You want to invest in a high-quality bicycle that will serve you well for many years and allow you to go where you need to go quickly and easily. Many of the most prestigious cycling companies were founded by former racing greats with strong links to the cycling world.
A Brief History of Bikes and Bicycling
When was the first bike built and who built it?
That knowledge has been lost to the ages. It’s quite hard to pinpoint a single individual as the bike’s inventor, as the Smithsonian Institution points out.
Evidently, the use of two-wheeled vehicles had become commonplace by the turn of the nineteenth century. While the precise origin of the bicycle remains a matter for debate, some have suggested that it was first used in the early 1500s. The International Bicycle Fund claims that Leonardo Da Vinci’s bicycle design sketch from the 1490s.
To add intrigue, one of the earliest bikes may have been inspired by a volcanic explosion. Baron Karl or Baron Charles Von Drais created the first automobile with a steerable front wheel in the early 1800s. Drawings also incorporated a cushioned seat and an armrest into his design, which helped him maintain his equilibrium while he drove.
Apparently, Draws built the vehicle, which the French dubbed a velocipede, after the mass hunger and death of horses that followed the 1815 eruption of Mount Tambora in Indonesia.
The velocipede’s rapid rise to fame belied the fact that it lacked a modern bike’s most essential component: a chain. Pedals are absent from this vehicle. People would use their feet as pedals to propel the bike ahead, much like the Flintstones’ archaic vehicle.
Only until 1863 did pedals become standard on city bikes. And even back then, the pedals weren’t exactly like the ones today. You may find them fastened to the car’s front wheel.
Towards the end of the nineteenth century, American engineers and designers set out to develop a bicycle that would be less dangerous for riders. One model that was quite well-liked at the time was also exceptionally risky. High wheel bikes, sometimes known as Ordinaries, were notoriously difficult to ride safely. People frequently fell over the front of their “Ordinaries,” often landing on their heads. If you or a loved one has been hurt in a bicycle accident, please contact the Kaplan Law Firm.
Modern-style bicycle components characterised the safety bike. It had uniformly sized wheels and a chain to turn the gears. There was a time when the safety bike’s tires were made of hard rubber, but those were quickly replaced with airfield tires.
There was a rise in bike-centric businesses as cycling gained popularity and became a practical mode of transportation for people of all income levels and backgrounds. Bianchi is still one of the most well-known names in cycling after all these time. Some others, like Schwann, have changed a great deal during the past century and are no longer industry leaders.
What Makes a Good Bike Brand?
Defining what makes a good cycling brand may be difficult. Sometimes, one’s own preferences and viewpoints are the deciding factors. Despite Trek’s and Bianchi’s stellar reputations, a single rider’s negative encounter with either brand might permanently turn them against them.
A solid cycling company will often have many bike designs at various price points. Models that employ basic parts and retail for a few hundred dollars nonetheless have a satisfying riding quality. For the most part, the top-of-the-line models from a reputable manufacturer represent the finest bicycles available at any price.
A great bike brand usually has some sort of historical or cultural ties to riding. Some popular brands, for instance, were developed by retired professional cyclists who know a thing or two about what makes a good bike.
How We Choose the Top Brands
Multiple criteria were considered while deciding on the best bike manufacturers. One of these was the range of bicycles available from the manufacturer, or the number of different models they offered. For this reason, we focused on manufacturers that make both road and mountain bikes rather than those that specialize in just one discipline.
We compared the prices of different brands’ motorcycles and analyzed the quality of the parts utilized. In this case, we didn’t want to even consider brands that make cheap, low-quality bikes. We didn’t want to limit ourselves to the “caviar” of bicycle manufacturers, even though we’re well aware that some cyclists are drawn to the “fancy” brands.
TOP 10 BIKE BRANDS
1. Trek Bicycle Corporation
When it all began in 1976, Trek’s first home was Waterloo, Wisconsin. It is the largest U.S.-based bike brand, according CNBC. The majority of the company’s output is now manufactured overseas, however certain motorcycles are still made in the United States. In 2014, it manufactured over 25,000 bicycles annually in the United States, accounting for roughly half of the country’s total bicycle output.
Trek manufactures bicycles in a broad variety of designs and pricing points. Bicycles, accessories, and clothing for all ages are produced. Trek also produces a number of electric mountain bikes in addition to their more typical foot-powered models. Bikes may be purchased for anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars.
Although Trek is perhaps the most well-known brand name, the corporation really offers a wide variety of products under a variety of other names. DreamBikes, Bontrager, and Electra are just a few of the more manufacturers available. The firm also manufactured Greg LeMond cycles, a brand of bicycles designed by the first American to win the Tour de France, until 2008.
2. Connondale
Another well-known, long-standing bicycle manufacturer is Cannondale. Cannonade was born in a Connecticut pickle plant, whereas Trek was started by two guys over a drink. The firm didn’t start out making bicycles itself but rather a bike trailer, parts, and gear.
The company’s first motorcycle, a touring type, was released in 1983. The next year, it released a racing bike. Cannonade created a stir at the 1997 Tour de France by sponsoring an aluminum frame for the Saeco cycling team. Company lore has it that the Saeco team captain proclaimed Cannondale bicycles to be superior.
The company now manufactures several types of bicycles, including edibikes, road bikes, and mountain bikes. It also comes in tandem and women’s specific designs. Cannondale bicycles, on general, are more expensive than other brands. Its kid’s bikes, like most of its other models, cost several hundred dollars.
3. Kona Bikes
The bike company Kona Bikes is rather new on the scene. Founders Dan Gerhard and Jacob Heilbron launched the company in 1988. Even now, the brand is still owned by the same couple and operates out of the same Seattle office.
The straight leg mountain bike manufacturing fork developed by Kona is the company’s claim to fame. Brodie (aka Bruce Spicer) collaborated with the company to create the distinctive motorcycle look. Kona’s current lineup of forks includes ten distinct models, with options for both mountain and road cycles of varying sizes.
While the company’s initial concentration was on mountain bikes, Kona now manufactures a wide variety of bicycles, including road and cyclocross models. The company debuted its first carbon frame bicycles in 2011, including a cyclocross racer and a Kula Watt 26″ hardtail.
4. Colnago
A manufacturer of high-quality bicycles, Colnago is located in Italy. In 1952, Ernesto Colnago established the bran in Cambiago. As a child, Ernesto Colnago showed interest in cycling, despite his family’s hopes that he would take over the family farm. He began his career in the bicycle industry as an apprentice at age 13 and went on to create his own business.
Colnago is a high-end bicycle manufacturer that has been compared to Ferrari by The Telegraph. Many of Colnago’s top-tier bikes are constructed from scratch by skilled Italian artisans using only the finest materials, so the description is spot on.
Colnago is definitely not a cheap brand. Its entry-level versions cost more than $1,000, while its high-end racing bicycles go for $5,000 or $6,000.
5. Bianchi
Bianchi, another Italian bike manufacturer, has the record as the world’s oldest cycling firm. It all started in 1885, when 21-year-old Eldoardo Bianchi decided to add a chain and make the front wheel smaller on the already popular “ordinary” bicycles.
His plan was well received, I guess. Many further improvements to the bicycle’s form and function are attributed to Bianchi over the years. Like the first front brake that he invented in 1913.
Multiple significant cycling competitions were won by riders using Bianchi bicycles throughout the 20th century. Fausto Coppi, a cyclist, won the Tour de France for the first time on a Bianchi in 1949. In the early 1970s, Felice Gimondi also rode a Bianchi to victory.
Bianchi now makes city, mountain, and race bikes in a range of prices, with options beginning in the hundreds. Additionally, the company produces electric bikes and kid-sized versions of its products.
6. Raleigh
Established in 1887, Raleigh Bikes is one of the oldest bike manufacturers in the world. Only around three bicycles per week were being manufactured by the company at that time. Production reached a peak of 30,000 cycles annually as early as 1896.
All through the 20th century, manufacturers responded to rising demand by cranking out an ever-increasing number of bicycles and erecting ever-larger assembly lines. For a period it even toyed with motorbikes. The company’s 10-speed bikes were particularly popular in the United States.
Rayleigh, like a select few other great manufacturers, is no stranger to the Tour de France. In 1980, Dutch cyclist JoopZoetemelk won the race while riding a Rayleigh. For the 1989 Tour de France, Greg LeMond won by a razor-thin 8 seconds over the French team System’s U, which was using Raleigh bicycles.
The company now makes many types of bikes, including mountain bikes, road cycles, and hybrids. Some of its bicycles cost between $300 and $400, and even its priciest models cost no more than $3,000.
7. Cervelo
Cervelo is another newer manufacturer of bicycles. The concept originated in Canada around the year 1995. The company’s mission is straightforward: to create the quickest bike in the world. As a result, if you’re just getting into cycling or are just looking for a casual bike, you probably won’t be looking at this brand.
Nonetheless, if you’re the type of cyclist that has to constantly push their limits, whether in preparation for an Ironman or the Tour de France or simply because you love a fast ride on the weekends, this brand may be for you. Five distinct lines of road bikes are available from Cervelo: the C series, the Series series, the S series, and the T series.
Its bicycles are not inexpensive. The S series is the entry-level lineup, and prices begin at roughly $5000, while the P series may easily go above $10,000.
8. Orbea
Orbea, a Spanish bicycle manufacturer, was founded in 1840 as a gun factory. It wasn’t until the 1930s that it began producing bicycles. It was a major employer of Spanish residents throughout the Civil War years, and in the early 1960s, its workers acquired the company and transformed it into a cooperative.
The company expanded its facilities and now manufactures both road bikes and racing bicycles. A variety of mountain bikes, road bikes, and electric bikes are now manufactured by the firm.
9. BMC Switzerland
BMC Switzerland is headquartered in Switzerland, as one may infer from the name. Established in 1994, the firm now counts over 120 workers across the globe. The Phonak Cycling Team, based out of Switzerland and managed by Andy Rihs, used bicycles supplied by BMC. In the year 2000, Rihs completely took over the business.
BMC Bikes has since won several tournaments and races, including the 2011 Tour de France. The company now produces every type of bicycle imaginable, from road bikes to mountain bikes to recreational cycles.
10. Merida
Ike Tseng, the founder of Merida Bikes, had the concept for the firm while traveling in the United States in the early 1970s. Tsung went to a bike shop but was turned away after seeing a sign that said they wouldn’t fix Taiwanese bikes because of their poor quality.
Tseng’s first goal was to establish a name for Taiwanese-made bicycles of the highest quality. The city of Merida, formally established in 1988, is a prime example of this. The firm has both a German research and development division and a Taiwanese production branch. It now manufactures many types of bicycles, such as mountain bikes, road bikes, and hybrids.