I have been keeping an eye on the classifieds for a while now looking for something a little different which leads me to this question. What are the most popular brands for bikes over here, seems to be a vast mix rather than the UK where there seems to be 3-5 leading brands. Quite keen on getting a Mondraker as there seems to be a good selection, obviously due to them being a spanish brand.
A fellow European here, and it's wonderfull to see a selection of bikes that are not like what I'm normally exposed to on danish forums. It's like I'm in a toy shop :-D
I honestly think it´s pretty much the same here in Spain. The sector is dominated by say no more than 10 big brands, some other middle class, and the rest are just survivors on the rocks. Anyways, there are lots of Companies that don´t get too much of the pie but are giving true quality for the price. Just to say one, Qüer. I didn´t even know it was a spanish brand (sounds like french) when last saturday I did a test ride on a Qüer CXR Carbon 27.5". Uncommon brand, great bike! Cheers.
In the UK the market is pretty much between 3-5 major brands. Everything else except them seems to get forget about. I noticed Cannondale has a very big and good market over here yet in the UK it is very slow.
I noticed Lapierre is pretty big over here and Orange seems to sell for quite a bit more than UK. Strange how things can change so much!
Also another brand I noticed is very popular in the UK but not here is Santa Cruz. Why is that, lack of dealers?
You are right on your comment about Lapierre and Orange. Cannondale and Santa Cruz are well reputated brands over here, top brands I´d rather say. The difference in sales between them is motivated by price alone I guess. Maybe lack of dealers as well compared to other brands. Cannondale is most popular because it´s cheaper than S.C.! ;-) Can´t believe my eyes when you say it´s not so popular in the UK. :-(
Well it is popular but mainly for the lower end bikes. I can sell Santa Cruz bikes easily over night, same spec Cannondale which is cheaper will struggle to sell and take ages. They also drop a lot in value in second hand market. I am currently selling a load of new 2012 Santa Cruz bikes with huge discounts and they are literally selling in a day or two.
There is also plenty of Orange for sale in the UK, obviously it is a UK brand. Think I might bring one with me when I move to Spain so I can have something a little different
