bruce19

I've tended to stay away from Trek because of what they did with the LeMond-Armstrong issue. Oh, and Specialized cause they sued an LBS in Canada because it used the name Roubaix. As if they didn't get the name from France. Just wondering if anyone else is influenced by things like that.

johnny99

https://www.bicycling.com/culture/vi...ycott-guns-nra

noodle soup

That is exactly why i dislike Trek, and one of the many reasons that I dislike Specialized.

Aubergine 

Yep, specialized is on my no-fly list, also because of its idiotic sexist advertising.

Dirt Farmer

Specialized sues too much for my tastes; I will always avoid them:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Specia...nts#Litigation

I don't mind Trek, as I like that they are headquartered in a very small town in the middle of nowhere, near where I live.

shelbyfv

A year or so ago someone posted a rant about Clif Bars because they were offended by their support of environmental concerns. I doubled up on my Clif Bar purchases and have extra weight to prove it

canklecat

I'm not going to punish my nearest LBS that just happens to be a Trek dealer over the LeMond thing. Yeah, Trek was shabby. But it has nothing to do with the stuff I buy from the LBS, or tech support I need.

And I question the effectiveness of boycotting conglomerates that happen to include a diverse bunch of products under the same umbrella. Usually each subsidiary is managed independently and has nothing to do with the political issue du jour. Some horrible creatures breathe air. I breathe air. I'm not going to stop breathing just because I have to exchange gasses with horrible creatures.

cycledogg

I'm a Cannondale guy since 1999 and don't like Trek because of the Armstrong Saga. I own one, but turn the other cheek when I ride it. JMHO

indyfabz

****/m

indyfabz

Butt cheek?

Dirt Farmer

Just curious, was this a user here with a name that rhymes with "crazysass"?

shelbyfv

Sorry, can't remember. Don't even remember if I responded online. Just such a bizarre post that it has stayed in my fading memory.

SCRcat6

My economic buying power isn't significant enough to push the needle. So unless the product I'm buying has a sticker on it that says, "A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this product go to fund terrorism.", I'm not gonna worry about it.

Doctor Morbius

Yes, stuff like that definitely bugs me.

I own 2 Specialized bikes, but one was purchased way before the whole Roubaix fiasco and the other, while purchased just last year, was bought used for a song. I wouldn't pay anywhere close to retail for them unless they not only apologize to the guy, but also make it right, which they ain't gonna do. Screw 'em.

Doctor Morbius

So you don't put gasoline in your car or mowers?

bogydave

Yea

I look at where stuff is made,

Don't like stickers , logos etc to be promenent on stuff,
I'm not being paid to advertise for a brand, so I pull stickers
(Waiting to be sponsored )

Don't let it overwhelm my decision if it's something I need
but I do shop with some brand bias.

datlas 

Don't they all come out of the same factory in China anyway?

bleui

Giro, they owned by Vista Outdoor, gun manufacturer

exmechanic89

Yes, I'm careful about what I buy or patronize, not much bike-wise but in many other areas for sure. At the same time though, I agree with the sentiments from other posters about the many people and businesses under a company's umbrella. With large companies it's kind of pointless to hold everyone there trying to make a living responsible for some decision made by someone else, long ago. Just have to do the best you can I suppose.

Sy Reene

You forgot to mention Bell, Blackburn, and Camelbak as part of the same.

Hellgate

In a word, nope.

mstateglfr 

I want to say i avoid trek because of the lemond/lance debacle, but i mostly avkid trek because i dont find the value in their bikes or products when compared to other offerings. That, and nothing by the company inspires me.

I want to say i avoid Specialized because of the Roubaix issue as well as the lawsuit against former employees, but really i avoid Specialized because i dont find value in their bikes or products when compared to other offerings. That, and i dont buy into what they call technology and i see as marketing and barely measurable improvement, if at all.


I mostly buy and avoid based on perceived value.

Ooh, i do like Specialized water bottles. The BigMouth or whatever its called. Have a cabinrt full of em. Cheap and reliable.

aplcr0331

Nah, I’m not real big on accumulating social smugness capital with some preferred in-group.

I buy double whatever half-wits are “protesting” against at the moment anyway.

What a bunch of hero’s. As long your lecturing is done from behind a keyboard...hack at it.

79pmooney

I won't buy Specialized (except like mstateglfr, their excellent waterbottles but with local bikeshop logos on them). I still have a bunch of Specialized stuff and I use it, but it will all be replaced with other manufacturer's stuff. I won't buy Trek but then I don't buy new whole bikes and haven't for 40+ years so that isn't saying much. (My workhorse is an old steel Trek frame and a keeper.)

There are companies I do business with or follow because I have always liked how they operated. Fuji. I raced their best bike 40 years ago (that last full bike purchase) and regularly check out the new models at Performance. Good frames, excellent drivetrains (for the price range), decent bars and stem and saving money on the parts that you are going to wear out or replace for better fit always seemed to me a good approach.

Ben

Cuyuna

I care about the quality of a given company's products, and their customer service. I couldn't care less about their stance on social issues. That might prevent from buying their stock, but not their products.