All bikes are the same...
08-20-10, 07:10 PM
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Austin
Posts: 169
Bikes: Trek ST-120; Jamis Satellite; Miyata Seven Ten
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
All bikes are the same...
Really, they are....
What makes one bike that is made by Raleigh better than Trek or Specialized if they are all spec'd the same?
What makes one bike that is made by Raleigh better than Trek or Specialized if they are all spec'd the same?
08-20-10, 08:02 PM
#4
Fat Guy on a Little Bike
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Posts: 15,944
Bikes: Two wheeled ones
Mentioned: 42 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1254 Post(s)
Liked 345 Times
in
174 Posts
All riders are the same...they all have skin, a rear end, at least one leg, a head and blood. They're all spec'd the same in terms of clothes.
08-20-10, 08:03 PM
#5
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Beautiful Long Beach California
Posts: 3,589
Bikes: Eddy Merckx San Remo 76, Eddy Merckx San Remo 76 - Black Silver and Red, Eddy Merckx Sallanches 64 (2); Eddy Merckx MXL;
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 143 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 2 Times
in
2 Posts
It's not what they are made of but how they are made but you're right, some of the bikes you mentioned are made in the same factory.
08-20-10, 08:12 PM
#7
Senior Member
08-20-10, 08:12 PM
#8
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2005
Posts: 17,156
Mentioned: 481 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3810 Post(s)
Liked 6,689 Times
in
2,610 Posts
"It's all the same. It 'ain't nothin' but the Blues." John Lee Hooker
08-20-10, 08:16 PM
#9
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Southwest Washington
Posts: 337
Bikes: '77 Traveller III '05 Rockhopper.
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
I'll swap my dual suspension Next MTB bike for one of your Trek, Cannondale, Specialized bikes any day! Even an older one, since they are all the same.
08-20-10, 08:24 PM
#10
Super Course fan
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Lost on the windswept plains of the Great Black Swamp
Posts: 2,720
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 8 Times
in
8 Posts
Anyone who believes that all bikes are the same has ridden very few bikes.
One thing my horrible obsessive collecting has done for me is that I have a pretty wide field of comparison.
Trek, Cannondale, Motobecane, Raleigh (Several), Peugeot, Mercier, Bottecchia, even Schwinn . All are different, all have their strengths.
One thing my horrible obsessive collecting has done for me is that I have a pretty wide field of comparison.
Trek, Cannondale, Motobecane, Raleigh (Several), Peugeot, Mercier, Bottecchia, even Schwinn . All are different, all have their strengths.
__________________
I have a white PX-10, a Green Dawes Galaxy and an Orange Falcon, now I'm done.
I have a white PX-10, a Green Dawes Galaxy and an Orange Falcon, now I'm done.
08-20-10, 08:30 PM
#11
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: New Jersey
Posts: 904
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time
in
1 Post
Originally Posted by Andrew F 
It's all in the name, can't help but feel special when peddaling a Hetchins now can we?
I'd like to collect data with which to test the proposition implied by your rhetorical question.
08-20-10, 08:42 PM
#12
Senior Member
08-20-10, 09:01 PM
#13
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Rhode Island (an obscure suburb of Connecticut)
Posts: 5,630
Bikes: one of each
Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 8 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 12 Times
in
12 Posts
Yup, nothing new under the sun.
Last edited by sailorbenjamin; 08-20-10 at 09:03 PM. Reason: Mobetta dis way
08-20-10, 09:10 PM
#15
Gear Hub fan
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Reno, NV
Posts: 2,829
Bikes: Civia Hyland Rohloff, Swobo Dixon, Colnago, Univega
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time
in
1 Post
All Bikes Are NOT The Same!!!!
Different makes of bike frames can have different geometry and tubing material and sizes used in construction which definitely has an effect on ride, handling and weight. They are not spec'd the same generally speaking as most companies such as Trek try to make sure there are specification and component differences between their bikes and the competition's.
Your original comment is about like saying all cars are the same. Either statement is a gross simplification.
In many cases for similar bikes my choice would be determined by local dealer reputation.
__________________
Gear Hubs Owned: Rohloff disc brake, SRAM iM9 disc brake, SRAM P5 freewheel, Sachs Torpedo 3 speed freewheel, NuVinci CVT, Shimano Alfine SG S-501, Sturmey Archer S5-2 Alloy. Other: 83 Colnago Super Record, Univega Via De Oro
Visit and join the Yahoo Geared Hub Bikes group for support and links.
https://groups.yahoo.com/group/Geared_hub_bikes/
Gear Hubs Owned: Rohloff disc brake, SRAM iM9 disc brake, SRAM P5 freewheel, Sachs Torpedo 3 speed freewheel, NuVinci CVT, Shimano Alfine SG S-501, Sturmey Archer S5-2 Alloy. Other: 83 Colnago Super Record, Univega Via De Oro
Visit and join the Yahoo Geared Hub Bikes group for support and links.
https://groups.yahoo.com/group/Geared_hub_bikes/
08-20-10, 09:56 PM
#16
Explorer
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Los Angeles
Posts: 279
Bikes: Dahon Jetstream XP, Merlin Road Ti, Fisher Mt. Tam
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Some bikes have a certain je ne sais quois. They can be very similar in specification yet feel very different. Some feel dead under your feet. Others feel positively alive. Some are very compliant, while others are stubborn. I could go on, waxing poetic. I could make the distinction between intrinsic and perceived value. Most people looking at a stone in a ring couldn't tell if it's a diamond or glass, but much more value is put on a diamond. Certain camera lenses are prized for their bokeh — the particularly artful way that they blur the background of an image. Some people value subtleties and others deem them a waste of time. It's that way with bikes too.
__________________
I came to say I must be folding . . .
Dahon Jetstream XP
Dahon Helios SL
Strida 5.0
Twenty project
— or not . . .
Fisher Mt. Tam (c.1988)
Merlin Road flat bar project
Schwinn Twinn Deluxe
I came to say I must be folding . . .
Dahon Jetstream XP
Dahon Helios SL
Strida 5.0
Twenty project
— or not . . .
Fisher Mt. Tam (c.1988)
Merlin Road flat bar project
Schwinn Twinn Deluxe
08-20-10, 10:35 PM
#17
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Crown Point,Indiana
Posts: 607
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
When you get a quality bike you will see the difference.There is no comparison of a Corvette to a Cavalier even though each will get you from point A to B. Have ya seen many Huffy's winning the T.D.F.?
08-20-10, 10:46 PM
#18
PanGalacticGargleBlaster
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Smugglers Notch, Vermont
Posts: 7,531
Bikes: Upright and Recumbent....too many to list, mostly Vintage.
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 19 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 5 Times
in
4 Posts
__________________
--Don't Panic.
--Don't Panic.
08-20-10, 11:19 PM
#20
Bicycle Repair Man !!!
Yep... this is just an old ten speed.
08-20-10, 11:28 PM
#21
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2009
Posts: 211
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Geometry and construction can vary a great deal, but for the most part, you're right - it's a fairly standard carbon frame with either Dura Ace or Campagnolo components. The really interesting stuff is in alternative bicycles - triathalon bikes are often full of really wild designs to allow exhausted athletes to get the most out of their weary muscles, and folding bicycles (such as the very nifty Montague or various full-sized Dahons) have finally become alternatives to "real" bicycles. That's not even considering alternative riding configurations like recumbents, semi-recumbents, trikes, "prone" bicycles, and more.
08-20-10, 11:54 PM
#22
Banned.
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: PAZ
Posts: 12,294
Mentioned: 255 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2588 Post(s)
Liked 4,824 Times
in
1,709 Posts
Troll, anyone?
08-21-10, 12:03 AM
#23
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Lubbock, TX
Posts: 356
Bikes: Masi Vincere (2011); Diamondback Interval (1993); Miyata SSCX build (c. 1990)
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
A clever troll at least--22 responses in 5 hours without any kind of over-defensive or jabbing defense of his position at all. Seems more like a very pointed statement intent on sarcastic responses.
Success?
Success?
08-21-10, 12:12 AM
#24
Dolce far niente
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Northern CA
Posts: 10,704
Mentioned: 15 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 20 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 17 Times
in
14 Posts
Mr Garrison's bike is pretty different than most. 
__________________
"Love is not the dying moan of a distant violin, it’s the triumphant twang of a bedspring."
S. J. Perelman
"Love is not the dying moan of a distant violin, it’s the triumphant twang of a bedspring."
S. J. Perelman
08-21-10, 10:03 AM
#25
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: NW Burbs, Chicago
Posts: 12,054
Mentioned: 201 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3015 Post(s)
Liked 3,793 Times
in
1,407 Posts
I have a usual loop of a little over 40 miles. On that loop I ride a 50 year old lugged steel bike with a double and a 4-speed cluster. I also ride a modern tig-welded with carbon bits with a double and a 10-speed cluster.
The difference in time between the bikes is no more than 10 minutes. So yes, they are pretty much the same.
Soon, I'll have a 60 year old bike with a single and a 4-speed cluster and a 70 year old bike with a single and a 3-speed cluster. My guess is they will pretty much be the same.
The difference in time between the bikes is no more than 10 minutes. So yes, they are pretty much the same.
Soon, I'll have a 60 year old bike with a single and a 4-speed cluster and a 70 year old bike with a single and a 3-speed cluster. My guess is they will pretty much be the same.