bike.

 

[Froze]

If cycling, or any type of physical activity like running, is new to you than I would buy a cheap no name bike, why you scream? Because about 93% of the people that start a new physical fitness program including buying gym memberships or buying a home gym, or shoes to run, or in your case a bike to cycle usually quite the activity in 3 to 6 months because they find out it takes time and energy and they would rather play video games or watch TV, so again in your case the recently purchased $1,200 plus bike becomes garage art. So I always recommend people that I know to buy a $350 or less bike to start on, and if at the end of 3 years they're still riding and riding almost everyday and now want a bike to match their abilities and want a reliable bike for long distance rides then buy a better bike and save the old one for camping or commuting. Obviously after reading this if for example you run now and been running almost everyday for years then going to cycling won't be a big deal and if you want to spend more then I would stay away from generic low cost bikes because the more miles you ride from home the more reliable you need your bike to be. I hope that made sense.

If you decide to spend less than $350 I would probably start by looking at used bikes rather than new bikes because new bikes in that price range are junk, sorry to say. So go to Craigslist and start looking, if you see something you may want to consider buying post here and let us tell you if it's a good deal. Of course make sure any used bike you're considering fits.

 

[lordrenly]

When I just started to ride, I only spend $60 on a Wal Mart bike. I was on a tight budget back then as I was just graduated from college and I needed to save as much money as possible. I felt that my bike was pretty decent back then and since I was able to start on my new hobby without having to worry about spending a lot of money, I think it was a good decision.

Right now, as I was able to save more money, I was able to buy a used Hummer bike for $400 and only then, I realized that the Wal Mart bike that I owned was bad in terms of comfort, speed, and control. Based on my experience, I can say that price and brand matters but if you just started, I cannot see why buying a cheap bike is worse than not riding at all. I am not sure about much more expensive bikes, though.

 

[JoanMcWench]

Price CAN reflect quality but better safe than sorry so you should really take the time to look at more than the price or brand. Where do you primarily ride? How often do you ride? Do you care about the look of the bike or just the function of the bike?

 

[wander_n_wonder]

You're right that there are cheaper ones that will remain to be of good quality. As for me, however, I don't necessarily pay attention to price but I focus more on the features and quality of the materials being used. I would remember that I was actually more picky in choosing my bike as compared to when I bought my car, mainly because your body is way too exposed in a bike and you wouldn't really want the materials to be substandard that it will already put you at risk. I've heard of friends who had trouble with their wheels during a rough cycling session and they end up getting bruised or getting into a nasty accident along the road because of that. Therefore, overall, I would say I don't really try to be stingy in a way that I would filter out in my search the more expensive ones, but I would filter based on the level of quality of the materials.

 

[sixxup]

It depends with how much money you have, first. Cost can not make you not have a good bike. It is also true that expensive bikes are made to be very strong, that is to satisfy customers who always review. Those reviews do affect manufacturers income. A good brand can be cheap, it can be on offer because of competition. But remember, a famous brand must be strong, not comparing the price. Most people go for a common brand that everybody might be having in their location. But I think that price determines the quality.

 

[shilpa123]

Yes it is true that most of the bike have very high price only because of the brand. Nothing else actually matters. It all depends on the kind of brand that you are interested in. I believe branded bikes have better quality also.

 

[ZXD22]

Not necessarily. It does matter to an extent, but not entirely. If you are looking for a good bike for racing and such instead of buying a 1,500$ or even a 2,000$ bike, some options are available for about 1,000$. If you are looking for a good bike to bike casually for, a 200-300$ bike would probably be nicer on you and your wallet alike. It all matters on how well the bike is structured and how well it was made.

 

[ABNPFDR]

The first question you should ask yourself, is what do you want a bike for. What purpose does it fulfill and what role will it play in your life.

even "cheap" bikes can be of value depending on the need. However if you aspire to do a long charity ride, or ride with a local shop group ride, race the local cat5 circuit or hit the technical single track in the area, a department store bike probably won't work for you. There's a reason you won't find a Walmart special in the pro peloton.

Generally speaking you do get what you pay for. Whether or not you truly realize those benefits is a different story.

 

[wahmed]

Bikes like all products vary in price and quality. There are many many bikes out there that are low priced. Just because they are low priced doesn't mean their bad quality. It could just be that they have less features than the rest. You will have to look around.

 

[wahmed]

Bikes like all products vary in price and quality. There are many many bikes out there that are low priced. Just because they are low priced doesn't mean their bad quality. It could just be that they have less features than the rest. You will have to look around.