So I have been recently shopping for a bike. I haven’t even thought about it in 10 years since I had the Serotta/Campy built up. My Colnago Master with Campy fell into my lap when a friend got divorced and moved to Sun Valley. So I didn’t shop for it.
I guess this is pertinent because the OP is shopping. My impression being a somewhat new shopper is that with a few exceptions all the major bike companies are now bike design companies not really bicycle companies. There is a production chain with many points of failure and a severe lack of supervision. Giant is making frames for a bunch of brands. Merida is making virtually all of Specialized bikes and Merida which makes great bikes won’t sell them here. So this leads me to find a bike, in this case carbon, which is made by the company that sells it. That’s just how I feel about it.
My choices are few. Allied which makes everything in Arkansas and Parlee which makes it’s most expensive frames in Massachusetts. In Italy, Sarto and Basso make all of their bikes in northern Italy. Sarto is by far the most exclusive bike maker in the world with nose bleeding pricing and long wait times. Basso is a very well known company that also makes carbon components for aero space, like Campy. Basso is non custom and very reasonable actually when purchased in Italy and shipped. Colnago C64 is made in Italy in-house and that is on the radar. I think the Pinarello Dogma is made in house still. Too flashy though but there are brand new F10 frames around going for less than 3K. Must think more about that.
Given the bikes I have I cannot spend 4,5,6,7 k for a bike designed here and made in some secret place by god knows who. Same for groupsets and other components. I know its crazy but I remember talking to Ben Serotta and I still have the inspection card signed by the guy that welded my bike and I know all the Campy parts were made in that one factory in Italy and after 10 years everything has held up, just a few chains, brake pads, etc, normal stuff.
So being out of the market for so long showed me how much it has changed and how much I don’t like it.
Last edited by Mulberry20; 08-03-20 at 10:34 PM.