Which bicycle brand is better?
November 15, 2011 2:52 PM   Subscribe

Assuming all other features of the bicycles are identical, and the price is the same, which brand is better: Batavus, Giant, or Raleigh?

Am about to replace my old uncomfortable bicycle with a secondhand grandma-style bicycle. Yes, I will test ride the options first. But looking around, it seems my three main options are the above (with a variety of different models for each brand except the Raleigh). And the features and prices seem pretty much comparable. So is there any reason to prefer one of these brands over the others?

I would define "better" as:
1. has a good reputation, i.e. my bicycle repair guy won't despise me (only kind of kidding about this)
2. tends to last longer with fewer problems
3. easy to get parts for (if applicable. I guess that bicycles' interchangeable parts tend to be brands unrelated to the brand of the bike as a whole, anyway).
4. maybe, assuming it correlates with something reasonable, would have cost more new.
posted by lollusc to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (21 answers total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
Best answer: The parts matter much more than the brand of the frame and the fit matters even more. Any bike with reasonable parts (generally Shimano, possibly SRAM, for at least the drivetrain) can be repaired just fine. It makes very little difference what the brand name on the frame is (and Giant makes a huge proportion of quality frames in the world anyways, for many other companies).
posted by ssg at 3:14 PM on November 15, 2011


Does your bicycle repair guy work in a shop that carries any of those brands?
posted by box at 3:29 PM on November 15, 2011


(Nine hundred ninety-nine times out of a thousand, it doesn't matter, but there's still that one time where the folks at the shop are inexplicably partial to their own brands.)
posted by box at 3:31 PM on November 15, 2011


Seconding ssg -- this is what my brother told me -- the components are the most important thing. The name on the frame is not a big deal. Look for good components, or get them upgraded over time.

And yup, test-riding a few bikes and seeing what feels most comfortable is so, so super-important. I bought my bike new (an older Trek hybrid) and even those four similar models of Trek hybrids had much different shifting systems -- some were just not comfortable for me. I bought the one that felt really natural and awesome. If you are of average height, then you might not have to be quite as picky about bike fit -- rather, you *should* still be picky, but it should be easier to find the right size for you. (I'm shorter and so I needed a smaller frame than was standard.)

Enjoy your new bike!!!

(P.S. On the very rare occasion in the past that a bike repair guy has been snobby about my well-loved, well-used commuter bike, I've found myself a new bike repair guy. Ideally they should be willing to fix ANYTHING.)
posted by oldtimey at 3:36 PM on November 15, 2011


Response by poster: No, my bicycle repair guy only does repair. He doesn't sell bikes.

I thought that was the case about parts, ssg. (These bikes have Shimano gears).

I'm assuming there ARE brands out there that people tend to steer clear of, though - e.g. the no name bikes that come from Kmart and so on. Although maybe that's about parts rather than frames?

Actually, it looks like the Raleigh has been sold, so it's between Giant and Batavus.
posted by lollusc at 3:37 PM on November 15, 2011


Best answer: FWIW, and take this with a giant grain of salt, I am a middle aged father so my reads on this are likely terrible, but Batavus has more cachet than Giant, among those of us shallow enough to care that is.
posted by Keith Talent at 3:52 PM on November 15, 2011


Best answer: Nay on Batavus, quoth the bike shop working boyfriend, because every Batavus he's seen has been "crap" and you're paying for the style (cachet) more than the substance.

He recommends Giant over Raleigh. All things being equal Giant makes a better bicycle. Giant is the world's largest bicycle producer (other than Pacific which makes the bicycle-like objects you see in department stores).

Parts are pretty much universal unless you're getting something that's old or odd.

Buy the bike that makes you happy.
posted by sciencegeek at 3:56 PM on November 15, 2011 [3 favorites]


I think they're both great brands and would (if indeed all features are identical) base my decision solely on which feels better. That can make a big difference and is very personal.
posted by davar at 4:05 PM on November 15, 2011


Yes, you do want to steer clear of department store frames, but any brand of frame that is sold in a bike shop is fine for all but high end used purchase.

If you post some information here about the particular bikes that interest you, I'm sure we can help you compare the two, but again, fit is the most important factor - you need to ride the bikes. Shimano makes many different levels of parts, all the way from super cheap to super expensive, so it is worthwhile to check out the random numbers and letters on those components.
posted by ssg at 4:06 PM on November 15, 2011


> my bicycle repair guy won't despise me

My bicycle repair guy doesn't know who I am, since I only need to take my Batavus in for a tune-up every 18 months or so.
posted by scruss at 5:08 PM on November 15, 2011


Response by poster: Cool, this is all very helpful, especially about the different levels of parts. There's no info of that detail on the website, but I'll be going in on Monday and can take a closer look myself.

The bikes in question are on this site: http://omafiets.com.au/store
I'm interested in basically everything that is medium-large, under $500, and with more than 3 gears. So that's most of the $475 ones.
posted by lollusc at 5:14 PM on November 15, 2011


Response by poster: Sorry, I meant to make that a proper link.
posted by lollusc at 5:15 PM on November 15, 2011


Looking through those bikes in your price range, the Giants do seem to be a bit better value (STX or Deore drivetrains) versus the Batavus (Acera, Altus, Alivio). That said, STX is an older set of components (90s), so you'll want to make sure the parts aren't too worn. Without being able to see any other details, the Giant Custom SL with the Deore drivetrain would be my first test ride. The Giants are also, in my opinion, just nicer looking bikes!
posted by ssg at 7:49 PM on November 15, 2011


I was wondering if you were talking about Omafiets! I was there last night.... so many pretty bikes.

I can't really answer your question, as I'd never heard of batavus until I heard about this website. Giant is probably a safe choice, it's pretty ubiquitous in Australia, but even the giant bikes are going to get slightly strange looks from bike mechanics because of the dynamo lights and the wheel lock. But I'd be much (much) more worried about the fit and condition.

Hopefully you'll find one that you fall in love with. Have fun! (You have checked that they'll be open, right?)
posted by kjs4 at 7:56 PM on November 15, 2011


Seconding... Fall in love.

My daughter has a Gazelle. It is the coolest thing in the history of ever. She's riding to school, hot and sweaty and grrr, and someone will pull up to her and go OMG OMG your bike!!1! -- instant happy. Every time I see her bike I go, Man, $800 was cheap for so much awesome.

Me on the other hand, I have a Honda Fit. I bought it because Consumer Reports thought it was the best car in its class, and that is the only reason. Every time I see it, I think, There's my car. I'm driving around and I see a Yaris hatchback or this Mazda hatchback I don't know the name of, and I am struck by how those cars are almost the same thing as my car, but decidedly cuter. Yeah, FWP, I know, I'm grateful to have a car at all, but -- I do not love the car, and I miss that feeling.

Also nthing Batavus as the Cool -- and they are better looking that the Giants, IMHO.
posted by pH Indicating Socks at 10:49 PM on November 15, 2011


Response by poster: Oh wow, you already went there, kjs4! Yes, I've made an appointment. I've been wanting to go there for ages and have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of the bikes and then an opportunity to go to Sydney. (I'm in Canberra).

Thanks, ssg. That's really helpful. I'm surprised you can tell that much detail from the postings on the site. I guess you zoomed in on the photos?
posted by lollusc at 11:40 PM on November 15, 2011


Yes, the last photo shows the little tag on the bike, which lists STX, Deore, etc.
posted by ssg at 7:37 AM on November 16, 2011


Best answer: First of all, I love my Batavus (no idea what my bike repair shop thinks of it because I haven't needed them yet, but in The Netherlands Batavus is generally seen as quite a decent brand). I don't have any experience with Raleigh and Giant though, those are not Dutch and (thus) rarer here.

Given that the bikes are secondhand, I guess the condition the individual bikes are in, are at least as important as the brand (also, I agree with those above that the looks matter, too). To me, there'd be quite a difference between a bike that has always been stored inside or outside, and the way the bike has been treated by its first owner in general.

I must note though, that some of the 'facts' on that website are untrue. There's no general tax deduction on bikes, for instance. People that do get to buy a bike through their employer, are only allowed to do so if they use their bike to work daily - so much for lightly used... Also, living in a city with an insane amount of bicycle theft might have made me too cynical, but if you wonder if the bike you're looking at was stolen at some point, this is where to check (merk=brand, framenummer= the number you'll find somewhere near the top of the frame). I'm not saying that these guys are not legit, but the people they got their bikes from might not be as ethical.
posted by Ms. Next at 12:14 PM on November 16, 2011


Response by poster: I ended up buying a Gazelle which wasn't on their website.

After trying a few bikes out, it was completely clear which option was best. This one felt great to ride, and the others did not. If anyone reading this is thinking of going to this shop, by the way, be aware that their online catalogue is quite different from what they actually have - they said they compiled it in the Netherlands, and what actually ended up getting shipped included some bikes they didn't expect, and didn't include others they had expected.

So quite a few bikes I was interested in weren't there, and there were some lovely bikes there that I hadn't seen online. Also, they had removed baskets and skirt guards from quite a few bikes that have them in the photos, and some of the bikes' paintwork is more damaged than in the pics (they say it happened in the customs inspection).

Altogether, though, I am very happy with my bike.
posted by lollusc at 5:56 PM on November 23, 2011


Congratulations! Gazelle is seen as a great brand here in the Netherlands.
posted by davar at 4:31 AM on November 24, 2011


Congrats!
posted by kjs4 at 9:17 PM on November 24, 2011


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