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The A-Z of Bike manufacturers |
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AIRBORNE CYCLES - Airborne specializes in high-quality titanium frames,
but they offer also complete bikes you can build selecting among a wide
choice of components. The site offers complete technical information, a very
useful frame geometry and sizing guide and an interesting FAQ section. It is
modern and well done, but the use of frames reduces drastically the active area
of the screen. BOTTECCHIA - A well-known Italian
company manufacturing a very wide and complete range of bikes. The site
offers a clear and detailed description of every model but unfortunately
there is no weight and the pictures are small. The site is a little slow and
often not intuitive or even tedious to browse. BOULDER BIKES - A U.S.
manufacturer of high-quality MTB's and components. The range is rather
limited because they are specialized in full-suspended MTB's and claim their
frame to be the best full-suspended available today! CALOI USA - A Brazilian company
offering only MTB with aluminum frame. They have a broad range with
interesting models. The web site is nice, with a balanced and attracting use
of graphics and offers both general and very detailed information on each
model. Also available are small and big pictures of each MTB model. CANNONDALE - A top-manufacturer, one
of the most famous in the world. It is the leading manufacturer of aluminum
bikes and it is famous for its big-size aluminum frames. Their range of bikes
is extremely wide and complete. The site is very nice and complete and offer
in-depth information on all the topics. CARRARO - Carraro is a
70-year old Italian manufacturer of high-tech MTB's. The site is nice and
well-designed but offers really no information on the different models
(probably it's still under construction). CATAMOUNT - A
Colorado-based company that specializes in full suspension MTB's with URT
(Unified Rear Triangle) geometry. Their bikes are of high quality and offer
significant features not found in other solutions. The site offers a lot of
technical details, clear explanations and pictures. Maybe the colors are a
little too strong and the graphics is sometimes too heavy, but the site is
surely striking! CINELLI - Cinelli was the first MTB
manufacturer in Italy with the famous "Rampichino" and produces
MTB's with a distinctive Italian style. It is famous all over the world for
its high-quality bikes and components. The web site is nice, modern and
original with attracting graphics but sometimes is not so easy, clear and
fast to browse. COLNAGO - The Italian
manufacturer famous all over the world for its road bikes (he also made a
custom model for the Pope). Nice and complete site, but unfortunately Colnago
MTB models are really few and no in-depth information is offered. CYCLEPRO - This is a Swedish company
producing a wide range of cross-country MTB's with aluminum 7005 frame. The
site is modern and well-done and offers some nice features but only basic
information about the different models. Moreover I couldn't find a company
profile so I'm not even sure if they are a Swedish company. DAGGER - This company offers just a
few models of high performance MTB's. They were tested by MBA with positive
results. The site is not so wide and a little poor, but offers complete and
detailed technical information even if some more photos would make it more
clear and appealing. DART - An Italian company producing
a good range of interesting front and full-suspended mountain bikes. The site
is really well-done: modern, original and not too slow. It features complete
information on the company and the bikes. Technical specifications are
extremely detailed and include all components, all geometry angles and the
weight. Also the bike images are zoomable. DAWES – A British
company specializing in road, racing & MTB’s. The bikes are mid ranged
priced so if your after your 1st or 2nd mountain bike
these bikes are right up your alley, site has a build your own bike system
although severely limited on choice, come on Dawes get those standards up. DEAN - Dean offers a wide and varied
range of top MTB's. The bikes shown are equipped with very sophisticated
wheels (four carbon spokes) and are really very nice. The site is simple and
offers an unconventional and effective way of presenting the different
models. Quotes from the main MTB magazines seem to confirm the high level of
their bikes. DIAMOND BACK - A
well-known manufacturer offering a wide range of MTB's. Check out their very
nice and complete Web site! DIRT WORKS - A U.S.
manufacturer of high tech MTBs and components. They offer just two models: a
downhill version and a cross-country model. The bikes are nice and the
specifications clear and rather complete. The site is nice and modern even if
it was a little slow in my test. ELLSWORTH - They produce
only top-class MTB's trying to reach perfection, therefore they don't have
entry-level bikes and they seem not to care about having low-prices! All
bicycles are meticulously handcrafted to obtain maximum performance. The web
site is nice and well done, with pictures and very detailed descriptions of
the bikes. Check out the coverage of them at the interbike 2001 FAT CITY - A
manufacturer of really high-quality full-suspended and hard-tail MTB's. The
range is limited, but the technical features of the models are really
interesting. Their web site is well done, offers in-depth technical
information and makes use of nice graphics. FOCUS - Focus is a German
manufacturer offering a limited number of MTB's that cover the whole range
from rigid to full-suspended. The web site is really modern, interactive,
fast and easy to browse. The only strange point is the way the bikes are
grouped: you have to check all of them to find the bike you look for. The
technical information provided is rather complete but the pictures are too
small. FOES - Foes produces extreme
Mountain Bikes. They have just two models, both for downhill, which seem to
be the maximum for long travel of both front and rear suspension. Also the
frame is really impressive. The site is nice, simple, offers good graphical
effects, photos and detailed technical data. FULL DYNAMIX - A young
Italian company founded by former champion Battaglin. They offer a nice range
of front-suspended MTBs (no full-suspended models shown). The site is very
modern, with a fashion look. Technical data are rather complete (no weight)
and images are zoomable. Unfortunately part of the site is still under
construction and some sections are not yet translated in English. FRM - An Italian company producing
an interesting range of high-quality front and full-suspended MTBs. Each of
them is equipped with an FRM fork. The site is extremely well designed and
realized. It's simple, fast, easy and intuitive to browse, shows the
technical features of each model with many details and offers a zoomable
picture of each bike. GARY FISHER - The
legendary Gary Fisher is considered the father of MTB together with Tom
Ritchey. He founded his company in 1979 and became famous for its innovative,
high-quality mountain bikes offered in a wide and complete range. The site
offers complete information, is very modern, highly animated and interactive
with a lot of graphics and therefore rather slow. GIANT - Really
well-known all over the world, Giant offers an extremely wide range of MTB's.
You can surely find a model perfect for you! The site (as one expects from
Giant) is modern, attracting and unusual, with heavy use of graphics, that
makes it more attracting but, as usual, also very slow! GRISLEY - A U.S. Company
offering a limited but good range of nice MTBs. The site is modern, easy and
intuitive to navigate and offers some nice features such as close-out of
frame details. There are complete specifications of the bikes but
unfortunately the pictures are small and not zoomable. GT - GT offers an extremely wide
range of bikes. They are famous for the high-quality and stiffness of their
frames (triple-triangle). The site is modern, with nice and colored photos
that, as usual, make it slow even if attracting. HARDLAND - A U.S. based
company producing high-quality MTB's. Downhill fans will be surely very interested
to their full-suspended model based on an URT (Unified Rear Triangle)
suspension design. Their web site is nice and modern and features a pleasant
but never exceeding graphic. Information and technical data are detailed and
include prices. HARO - An American company founded
twenty years ago by Bob Haro, father of BMX freestyle. They offer a very
complete range of MTB's particularly appreciated for their price/performance
ratio. The site is modern, attracting and very easy to browse. The
specifications for each model are complete and detailed. IBIS CYCLES - They offer a wide
range of products, not only full MTB's. I found impressing their
full-suspended version with titanium frame and a pivotless rear shock
realized by uniform bending of a complex structure of titanium tubes
(bow-stays). Their web site is really unusual, with cartoons, fun and so on!
Information is at a good level. IONIC CYCLES - A very small company
producing frames, cranksets and complete bikes for XC and DH. You can buy
only the frame or a complete custom-built bike. To choose it they offer a
nice interactive building page where you can choose whatever you prefer. The
web site is very complete, modern, interactive, simple to browse and makes a
perfect use of graphics without being too slow. IRONHORSE - A U.S.-based
company producing a wide range of mountain bikes, from rigid to
full-suspended models. The site is very colorful, modern and rather easy to
browse. It offers detailed information (but not the weight) on the different
bikes including a zoomable picture of each model. The site includes also
information on dealers, events, racing teams but lacks a company profile. JAMIS - Jamis is an important
manufacturer of a wide range of rigid, front and full-suspended MTBs. Their
site is modern, interactive and fast. Graphics is not too heavy and nice. The
bike description is really well-done and includes a complete table of
components (including the weight) and a very detailed frame geometry table.
Unfortunately the text is not very sharp and the bike pictures are small. K2 - The famous ski company bought
some years ago Pro-Flex entering the MTB world. They also bought Noleen
specialized in forks and offering a unique "smart" fork. Their MTB
choice is now very wide and complete including full and front-suspended
bikes. The site is modern, rich with images but still fast and reactive. The
technical information provided is very complete and includes also the weight.
KASTLE - A well-known company, now bought
by the Italian Bike manufacturer Atala. They offer a wide range of
interesting mountain-bikes. The site is very nice, different from many
others, modern and with attractive graphics, but technical information is
quite limited compared to other sites. KESTREL - Kestrel is
surely mainly famous for road bikes. But they also produce three different
and very sophisticated MTB models. The frame geometry and material, carbon
and kevlar, make this bikes really interesting. The site is nice and complete
and the bikes description is good. Technical details are rather complete and
include the frame weight. KHS - KHS is a well-known MTB manufacturer.
They offer really a broad range of different versions. The web site is nice,
modern and complete with pictures and technical information. KLEIN - Klein is really famous for
its high-quality bikes and frames. Gary Klein put obsessive care in producing
the best frames. The site is nice with a balanced use of graphics. It offers
detailed information on bikes, frames, technical aspects and sports also
interesting FAQ's on different bike subjects. KOGA-MIYATA - A large company producing a
large range of different bikes. The MTB models are standard full and front
suspended versions. The technical specifications are really detailed and
complete, they include the price but unfortunately not the weight. KONA - A Canadian
manufacturer of high-quality bikes that are very successful in competitions.
Unfortunately their site, even though well-designed, is still very young, and
lacks technical detail. LEE COUGAN - They produce a very
wide range of MTB's that were also chosen for the 1997 edition of Camel
Trophy. Particularly interesting the downhill model. Their site is very well
done, modern, simple to browse and attracting. It offers also complete
technical information and nice zoomable pictures of the different bikes. LITESPEED - A company
producing mainly titanium-frame MTB's. I found the oversize titanium frame
models really very special and interesting. Their web site is nice, clear,
easy to browse and offers enough technical details. MARIN - Marin is a leader well-known
for its titanium frames. The web site is modern and attracting with nice
photos, colors and animations even if sometimes the heavy graphics makes it
slow. The information is simple to find, complete and offers adequate
technical details. MERLIN - Merlin means Titanium! This
company is really famous all over the world for its high-quality
titanium-frame bikes. Their titanium frame are considered the best all over
the world. The site is nice and offers also a detailed and extremely interesting
guide to Titanium. MICALS - A manufacturer
of high-quality MTB's that offers "The only fully INVERTED full
suspension Mountain Bike in the world" with "A PATENTED Pivot Point
which actuates through the center of the bottom bracket". Their site is
nice, technically up-to-date and rich in information. Definitely worth a
visit. MONGOOSE - Mongoose is a well known
company offering a wide range of MTB and BMX. The Newman frame is surely the
most attracting component of their bikes. The site is dominated by orange
color and is unconventional: disorder everywhere and a very personal style.
Even if original, I did not find it easy and intuitive to browse. The
information on the products and the frame is good and detailed. MOOTS - Moots specializes in
titanium MTB's. Their range is limited to three models (rigid, short-travel
full, long travel full) all of them based on a very sophisticated titanium
frame. The site is good even if the bike pictures are very small and black
and white. The technical specs are very complete for the frame but nothing is
present on the components. MOTOBECANE - Maybe more famous for
its motorbikes, Motobecane produces also a complete range of front and dual
suspension mountain bikes. The site is easy to browse and rather good.
Unfortunately it offers just the pictures and the prices of the different
models but almost no technical information on the components and the frame
which seems really absurd. MOUNTAIN CYCLE - A well
known company producing a wide range of high-level MTB's featuring a special
thick frame. I was impressed by the downhill model San Andreas DHS. The site
is wide, complete, simple to browse and very well done, with nice and
attracting graphics and a modern look. MRAZEK - A small Czech Republic
company producing high quality MTB and components. The site is modern and
complete, offers adequate information and many clear and nice pictures. MUDDYFOX - A British company
producing a large and complete range of mountain bikes. The bikes seem very
well engineered and use high quality components. The site is nice and modern,
offers complete bike specifications including price but not the weight and
all pictures can be zoomed. NORCO - Norco is a large Canadian
30-year-old company. They produce a very wide and extremely complete range of
MTB's even if I did not find really "extreme" models. The web site
is very easy and fast to browse thanks to a nice and detailed menu. Technical
data and specs are complete. OLMO - Olmo is a very famous Italian bike
manufacturer. I appreciated particularly the two top models shown, front and
full suspended. The site is well done, with a right use of graphics, pictures
of the different bikes, price and main technical specs. You can click on a
bar to obtain advanced detailed technical data. OLYMPIA - An
Italian company founded 106 years ago! They offer a wide range of nice and
cool-looking front- and full-suspended MTBs. The site is nice, with moderate
graphics and a description of every model with many technical details
(including the weight). Unfortunately it is a little slow and boring to visit
because it requires a lot of mouse clicks to get the information you want. ORANGE - An
English manufacturer of a good range of high-tech and cool-looking MTBs. The
site offers complete information but even if modern, it's not at all
user-friendly. Mountain bikes are not listed by category, information is
spread all around the screen, bike pictures are very small and not zoomable.
Moreover the dark background and the many colors make the site difficult to
read. RALEIGH - Raleigh is a
well-known company offering a wide range of good-quality MTB's. The
information on the different model is complete, detailed and easy to
understand and includes data on the comfort and riding position. Their web
site is modern, with a good use of colored graphics. It's clear, attracting
and very easy to browse. RED HOT - A company that specializes
in carbon. Their MTB models are built around a unique and sophisticated
frame: it's a monocoque, one-piece, seamless carbon frame. The site is very
well done, nice and complete, offers information not only on the bikes, but
also on materials, tests, reviews and, of course, the Red Hot company. REMEC - A small company based in
Slovenia. Surely not well known but worth being listed. They produce only
very sophisticated and impressive full-suspension DH and enduro MTBs. The
frames seem of very high quality made of carbon and CNC aluminum and all the
components are too. The web site could surely be better, faster and with more
in-depth technical details but offers nice pictures. ROCKY-MOUNTAIN - An
important Canadian manufacturer of high-quality MTB's. Their Web page is
really awesome, don't miss this site! SANTA CRUZ BICYCLES - A
small company offering (in their web site) only three MTB models with really
interesting technical features and a lot of details to fully understand the
technical solutions offered. Their web site is modern with nice use of
graphics. SCAPIN - An Italian manufacturer
really famous for its high-quality steel frames. Check out also the
interesting full-suspended models. The site is nice and modern. SCHWINN - Another well-known
high-quality MTB manufacturer. Their web site is really well done, with
complete information and many details. It is also easy to find what you want.
SCOTT - A famous U.S.
manufacturer of a wide range of MTBs. The top models for cross-country and
downhill feature very interesting frame and elevated chainstays. The site is
nice and modern, but the bikes are grouped in a strange and non-intuitive
way. Unfortunately bike pictures are small, not zoomable and out of focus,
but technical specs are very complete and detailed even if no weight is
given. SEVEN - Seven is a rather new
company aiming to build the best bikes in the world! I met the founder and
can say that their titanium frames are probably among the best in the world
and their attention to details and custom options is impressive. The site is
original and modern but not very attractive. The information provided is good
especially for frame specs. SINTESI - A famous
Italian manufacturer of a complete range of MTB. Riding the Sintesi Bazooka,
Corrado Herin won the Downhill World Championship in 1997. The site is modern
and attracting but the bike pictures are small and not zoomable and the
technical specifications are very poor covering only the frame structure and
the rear suspension. No data is given on the components and the fork. SLINGSHOT - Slingshot
started producing MTBs many years ago and still now offers the same, unique
and patented frame design: the down tube is made just with a
"spring-tensioned stainless steel cable of 2,000 pound tensile
strength". In this way you save weight, get a flexible frame and also a
folding bike. The site is nice, modern, easy to browse and clearly explains
all the technical details of the frame. SOFTRIDE - A manufacturer of MTB's
with a particular and unique frame and suspension design. Their concept is:
"Suspend the biker not the bike". Nice site with many interesting
in-depth technical notes. SPECIALIZED - One of the
best-known MTB name; definitely a leader in MTB technology! Nice site! SPICER - This company
produces interesting and unusual two-wheel drive mountain bikes! It can
sounds amazing but it is true and they explain also the advantages of such a
choice. The site is very simple from a graphical point of view (it's still
under construction), but it has some good images and offers adequate
technical information on the products and the technique behind them. SUMMIT - This
company produces extremely sophisticated and unconventional MTB models. The
frame geometry of the full-suspended model is amazing as well as the three
different an unconventional front forks. They even produce a specific model
for dual slalom racing. The web site lacks completely a company profile, but
there are good pictures and detailed specifications for the different models.
SUNN - Sunn is really well-known for its
results in competitions with bikers famous all over the world. They offer a
broad range of high quality MTB's. The site is really complete and offers
also some unusual features such as a forum and a gallery of race pictures. It
is maybe a little too heavy with graphics and sometimes a little confusing
for the vast amount of information shown. TITAN - A
manufacturer of a nice range of rigid, front- and full-suspended MTBs with
steel and aluminum frame (despite their name!). The site is well done because
even if the graphics is not exciting, it's fast and intuitive and offers
immediately a summary of the nine bikes in production together with their
price. Specifications are clear and detailed but the pictures are a little
small and not very sharp. TITUS TITANIUM - A manufacturer
specialized in high-tech bikes with titanium frame. I was impressed by the
through-hole design of their aluminum cranks. TOMAC - The famous champion, John
Tomac, has very recently founded his own MTB company. The company is so young
it just offers one model (John will ride this bike in 1998) which is
impressive for its strange massive frame. The site is well organized and
offers interesting photos, but being the company really new, it's still
heavily under construction and the information provided is therefore limited.
TOM RITCHEY - Another
legendary guy! Ritchey produces a wide range of high-quality MTB's as well as
many components and accessories. TREK - Trek is a world-wide
well-known company. They offer an extremely broad range of mountain bikes
which can satisfy everyone's needs. Check out particularly the famous OCLV
frame. The site is modern, easy to browse and extremely complete offering
clear and detailed technical specifications. TURNER - Turner is a
very specialized company producing high-quality no-compromise MTB's. They
offer only four models, but all of them are carefully studied and very
sophisticated, based on a full-suspended frame. Check out the unusual
solution chosen for the Stinger. The site is nice, offers large pictures of
the different frames and complete technical specs for each of them. TURRO - Turro is an Italian company very
active in competitions. They offer a varied range of very interesting and
high-quality mountain bikes. The site is modern and nice but uses a lot of
unneeded graphics and is therefore rather slow. Moreover pictures are nice
but dark and non-zoomable. The technical information is limited to the basics
and no frame geometry dimensions are given. Univega – Wide
selection of bikes getting more into the big leagues with full alloy 6061
frames and front / rear disks, still awaiting verdict VARIO
- A French company specializing in extreme downhill and freeride bikes
including a "fun" bike for ski resort downhill tracks. They offer
only a few models but really very impressing! The site is nice, interactive
and modern. It is rather complete and offers zoomable images of the bikes,
weights, prices a company profile and other info. Unfortunately I could not
find any description of each bike's components. VEKTOR - An Italian company
producing a complete range of nice front and full-suspended mountain bikes.
The site is nice, made in three different languages and offers complete
specifications for each model including also the weight. Unfortunately a
company profile is missing and the images are not very clear even when
zoomed. VENTANA - Ventana is a small
U.S.-based manufacturer of high-quality MTB's. Their full-suspended models
(already updated to 1997) are surely worth a visit. Models are described with
tons of technical details that will delight MTB fans. Unfortunately the
pictures of the different bikes are a little too small. VINER - A small Italian company producing
a limited range of good MTB's. The site is nice and bright but not very clear
to browse and the information on the different models is not very detailed. VOODOO CYCLES - A
well-known company offering interesting MTB's. The site is really strange
mixing constantly VooDoo with bicycles, but it is well done and rich in
information, even if, maybe, a little confusing to browse. WHEELER - At Wheeler
they design and produces a large range of good MTBs. Their web site is really
complete, offering tons of details not only on the different bikes but also
about innovation, production, components, design etc. The only weak point I
found is that many photos are really out of focus: it's a pity! WHYTE – Wow the bikes the web page
astonishing the holy grail, a bike worth waiting for, The PRST-1 apparently
developed and assembled here in the UK WILIER - An Italian company
manufacturing a good range of MTB's, one full-suspended version and many
hardtail models. The site is complete, modern, with a clean, limited but
effective graphics. It offers a company profile, pictures and main technical
data for each product, dealer locations, links, racing team information and
other fun and interesting sections (most of them are still under
construction). YETI - The best way
to understand Yeti's philosophy is probably through their description of a
downhill MTB: "...a TIG-welded talisman for manipulating gravity, a
wicked feat of metallurgy that you buy with currency but pay for with blood,
sweat and adrenaline!". The site is nice and attracting, made for the
real MTB fan. The information on the different MTB's is complete and includes
technical details and pictures. |
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