Originally Posted by
Mother_of_birds
Interesting to hear how different people's priorities are. What about brand name? Does anyone stick exclusively to a particular manufacturer or take into account if any warranty passes to second owner?
Good questions.
For brand, there are certainly brands I always look for as they are my favorites, for one reason or another, but I'm largely open to most any company. I'm selective but not inherently a brand loyalist. It also depends on what niche in my fleet is not filled. My preferred list for mtb, road, cross, touring, etc., are all a bit different. I'm sure many others here are the same.
Far as the expectation of a warranty passing from one owner to the next, I have zero experience in that field. I tend to shop old enough that warranties never cross my mind as even a possibility. Others here will have to chime in on how that could work.
Lastly, back to the original question, I'll echo what several others have said and that is for me, any bike at this point really needs to stand out. It needs to catch my eye or be a project I know I can produce an eye catching result with. It needs to make me want to send a photo to my brother because of how cool it is.
I'll make the caveat that I would give this advice to the those who have already been biking for a bit and have a decent idea of what they want in a bike. For someone who's just looking to get a beater to tool around town or to college, then my advice isn't especially useful. In that case, just about anything will work in a pinch.