Introduction to Bicycle Makers

There are many great brands of bicycles. They can be grouped into several categories according to quality: budget consumer, mid-range, serious, and high-end. Even within these levels there are ranges of quality. However, we want to keep it as simple as possible because you also need to consider the type of bike you need. So below is a table summarizing the most popular bicycle makers with their most popular bike styles and niche.

Sarto Cycles Italian Full Custom Bicycle

Most Popular Bicycle Brands

The list is arranged by popularity.

Trek Bicycle Brand

Trek is currently the most popular bicycle brand. Makes bikes in every category, including children's. Trek is the bike of choice for many pro riders in mountain and road categories.

Bicycle Brand	Bicycle Types	Main	Price Range	Quality
Trek	Road, Mountain, Town	Excels in Multiple Categories	$400-$12,000	Mid-range, Serious, Pro and High-end

Schwinn Bicycle Brand

Schwinn bicycles have been a part of American culture for more than 100 years, even with stressful ups and downs in the biking industry. As such, there are thousands of old Schwinn bikes still out there, with many of the older bikes becoming collector's items. Even parts for older Schwinn bikes are still traded today. If you have found an old Schwinn bike at an estate sale and you want to restore it, finding parts will be a long term adventure. Sheldon Brown's bicycle site is probably a good place to start.

Bicycle Brand	Bicycle Types	Main	Price Range	Quality
Schwinn	Leisure, Family	Cruiser	$60 - $2,500	Low to Mid-range. Can be bought from big box retailers.

Specialized Bicycle Brand

Claims first mass produced mountain bike. Has expanded into all the other categories including road, racing, hybrid, touring, and electric assist bicycles.

Bicycle Brand	Bicycle Types	Main	Price Range	Quality
Specialized	Road, Mountain, Commuter, Kids	Mountain	$400-$12,000	Mid-range, Serious, and High-end

GT Bicycle Brand

GT Bicycles is the nation's leading supplier of dirt-track racing, or bicycle motocross "BMX," bicycles and one of the nation's biggest sellers of adult mountain bikes, as well as over 4,500 different parts and accessories. With eadquarters located in Santa Ana, California, the company designs, manufactures, and markets 143 mid- to premium-priced bicycle models. A Brand of Pacific Cycle who is owned by Dorel Industries.

Bicycle Brand	Bicycle Types	Main	Price Range	Quality
GT	Mountain, Road, BMX	Mountain	$150 - $4,000	Low to Mid-range.

Mongoose Bicycle Brand

A spin-off of BMX Products, focuses on mountain, downhill, and free-style riding. It is now a brand of Pacific Cycle who is owned by Dorel Industries.

Bicycle Brand	Bicycle Types	Main	Price Range	Quality
Mongoose	BMX, Downhill, Free ride, All Mountain, Hardtail, Dirt Jump, Commuter	BMX	$80 - $2,300	Low to Mid-range.

Raleigh Bicycle Brand

With a long history originating in Great Britain, Raleigh has long been considered a USA company. Raleigh's most popoular bike is road. However, they now produce bicycles in just about every category.

Bicycle Brand	Bicycle Types	Main	Price Range	Quality
Raleigh	Road, Mountain, Performance Hybrid, Hybrid, Comfort, Cruiser, Women	Road, Hybrid	$130 - $1,500	Low to Mid-range.

Diamondback Bicycle Brand

A division of Raleigh, Diamondback's emphasis has been mountain bikes. But now makes a full range of cycles in just about every category.

Bicycle Brand	Bicycle Types	Main	Price Range	Quality
Diamondback	Full Suspension, Moutain Hardtail, Road, Performance Hybrid, Hybrid, Dual Sport, Comfort, Cruiser, Women's, Youth, BMX	Full Suspension, Moutain Hardtail	$120 - $1,500	Low to Mid-range.

Electra Bicycle Brand

Company focused on cruiser bikes when they found in 1993 that there was a void in the supply, pent pent up demand. Electra bikes stress comport rather than speed.

Bicycle Brand	Bicycle Types	Main	Price Range	Quality
Electra	Cruiser, Comfort, Hybrid	Cruiser Bicycles	$200 - $300	Low.

Fuji Bicycle Brand

Fuji mainly focused on road bikes. It had many famous models and was at one time the most popular bicycle brand. However, changes in market demand forced the company to produce other types of bicycles, such as mountain bikes. The market shift devastated the original company, which was later bought out by Advanced Sport, an American company that was later purchased by a Taiwan investor. The Fuji brand name still exists today with many models in the road, comfort, and mountain categories.

Bicycle Brand	Bicycle Types	Main	Price Range	Quality
Fuji	Road, Mountain, Comfort	Road	$200 - $5,000	Low to Mid-range.

Bianchi Bicycle Brand

An Italian Company with exclusive division in the USA. Excels at road and race bicycles.

Bicycle Brand	Bicycle Types	Main	Price Range	Quality
Bianchi	Road, Racing, Comfort, Track, Mountain, Comfort/Cruiser	Racing	$200 - $12,000	Mid-range, Serious, and High-end

Felt Bicycle Brand

Started by two friends, one a bike racer the other a motorcycle mechanic. Excels at racing bikes, but offers bikes in just about every other category.

Bicycle Brand	Bicycle Types	Main	Price Range	Quality
Felt	Road, Track, Triathlon, Fixie, Mountain, Cyclocross	Racing	$500 - $12,000	Mid-range, Serious, Pro and High-end

Huffy Bicycle Brand

Low end consumer brand of marginal quality. Mostly children's bicycles.

Bicycle Brand	Bicycle Types	Main	Price Range	Quality
Huffy	Children's bikes, Scooters, Women's bikes, Comfort, Cruiser, Tricycles	Child	$35 - $200	Low end, found in big box retailers (Target, Walmart)

Scott Sports

Focus mainly on Mountain bikes and ski equipment, but also makes road, hybrid, and women's bicycles. Tries to stay ahead with cutting edge technology such as lightest weight bike frames.

Bicycle Brand	Bicycle Types	Main	Price Range	Quality
Scott Sports	Mountain, Road, Hybrid, Women's, Junior's, Mountain Frames, Road Frames, Clothing	Mountain	$300 - $6,000	Low to Mid-range.

Cannondale Bicycle Brand

Cannondale pioneered light weight Bicycle frames using Aluminium and Carbon. Cannondale brand is also owned by Dorel Industries, which primarily manufactures bicycles in Taiwan and China.

Bicycle Brand	Bicycle Types	Main	Price Range	Quality
Cannondale	Road, Mountain, Recreation/Urban, Women's, Headshok Forks	Mountain	$500 - $10,000 (Most priced in $1,500 - $2,500 range.)	Mid to High-End

Jamis Bicycle Brand

Jamis started in Florida as a beach cruiser bicycle producer. Later, they expanded into road racing and mountain bikes. Won 2003 "Best All Mountain Bike" and "Bike of the Year" from Mountain Biking magazine.

Bicycle Brand	Bicycle Types	Main	Price Range	Quality
Jamis	Mountain Full Suspension and Hardtail, Road/Triathlon, Street/Commuting, Bike Path/Comfort, Femme (Women's), Youth	Comfort/Cruiser	$200 - $9,000	Low, Mid, and High Range

Sun Bicycles

Carved a niche selling alternative bicycles, cruisers, kids bikes, unicycles, tandem, tricycles, recumbent, and trailers.

Bicycle Brand	Bicycle Types	Main	Price Range	Quality
Sun Bicycles	Adult Trike, Bike Path, Comfort, Cruiser, Industrial, Juvenile, Recumbent, Tandem, Trailers, Unicycles	Tricycles, Recumbent	Under $200 for kids bike. Up to $2,000 for recumbent tricycle.	Low to mid range

Next Bicycle Brand

Focus on low cost children's bicycles sold at mass market retailers such as Walmart.

Bicycle Brand	Bicycle Types	Main	Price Range	Quality
Next	Children's, Family	Children's	Up to $200	Low end, found at big box retailers

Gary Fisher Bicycle Brand

The Gary Fisher line ("Gary Fisher Collection") of bicycles is a brand owned and manufactured by Trek Bicycles. The brand honors and is managed by famous mountain bike developer and rider, Gary Fisher.

Bicycle Brand	Bicycle Types	Main	Price Range	Quality

Red Line Bicycle Brand

Redline company has a long history being associated with BMX racing. Later expanded into mountain bikes. Now has bicycle offerings on commute and fitness classes, as well.

Bicycle Brand	Bicycle Types	Main	Price Range	Quality
Red Line	BMX Race, Freestyle, Cyclocross, MTB, Commute, Fitness	BMX	Up to $600	Mid range for BMX

Kona Bicycle Brand

The Hawaii landmark named Washington/Vancouver company primarily focuses on mountain bikes and all its variants. However, also offers bicycles in other categories such as Road, Women's, and Kid's. Kona Company contributes greatly to the Bikes for Africa program.

Kona Satori is a Bliss Going Downhill

Bicycle Brand	Bicycle Types	Main	Price Range	Quality
Kona	Dual Suspension, Hardtail, Mountain, MTB, 29er, Cyclocross, Road, Women's, Kid's	Mountain	$400 - $6,400	Low to High

Iron Horse

Currently, only new bicycles are sold in Europe. However, used ones can be found in classified ads and auction sites in the USA.

Bicycle Brand	Bicycle Types	Main	Price Range	Quality
Iron Horse	Mountain	Mountain	$70 - $2,600	Low to mid range.

Rocky Mountain

Mountain bikes are Rocky Mountain Bicycles' main concentration. They focus on producing bikes for seven sub-disciplines of mountain biking. To this end they sell 29 different mountain bike models and 9 frames.

Bicycle Brand	Bicycle Types	Main	Price Range	Quality
Rocky Mountain	Mountain, Road, Women's	Mountain	$1,600 - $5,700	Mid to High

Bicycle Brand	Bicycle Types	Main	Price Range	Quality
Litespeed	Frames, Road, Mountain, Women's, Tandem, Custom	Frames	$2,000 - $38,000	Mid-range, Serious, and High-end

Marin Bicycle Brand

San Francisco Bay Area bike maker primarily focuses on creating mountain bikes that can handle the rigours of the Tamapias Hill in the North Bay. Recently has expanded to offer bicycles in most popular categories.

Bicycle Brand	Bicycle Types	Main	Price Range	Quality
Marin	Mountain (Full Suspension and Hardtail), Road, Cyclocross, Street, Path, Kids	Mountain	$200 - $4,500	Low to mid range.

Terrling Precision Cycling

Started by former Xerox mechanical engineer. Company specializes in bicycles and Clothing for women, but has grown to make offerings for everyone. Prides customer satisfaction.

Bicycle Brand	Bicycle Types	Main	Price Range	Quality
Terry Precision Cycling	Performance, Fitness, Hybrid, Custom	Bikes, clothing, and saddles for Women	$35-$6000	Mid-range, Serious

Haro Bikes

Southern California company specializes in small BMX bikes for stunt riding. Has expanded into mountain and road bikes with BMX theme.

Bicycle Brand	Bicycle Types	Main	Price Range	Quality
Haro Bikes	BMX, MTB/Asphalt	BMX	$200-$700	Above Walmart brands to mid range

Lemond Bicycle Brand

Company started by famous racer Greg Lemond. Specialized in road racing bicycles. Currently sells stationary bikes and coaching services. Although, Lemond no longer makes road bicycles, they can still be found in secondary marketplace.

Bicycle Brand	Bicycle Types	Main	Price Range	Quality
Lemond	Road Racing Bikes, Stationary Bikes	Stationary Bikes	$300-$1000	Mid-range

Surly Bikes

Company started started by friends interested in single gear bicycles. Company offers frames and bicycles in seven different categories: cyclocross, fixed-gear, touring, 29er hardtail, utility, road, and all terrain. Their all terrain bike is unique, in that it has fork and rear triangle wide enough to accept four inch wide tires, which allows rolling over a wider range of "soft" surfaces. Also, offer a long tail utility bicycle that has a 400 pound load capacity, intended to replace your car for around town trips.

Bicycle Brand	Bicycle Types	Main	Price Range	Quality
Surly Bikes	Mountain, Trail, Bicycle Messenger, Single-Speed, Long-Tail, Frames, Bicycle Trailers	Bicycle Frames	$800-$2000	Mid-range

Yuba Mundo

Located in Petaluma, California, this company makes passenger and cargo carrying bikes that are light weight but capable of carrying many things. You can even attach a trailer for more stuff. There is even an electric conversion model called the el Mundo.

Yuba elMundo Electric Cargo Bicycle in Orange

Bicycle Brand	Bicycle Types	Main	Price Range	Quality
Yuba Mundo Bikes	Urban Load Carrying Bicycles	Complete Urban Transportation Solutions	$900-$3000	Mid-range

BMC Racing

American marketed Swiss designed lines of racing and mountain bikes. Works closely with professional riders in design projects.

BMC Swiss Design for Speed

Bicycle Brand	Bicycle Types	Main	Price Range	Quality
BMC Switzerland	Racing and Mountain Bicycles	Innovation focused on speed	$1200-$13500	High End, Pro

Pedego Electric Bikes

The Southern California owners with business and biking experience started the company in 2009. The bikes are compfortable, colorful, and powerful. The bikes can be placed in assist mode or a throttle can be used for peddle-less propulsion. The bikes are designed to be fun.

Bicycle Brand	Bicycle Types	Main	Price Range	Quality
Pedego Electric Bikes	Cruiser and comfort Style Bikes with electric motors.	Innovation focused on casual urban transportation	$2000-4000	Competitive for electric bikes.