impulsivegreg

Completely opinion based, reasoning doesn't matter, I just want to hear who you, personally, think makes the best road bikes.

speshelite

In Before the Lock!

jordanair45

All are pretty good man. But whoever makes the best geometry for you wins.

Danny01

GMC Denali

Dean V

How does this narrow it down?
Most people will fit a lot of bikes within the usual parameters of fit adjustment with stem, bars and saddle.

jordanair45

It's not supposed to narrow it down. All bikes are pretty much equal. Such a broad question to ask. Biking is made so confusing and it's not. Like. Maybe go ride a bike or two and ask yourself gee, these two bikes in comparing , how are they different? Which one do I like. This is crazy. I'm don't with online bike forms. Such a crock of **** and mis information .

OP an $11k aero bike will save you 2-3minutes over a basic sub $1k bike over 20-30 miles. Are you racing ? Do you need that ? Now. A specialized vs a trek vs a Cannondale $11k bike vs there sub $1k bikes. Well. They will be pretty equal since they compete with each other. Stick to the make brands and all is well. Whatever bike you try out and enjoy is good for you. Basically, the one you think looks cooler

redfooj

Mario confente

Masque

Ducati? Maybe BMW.

znomit

The Taiwanese of course.

PepeM

Joe "Joe" Breeze of course.

CliffordK

Keep in mind, the frame is only part of the bike. Groupset? Wheels? Tires?

There are also several different styles of bikes. So the "best" for one person might be the worst for the next person. Specialized Roubaix?

Choose your favorite big-name manufacturer, Specialized, Trek, Cannondale, Colnago, and they all make excellent bikes.

However, I wouldn't completely ignore the smaller brands. Calfee, Parlee, Canyon, etc.

Also, non CF materials such as Titanium, or even Reynolds 953 steel (and other alloys). Aluminum alloys?

Likewise, Campagnolo, SRAM, and Shimano all make excellent groupsets.

bonz50

of course the correct BF answer is "the brand I'm currently riding."

sh00k

Impulsive Greg is gonna be impulsively reprimanded by asking this Q here haha

FlashBazbo

Bikes aren't exactly rocket science. The basics are easy. It's in the areas of craftsmanship, finish, geometry, and fit that the differences come in. I've owned more bikes and more brands than I want to admit, but two bikes in my history were clearly my "best." All others had something about them that I wish were different.


First was an early Specialized Langster single-speed. It was a cheap bike, but it fit me perfectly in standard form. (Without resort to silly stems or seat posts.) It just felt perfectly right every time I got on the bike. Balance and handling that made it feel as if it were part of me.


Second is my BMC SLR01. Excellent craftsmanship and finish. Geometry that lets me put the bike exactly where I want it, even under challenging conditions. And it fits me like that old Langster. Perfectly balanced to me and the way I ride a bike.

NealH

motobecan

rgconner

Huffy.

kingston 

Sacha White has got to be right up near the top. I don't know of many other builders with wait times of "many many years"

duane041

Best bike: Colnago
Why? Because I don't like broccoli (you said reasoning didn't matter)

merlinextraligh

Long live Italy, liberated and redeemed.

Dirt Farmer

Many say this. I, of course, have never seen one.

3Rensho? Waterford?

indyfabz

Rapha makes the best jeans.

impulsivegreg

I'm not asking for myself, I'm very happy with my Cannanondale Synapse.

This topic was purely conversational, I wanted to hear what brand people favored.

I know there are a lot of considerations when picking a bike, but I'm asking at the most basic level.

If I'm being honest, I pick my bikes based on my favorite local bike shop, I find that I can find a bike I like from any (reputable) manufacturer. I bought a Specialized because that's what the shop in Tennessee carried that I liked the best. Here in New Mexico, I bought a Cannondale because of the same reason.

I don't find any one company marginally better than the other, I just want to hear what people prefer for themselves.

cycledogg

Cannondale, of course.

alathIN

I don't think there is much if any quality difference between any of the major bike store brands. Cannondale, Giant, Specialized, Trek, etc... they're all good and all very similar.

I have an irrational attraction to Pinarello, Wilier, and Argon 18. But I don't know that they're really any better than the above, just (arguably) sexier and (definitely) more expensive.

DrIsotope

It's the phrasing of the question that ruins it. Who makes the best bike. You don't ask people what's the best color. You ask their favorite color. Pedantic observations out of the way, no one makes the best bike. A bike is an amalgam of parts, from (in most cases) a dozen or more manufacturers. Does the OP expect people to pin down that unidentifiable thing that makes one particular amalgam of components subjectively better than another? Will we have to paint our feelings next?