Originally Posted by
badger1
Giant's carbon technology (r/d, production methods, etc.) is second to absolutely no one's.
As others have pointed out, economies of scale come into play as well, in two senses. First, Giant produces massive numbers of frames, not only for their own brand but for many others, including many of the 'cachet' names. For example, the Treks that have been suggested to you as alternatives will have frames made by ... Giant, for Trek.
Second, as pointed out also here, economies of scale mean that Giant gets preferential supplier pricing from the likes of Shimano for components.
The result: if you like a particular Giant bike, and it fits you, you lose absolutely nothing at all by going with that rather than a competitor's equivalent, and you will typically pay significantly less.
Disclaimer: I have only a very small dog in this fight. My two main bikes are Specialized, but I do own an older (2005) Giant mtb that I still use throughout the summer. It has been and still is a great bike. I like Specialized, but wouldn't hesitate to buy another Giant bike if it was right for me.
ugh second to no one? that's a bold claim! Giant is second to no one only if that no one uses Giant factory.
But there are others that don't use Giant. Look and Time make their own carbon. BMC weave their own carbon for the Impec (now discontinued).
Time and Look have superb quality control, probably best in the business.
If we're talking about manufacturing your low to mid level carbon fiber bikes, then Giant is superb here because this is the bulk of what their factories produce. But if we're talking about leading edge and quality control at the higher end bikes, I will take Look and Time over Giant and everybody else.