cyccommute 

Exactly. And, even more importantly, having smaller frames that fit a wider range of riders without the smallest having to settle for something that is just too large is a plus. Obsessing over a top tube length of 5mm difference is nothing compared to a bike with a top tube length that is 10 to 15 centimeters too long or a bike that is 6 centimeters too tall. My question to anyone who says that it was better in the old days is “for whom”?

Let’s assume that 58cm is average. Would anyone here volunteer to ride a bike that 64cm tall with a 72 cm top tube? That’s what small people have had to endure.

Flatforkcrown

You see more Ford mustangs than Ferrari’s too…

cyccommute 

Point being?

DMC707

more Mustangs than AMC Gremlins or Nash Metropolitans too

Flatforkcrown

one is a huge corporation that makes hundreds of times more bikes than the other two. It’s no wonder that you see more. Are you claiming that a trek is a better bike than a Merckx, and that’s why there’s more around?

i see more huffy than de rosa. Huffy comes in one size and in the 80s de rosa made bikes in half cm sizes. Must mean that one size bikes are better, right?

cyccommute 

Since most people in the world have never driven a Ferrari nor have the skills to drive a Ferrari, then yes, the one company that make more cars is probably “better” than the other. Additionally, the definition of “better” is in question. Need to drive 4 kids to school? A Ferrari probably isn’t a good choice. Need to make a run to the grocery store? There are better choices. Need to pick up building materials? A Ferrari shouldn’t even be considered. Just driving down the road, the Ferrari is a bad choice. There’s no need for the power that they have, the gas that they use, nor the speed they can attain. You can’t legally use them for what they were built for. They are expensive toys and little more. For every day use, a Lada or a Yugo would probably be better choices. And, when it comes right down to it, anyone who owns a Ferrari probably owns a car made by someone else for every day use.

Same with bicycles. Trek has better marketing and has figured out how to make a quality bike for a reasonable price. Since 99.9% of people who ride bikes have probably never seen a Merckx much less ridden one, they probably aren’t going to notice a difference if they happened to ride one.

Not a reasonable comparison. You’ll see far more 80s De Rosas then 80s Huffys. Huffys aren’t known for their quality. On the other hand, a Huffy has more uses than a 80s De Rosa. Like the Ferrari, the De Rosa excels at only one thing. You can’t easily use it to run to the grocery store. You probably don’t want to lock it outside on a busy inner city street. With the Huffy, if it is stolen, you haven’t lost much.