Agreed Matt J. Although I would say the use of the word 'underrated', as it's being bandied about in this obvious plug, to be very disingenuous. At $5,000.00 a pop, the manufacturers seem to rate them pretty high.
I have a Jamis Ventura and it has been in races, commuting, gravel, and trailering my kids around the neighborhood and has performed without a flaw. $525 when I bought it.
My first squishy bike was a Jamis Dakar XC Comp. Still have it and it rides like a champ. It’s light af too, got it down to 25 pounds after some part swaps
Calling Factor and Orbea underrated is a stretch. Perhaps not well known in the United States but very well known and not at all uncommon in Europe. Both brands are used by UCI professional teams. A better example would be Fuji, particularly after the demise of Performance Cycling shops. Great bikes, affordable but also uncommon.
@obimk1 - Not sure what this has to do with my comment. Superior to what? Since they're not mentioned in the video perhaps you meant to post this comment directly to the original post? I would say that, in the United States, those Dutch brands are not only underrated, they're almost completely unknown / unheard of. I only know about Koga Miyata because of their reputation in the very niche world touring bicycle segment.
2:31 "FELT" I love you man, finally someone recognizes this truly underrated brand, I own a 2017 Felt VR30 and it rocks, its beautiful alloy frame with smoothed down welds almost looks like carbon fiber, it sports a mechanical 105 and I didn't have to sell a kidney to buy it!
I own two Felt bikes the F60 and F 70. The 60 (Ultegra 10 speed) is more about climbing and comfort while the 70 (105 9 speed) is prone to speed. Love them both. I didn't have to break the bank or sell a kidney to get them
Weight? I have an aluminum Java with carbon forks that was actually marketed as carbon because of mistranslation (possibly intentional?) and because like you say, the welds are so well done! The only real tell tale is the weight (11kg 😳).
Most under-rated are the cargo bikes. Workhorse of the post-apocalyptic era and certainly a welcome addition to any ranch on a budget. My favorite was the Yuba Mundo version 3. However Yuba still hand crafts some mullet style bikes with a smaller rear wheel to lower the center of gravity.
In 1988, a coworker had the Tomac Mongoose and I had the Bridgestone MB-1. They were very similar. I had 4 MB-1s and loved each one. Currently I have a Reynolds 853 Jamis MTB and a FELT MTB in the garage and have been impressed with both.
Giant is the most underrated brand. They make bikes in Taiwan for some of the biggest bike brands. They are well priced too. Their bikes ride better than most brands.
@@Ridewithjst yes DeRosa counts!! Unfortunately, I think they only make their steel frames in house anymore. Someone else is making their carbon frames. I don't know much about their Titanium frames. They were once a coveted frame to own. But the new company leadership has muddied the waters for them.
Bilenky/Sterling, I have 3 of their bikes, all Reynolds steel, a mountain, and 2 road bikes. My race bike and mountain bike are filet brazed and my training bike is lugged; I’ve been riding them for minimum of 33 years. Steel bikes are far superior in comparison to carbon, except at the very highest levels, such as professional race bikes. But it doesn’t matter, I love them all.
Argon 18 Nitrogen is my current underated road bike- Di2, disc. This is my upgrade from another underrated bike-Litespeed L1R had SRAM red, Reynolds 58 wheels.
for vintage bikes, i think Pro-Flex was way ahead of its time. the 90's was such a great time for MTB innovation and design, sure the bike of today are far superior but still gotta love the history.
I love my Giant brand bicycles after all they make Treks frames for them you get the same quality build same quality components for far less money and their customer service is amazing.
Devinci... Still made in Canada and very, very rare to have any frame/warranty issues. I've loved Trek for 20 years. But warranty work every year gets old. I went to Devinci and haven't had any issues since 2017.
Agree. I have 2016 carbon Troy and it's held up very well over the years. Aluminum frames were made in canada, but if my info is correct, carbon was made in China. For a carbon frame it's rather heavy, only about 2 pound lighter than aluminum. This way they were able to add more material and provide lifetime warranty on frames.
Diamondback seems good. Kinesis industry makes the frames which makes many big brand frames. Most models have really good specs, better then more expensive bikes and cheaper price.
I do most of my own bicycle work, yet this goes along with some 'Car Buying advice' I give = find a honest, trustworthy mechanic & buy what he works on. They'll generally give you the hard, unfiltered Truth as they see it...
I had a Mongoose mountain in bike 1989 (6th grade) that I bought with newspaper money at Bicycle Village in Littleton, Colorado. It sat next to my neon green Haro Master bmx freestyle bike. People would stop me all the time to ask me about mountain bikes since they were so new in the area. The top tube was so long that I felt like I was riding a Kawaski ninja, which at 12yrs old that looked cool :) Now I'm old and I love my ebike thumbs up
Pre-Trek Fishers we’re pretty innovative. And speaking of pre-Trek, my Bontrager Race is the bike I’m least likely to ever sell. So Fun! If I could get a vintage Bontrager cross bike that would be sweet!
I used to ride Cannondale’s but after all the years of Haro and Cannondale bikes I went back to Huffy. I’m 35 and I found a beautiful Huffy OUTLIER, the original seat was terribly uncomfortable but I put a SELLEROYAL ROYALGEL seat on it and I love it. My first bike I learned to ride on was a HUFFY. Schwinn used to be really nice but after they became a Walmart Target bike they lost something. Huffy is a great brand even though they’re sold at Target and Walmart they’ve always had great style and builds. But what ever happened to HoffmanBikes it’s like they were there then I haven’t seen any of the BMX’s at any of the bike shops I’ve been to.
Vitus. Very simple looking carbon road bikes that have a classic style. They’re skinny and don’t look like they’re from the future, but still have a striking appearance. Attention is diverted away from the seat tube to an extent that it looks like a parallelogram rather than a double triangle.
I had a Mongoose BMX bike back in the early 80's so I'd love to see them make a comeback. They should've used this past year of bike shortages to introduce a high quality mid-spec full suspension MTB in both aluminum and carbon . Diamondback tried but did it too soon and their pricing was too aggressive.
I came across a Roger DeCoster Mongoose frame back in the early '80s that I traded to a friend who moved to Alaska with this family. He kept it all those years and build it up for one of his kids around 2009/10, and it turned out amazing.
I had a Mongoose Californian in the 80's . Great bike for the money. Someone stole it on me. I ride an older diamondback overdrive I replaced the lower end components with better. Frame is solid, it rises decent and no one will steal it.
My ultimate both road bike and gravel bike brand is Favaloro. The Favaloro Arch and the Favaloro Fire; they are both completely rare to find and only comes in a frameset. But then they are like the prize bike to have.
Glad to hear someone mention FELT, I definitely think FELT has some of the most solid road bike offerings coming out of the United States, and they're never pulling any gimmicky bullshit such as TREK and Specialized.
I'm a big fan of the rare and unusual. This was a good vid. For me I was always a big fan of the Unified Rear Triangle. Bikes like the Trek Y series, Klein Mantra, Schwinn homegrown sweet spot, and the Ibis Sazbo. I'm not a fan of 1x drive trains, so any bikes with a front derailleur are very under rated. Thanks.
I used to have a verb gt and i sold it due to a move and no use anymore. I had 4k miles on it and commuted it daily only ever had a tube change. I need a new bike and my budget is 500-700$ and i was looking at a Schwinn super sport. Beverage of your comment i think i will side with it.
I had a vintage Miyata 712 a few years ago - I loved that thing. Fast and light. Purple. I named her "Tiffany" haha. Rode her from NYC to DC and beyond. But she got stolen :(
My most under rated bike…and I probably win this for vintage bikes, was a Huffy Road bike. This was no ordinary Huffy. In the mid 80’s Huffy made some pro quality steel bikes for 7-11, La Vie Claire and the U.S. Olympic team (Alexis Grewal won gold on a Huffy Road bike). The bikes frames were constructed under the supervision of Ben Serrota. Ben later sold these bikes under his own name as the Serrota Colorado. I was able to buy an overstock model as my sister worked at Huffy’s main plant in Celina, OH and they had made a few extra of these bikes available for sale to employees for $1000. So when she told me about the offer I gave her the money to buy it for me. Oh the teasing I got from guys on that bike. It was painted in the U.S. Olympic Team colors (matte red) but only had the Huffy logo. I had the last laugh as that True Temper framed bike with Dura Ace was as good as any European made road bike. Still folks would look at the Huffy logo and snicker about it. It was an excellent steel framed bike that had an unfortunately short life when I had a major crash and bent the top tube, head tube and down tube.
@@Mottleydude1 yeah it was heavy, it moved when I converted it to a gravel bike, before gravel bikes were popular. I kept the drive line though. That huge front chainring made all the difference.
Wow!!! How lucky you were!!! I was racing cat 1 in California and Japan. I knew exactly what that bike was. Boy!! To have one now would be golden!! Wow!! I didn't know they made extras.
@@victorrodriguez2806 They only had a few. The one I had was a second due to some cosmetic blemishes. I was just lucky in that there were only a handful of people in little rural Celina who were into road bike riding and that my sister worked at Huffy’s. I never thought of it back then of being a collectors item because…well…it was a Huffy. LOL
I still have a 1996 Merlin XLM. The welds are beautiful. The XT 8 speed group shifts flawlessly and the V- brakes never squeal! It leans against the wall by my front door so I can admire it every day. I much prefer my soul less Giant Trance Pro full squishy for trail riding though.
I raced that Tomac to many victories back in the 80's. It was a blast to ride- very forgiving and balanced. Sold it because I got sponsored by Diamond Back (still have their titanium race bike hanging in my garage) and the girlfriend was getting mad about all the biikes filling up our space. Wish I had kept that bike.
I’m still riding my Iron Horse that I bought in 1999 for $750. That bike took me to Moab, through the Rocky Mountains and the prairies of Alberta and it’s still kicking. I can’t say that I want to get a new bike because this ones still got lots left in it.
Cube bicycles puts really good mid-to-high level parts on their bikes as compared to more popular brands that have more mid-to-low just because the frame is more known.
Correct . cube is in no way underrated in Europe . their frames are massed produced as most bikes are but what makes them standout is you get very good components for a very fair price and their bikes are designed and assembled in Germany which gives them a huge amount of quality control and their service network is gigantic .
Alchemy. The Ronin Ti is one of the coolest (and most expensive) bikes I’ve ever owned. Had never heard of them until my fit coach had one in his shop he was building for someone. I bought one a few months later and fell in love with it
Many of the brands mentioned here are boutique brands where bikes for the most part cost an arm and a leg and are not underrated, they are priced out of the reach of most other than Pro Closer customers. Underrated but SOLID well made bikes include Fuji (I have ridden their stunningly balanced Carbon frames), Motobecane USA (bikes made in Taiwan, including amazing Titanium frames etc), Schwinn (REALLY good low maintanance steel and aluminum cruisers for commuters and casual cyclists). In the vintage I agree with Mongoose, original Motobecane (French) also Panasonic (they used to make bikes in Japan, super durable).
I think most brand snobs overlook bikes from Decathlon. Sure the cheaper end of their catalog is rubbish, but their more expensive stuff are actually decent options for more casual and beginner cyclists.
Completely agree, many look down upon Decathalon but I have a full suspension model ST540S , for the price I simply can't fault it. I'm 69 though so no radical stunts for me :-( But it does spend most of its time off road :-)
This is the most extreme example of underrated. Got to test st530 and it's great for the price! 350€ for hydraulic brakes, 1x9 advent drivetrain with clutch and decent quality wheels with in my opinion above average qr skewers is a great deal. Only thing that made me angry was seatpost. Straight to trash, it 700g (1.5lb) with no adjustment piece of garbage. Another story is my friend that won several xc races on rockrider xc100. Reputation of Decathlon bikes is ruined by kids abusing them at local spots.
Interesting video. I really think All-City is an underrated brand. Their bikes are old school cool. And, they have probably the nicest paint jobs of any production bike brand on the market.
Felt all the way. We have several felt bikes, xc road and trail. Just put together awesome build with edict carbon frame. Love it. Just sad felt isn't making mtn bikes anymore.
Underrated and with their particular frame design which allow me to go further/ longer rides would be PARLEE! Small brand made in Boston - Massachusetts By Bob Parlee, someone who has developed a “unique” carbon layout that gives you better long term reliable, lighter, comfortable frame. Have the ALTUM DISC and it’s a nice to have something kind of “particular “ Love the comfort (even if the shape it’s something that doesn’t kill me) and they are pretty decent about their power transfer. And it’s one of the few brand that offers lifetime warranty on their frame too.
I love my 2010 Ritchey BreakAway cyclocross bike -- It's become my do everything bike.-- road, gravel. It travels in it's patented suitcase, so I can take it anywhere.
As a roadie… I’m really impressed with my tarmac sl6.. I ride amongst a lot of buddies that ride some sexy “off brand” rigs,, a year or so in they are busting spokes Also, I never would have thought this but my specialized is faster… it’s pretty obvious amongst the group that the wind tunnel designed frame makes a big difference. It’s all about the frame design and this is where I think we should be looking. How much R&D is put into the frame design
How to comment on this thread. Insert brand of a bike that is used in a UCI World event, even call Commencial (once ridden by Rachel Atherton), Giant (sponsors a top UCI Women’s team) and massively common in Asia. Also for Cube, Canyon or even Pinarello (used by UCI Pro teams)
Can attest. Just prior to COVID I scooped up a new Diamondback Overdrive carbon HT 29er with SRAM 1x11 and Rock Shock Reba for $1100. Weighed 21lbs out of the box. Gosh I love that bike.
Otso - I’ve ridden their full range haven’t found another company with as much consistency in terms of ride quality and thoughtful design. Bonus points for having great customer service.
$500.00 for a Schwinn Axum DP. Easy on a budget and easy to upgrade. Also, since it's a Schwinn, other bikes will be stolen before mine. so, there's that.
It's pretty hard to call a $5000 bike underrated. I was hoping for underrated bikes that don't cost as much as a used car.
Dfyfim
Where are you getting used cars for under 5k in todays market lol
Yo my car was 2k
@@gregorytoland EVERYWHERE
Agreed Matt J. Although I would say the use of the word 'underrated', as it's being bandied about in this obvious plug, to be very disingenuous. At $5,000.00 a pop, the manufacturers seem to rate them pretty high.
I have a Jamis Ventura and it has been in races, commuting, gravel, and trailering my kids around the neighborhood and has performed without a flaw. $525 when I bought it.
My first squishy bike was a Jamis Dakar XC Comp. Still have it and it rides like a champ. It’s light af too, got it down to 25 pounds after some part swaps
I have a renegade s3 and I love the geometry and having a steel frame
Jamis rules. Owned a 1986 Dakota
Calling Factor and Orbea underrated is a stretch. Perhaps not well known in the United States but very well known and not at all uncommon in Europe. Both brands are used by UCI professional teams. A better example would be Fuji, particularly after the demise of Performance Cycling shops. Great bikes, affordable but also uncommon.
@obimk1 - Not sure what this has to do with my comment. Superior to what? Since they're not mentioned in the video perhaps you meant to post this comment directly to the original post? I would say that, in the United States, those Dutch brands are not only underrated, they're almost completely unknown / unheard of. I only know about Koga Miyata because of their reputation in the very niche world touring bicycle segment.
Orbea "they're one of our great partners"
Exactly. Oreba are a big name; even in. Canada.
I have a carbon Fuji road bike, and love it!
I ride a Fuji road bike for bike and triathlon racing.
Where was Serotta?
Gone with the wind....I have 2 steel bikes that I got used from the same crazy customer when I worked in the shop
2:31 "FELT" I love you man, finally someone recognizes this truly underrated brand, I own a 2017 Felt VR30 and it rocks, its beautiful alloy frame with smoothed down welds almost looks like carbon fiber, it sports a mechanical 105 and I didn't have to sell a kidney to buy it!
I own two Felt bikes the F60 and F 70. The 60 (Ultegra 10 speed) is more about climbing and comfort while the 70 (105 9 speed) is prone to speed. Love them both. I didn't have to break the bank or sell a kidney to get them
@@tmayberry7559 👍
Weight? I have an aluminum Java with carbon forks that was actually marketed as carbon because of mistranslation (possibly intentional?) and because like you say, the welds are so well done! The only real tell tale is the weight (11kg 😳).
Nothing gets my heart rate up while sitting down than vintage bikes 🤤
Bridgestone for the vintage win! MB-3 and up, mmm triple butted goodness.
Had an MB-2 back in the day.
Most under-rated are the cargo bikes. Workhorse of the post-apocalyptic era and certainly a welcome addition to any ranch on a budget. My favorite was the Yuba Mundo version 3. However Yuba still hand crafts some mullet style bikes with a smaller rear wheel to lower the center of gravity.
In 1988, a coworker had the Tomac Mongoose and I had the Bridgestone MB-1. They were very similar. I had 4 MB-1s and loved each one. Currently I have a Reynolds 853 Jamis MTB and a FELT MTB in the garage and have been impressed with both.
Giant is the most underrated brand. They make bikes in Taiwan for some of the biggest bike brands. They are well priced too. Their bikes ride better than most brands.
Extremely huge in Asia though
I have 9 GTs from 1992 to 2018. Can't be happier
Orbea Orca M20 Team is a fantastic road bike! Light, fast and smooth ride. Love it.
Still riding my '76 Nishiki Sport 10 speed....that's 46 years and original but the tires and brakes. That is quality for $139!
🙌
Basso, Cinelli, Kestrel
Yep, those are my picks. I still have all three.
I bought a Cinelli last year, it’s now my favourite bike brand. Also love Kestrel, I believe they made the first carbon frame.
@@haddonhts the first monocoque U.S. made carbon frame. With an Aluminum fork.
Fuji, Kestrel and pre-Trek Gary Fisher thank you....
Does DeRosa count or are they too visible now?
@@Ridewithjst yes DeRosa counts!!
Unfortunately, I think they only make their steel frames in house anymore. Someone else is making their carbon frames. I don't know much about their Titanium frames. They were once a coveted frame to own. But the new company leadership has muddied the waters for them.
Felt! I love my Z5. Carbon frame, BB30, internal cable routing, endurance geometry, light weight. Very easy to upgrade and all fittings are standard.
Bilenky/Sterling, I have 3 of their bikes, all Reynolds steel, a mountain, and 2 road bikes. My race bike and mountain bike are filet brazed and my training bike is lugged; I’ve been riding them for minimum of 33 years. Steel bikes are far superior in comparison to carbon, except at the very highest levels, such as professional race bikes. But it doesn’t matter, I love them all.
Argon 18 Nitrogen is my current underated road bike- Di2, disc. This is my upgrade from another underrated bike-Litespeed L1R had SRAM red, Reynolds 58 wheels.
for vintage bikes, i think Pro-Flex was way ahead of its time. the 90's was such a great time for MTB innovation and design, sure the bike of today are far superior but still gotta love the history.
In the 1990ś I was a Litespeed fan all the way.
I'd ride their coil-equipped stuff tbh. They actually look fun to ride
Yes my buddy had the pro flex 854 was it 954 something like that it was awesome
Disc brakes are nice and all but 8 is enough. I have a lifetime of replacement drivetrain parts for what a derailleur costs now.
I love my Giant brand bicycles after all they make Treks frames for them you get the same quality build same quality components for far less money and their customer service is amazing.
Personally I went with a Cube Reaction pro from Germany and love it. Wanted a Ghost bike but couldn't find a deal in my size.
Devinci... Still made in Canada and very, very rare to have any frame/warranty issues. I've loved Trek for 20 years. But warranty work every year gets old. I went to Devinci and haven't had any issues since 2017.
Agreed
I love my Devinci, I beat the hell out of it and it keep going.
Agree. I have 2016 carbon Troy and it's held up very well over the years. Aluminum frames were made in canada, but if my info is correct, carbon was made in China. For a carbon frame it's rather heavy, only about 2 pound lighter than aluminum. This way they were able to add more material and provide lifetime warranty on frames.
Diamondback seems good. Kinesis industry makes the frames which makes many big brand frames. Most models have really good specs, better then more expensive bikes and cheaper price.
Definitely Orbea. They are really good
Fat Chance, hands down for me.
I do most of my own bicycle work, yet this goes along with some 'Car Buying advice' I give = find a honest, trustworthy mechanic & buy what he works on. They'll generally give you the hard, unfiltered Truth as they see it...
Do you find yourself, actually knowing MORE than a bike mechanic that only seems to make a quick buck ?
Exactly 💯
Spot, another small US brand with distinct style.
Iconic Triple Triangle GT
Nothing beats buying an old frame and building it up with these years parts
KLEIN
GT iDrive functionally changed the game by solving the suspension kickback problem.
I had a Mongoose mountain in bike 1989 (6th grade) that I bought with newspaper money at Bicycle Village in Littleton, Colorado. It sat next to my neon green Haro Master bmx freestyle bike. People would stop me all the time to ask me about mountain bikes since they were so new in the area. The top tube was so long that I felt like I was riding a Kawaski ninja, which at 12yrs old that looked cool :) Now I'm old and I love my ebike thumbs up
Pre-Trek Fishers we’re pretty innovative. And speaking of pre-Trek, my Bontrager Race is the bike I’m least likely to ever sell. So Fun! If I could get a vintage Bontrager cross bike that would be sweet!
I remember looking at Bontrager’s in the lbs. they were so sweet.
My problem is you got to grease the barons after 100 mile an it's hard to do I go 100 miles in 3 days
@@dannytalley5559 which bearings?
@@voodoo7008 where the paddles go in and I don't know if the if it's a hub or the axle
Pre-Trek Fishers owe a lot to Tom Teesdale. He built the original Mt. Tams.
I agree Orbea is underrated. They are excellent Spanish made bikes.
made in China.
Jamis comes to mind right away.
🙌
Ritchey Road Logic, and Salsa steel gravel. 30 yrs of broken carbon frames. Never again. 2 I have hang unused in years. I like steel tubes
True North. Small company, handmade Canadian bikes are the gold standard adventure/touring bikes for many of us in Ontario.
I used to ride Cannondale’s but after all the years of Haro and Cannondale bikes I went back to Huffy. I’m 35 and I found a beautiful Huffy OUTLIER, the original seat was terribly uncomfortable but I put a SELLEROYAL ROYALGEL seat on it and I love it. My first bike I learned to ride on was a HUFFY. Schwinn used to be really nice but after they became a Walmart Target bike they lost something. Huffy is a great brand even though they’re sold at Target and Walmart they’ve always had great style and builds. But what ever happened to HoffmanBikes it’s like they were there then I haven’t seen any of the BMX’s at any of the bike shops I’ve been to.
Always been a fan of Calfee.
Still have my old Turner Flux. Dave Turner did some innovative stuff, made a quality frame and their customer service was second to none.
Yeah I have a Turner
I agree, Dave designed and made quality bikes. I rode my Turner Flux today in the forest. Great bikes.
Vitus. Very simple looking carbon road bikes that have a classic style. They’re skinny and don’t look like they’re from the future, but still have a striking appearance. Attention is diverted away from the seat tube to an extent that it looks like a parallelogram rather than a double triangle.
I had a Mongoose BMX bike back in the early 80's so I'd love to see them make a comeback. They should've used this past year of bike shortages to introduce a high quality mid-spec full suspension MTB in both aluminum and carbon . Diamondback tried but did it too soon and their pricing was too aggressive.
The Big box mongoose bikes like walmart models are overpriced trash for sure.
I came across a Roger DeCoster Mongoose frame back in the early '80s that I traded to a friend who moved to Alaska with this family. He kept it all those years and build it up for one of his kids around 2009/10, and it turned out amazing.
I had a Mongoose Californian in the 80's . Great bike for the money. Someone stole it on me. I ride an older diamondback overdrive I replaced the lower end components with better. Frame is solid, it rises decent and no one will steal it.
Force the new tech on customers.
@@killjoy8914 sold out and fell off!
Pet peeve: the T in often is silent, (or at least soft,) like the T in soften, or fabric softener.
My ultimate both road bike and gravel bike brand is Favaloro. The Favaloro Arch and the Favaloro Fire; they are both completely rare to find and only comes in a frameset. But then they are like the prize bike to have.
Glad to hear someone mention FELT, I definitely think FELT has some of the most solid road bike offerings coming out of the United States, and they're never pulling any gimmicky bullshit such as TREK and Specialized.
I'm a big fan of the rare and unusual. This was a good vid. For me I was always a big fan of the Unified Rear Triangle. Bikes like the Trek Y series, Klein Mantra, Schwinn homegrown sweet spot, and the Ibis Sazbo. I'm not a fan of 1x drive trains, so any bikes with a front derailleur are very under rated. Thanks.
Right on!
I used to have a verb gt and i sold it due to a move and no use anymore. I had 4k miles on it and commuted it daily only ever had a tube change. I need a new bike and my budget is 500-700$ and i was looking at a Schwinn super sport. Beverage of your comment i think i will side with it.
Miyata Team Pro is very underrated...1st Japanese bike to win a stage in the Tour de France
Have a 916 from 1994. Its sick
I had a vintage Miyata 712 a few years ago - I loved that thing. Fast and light. Purple. I named her "Tiffany" haha. Rode her from NYC to DC and beyond. But she got stolen :(
Fat Chance, my bike for 1991 Montezuma’s Revenge.
Priority. Their "gimmick" is that all of their bikes use belt drive.
My most under rated bike…and I probably win this for vintage bikes, was a Huffy Road bike.
This was no ordinary Huffy. In the mid 80’s Huffy made some pro quality steel bikes for 7-11, La Vie Claire and the U.S. Olympic team (Alexis Grewal won gold on a Huffy Road bike). The bikes frames were constructed under the supervision of Ben Serrota. Ben later sold these bikes under his own name as the Serrota Colorado.
I was able to buy an overstock model as my sister worked at Huffy’s main plant in Celina, OH and they had made a few extra of these bikes available for sale to employees for $1000. So when she told me about the offer I gave her the money to buy it for me.
Oh the teasing I got from guys on that bike. It was painted in the U.S. Olympic Team colors (matte red) but only had the Huffy logo. I had the last laugh as that True Temper framed bike with Dura Ace was as good as any European made road bike. Still folks would look at the Huffy logo and snicker about it.
It was an excellent steel framed bike that had an unfortunately short life when I had a major crash and bent the top tube, head tube and down tube.
I used to own a Montgomery Ward aeromega road bike. That bike was a beast.
@@saltygenx2743 I bet it was. It probably weighed close to 30#.
@@Mottleydude1 yeah it was heavy, it moved when I converted it to a gravel bike, before gravel bikes were popular. I kept the drive line though. That huge front chainring made all the difference.
Wow!!! How lucky you were!!! I was racing cat 1 in California and Japan. I knew exactly what that bike was. Boy!! To have one now would be golden!! Wow!! I didn't know they made extras.
@@victorrodriguez2806 They only had a few. The one I had was a second due to some cosmetic blemishes. I was just lucky in that there were only a handful of people in little rural Celina who were into road bike riding and that my sister worked at Huffy’s. I never thought of it back then of being a collectors item because…well…it was a Huffy. LOL
Obed & Seven! Was in luv with Inependent Fabrications back in the day never had enough cash for one. Marin and Kona also make great bikes!
Kestrel. My Talon is one the coolest and comfortable bike I ever ride
Marin
Underrated is Fuji I have a transonic 2.1 and the bike is amazing 👍🏻
I still have a 1996 Merlin XLM. The welds are beautiful. The XT 8 speed group shifts flawlessly and the V- brakes never squeal! It leans against the wall by my front door so I can admire it every day. I much prefer my soul less Giant Trance Pro full squishy for trail riding though.
I raced that Tomac to many victories back in the 80's. It was a blast to ride- very forgiving and balanced. Sold it because I got sponsored by Diamond Back (still have their titanium race bike hanging in my garage) and the girlfriend was getting mad about all the biikes filling up our space. Wish I had kept that bike.
It’s sure is nice to hear that there’s a twin brother that has that many bikes…… Trimble time trial bike was a lot of fun
Jamie Bikes is pretty underrated. I currently ride a Spot Ryve 115. So I will say Spot Bikes as well because that thing is awesome!
Me too. Really like it. I put 130 on the front. Climbs like a hardtail but w suspension always on!
Love Jamis! Have their touring bike - Aurora Elite - and the components are real nice for the price I paid. Rides like Cadillac.
Carbonda. I just built an FM1002 and an FM909. Also ICAN Bikes. I have their full suspension fat bike. And a P9.
I’m still riding my Iron Horse that I bought in 1999 for $750. That bike took me to Moab, through the Rocky Mountains and the prairies of Alberta and it’s still kicking. I can’t say that I want to get a new bike because this ones still got lots left in it.
Iron Horse! 🙌
Holy shot I’m Lithuanian and I haven’t even heard of wittson. It is now my dream bike.
Love my Orbea inspite of propriety parts like pivots and hangers.
I'm on a Druid and it hasn't disappointed. Such a fun rig!
I have never ridden one, but the Forsaken brand is so cool looking haha
Cube bicycles puts really good mid-to-high level parts on their bikes as compared to more popular brands that have more mid-to-low just because the frame is more known.
Correct . cube is in no way underrated in Europe . their frames are massed produced as most bikes are but what makes them standout is you get very good components for a very fair price and their bikes are designed and assembled in Germany which gives them a huge amount of quality control and their service network is gigantic .
Still love the older bikes, Chicago Schwinn, FUJI, a few others... there's a reason they last
Still ride my Calfee Luna Pro from 1999 great solid bike.
I wish modern bikes had wild 90's paint jobs.
80’s mountain bike Bromwich Cyclone. Hand made 531 Reynolds tubing. Yum.
Alchemy. The Ronin Ti is one of the coolest (and most expensive) bikes I’ve ever owned. Had never heard of them until my fit coach had one in his shop he was building for someone. I bought one a few months later and fell in love with it
I have a Mongoose Tomac Signature that I bought new in 1988 and raced. It really is a fabulous bike. Light and fast.
Many of the brands mentioned here are boutique brands where bikes for the most part cost an arm and a leg and are not underrated, they are priced out of the reach of most other than Pro Closer customers. Underrated but SOLID well made bikes include Fuji (I have ridden their stunningly balanced Carbon frames), Motobecane USA (bikes made in Taiwan, including amazing Titanium frames etc), Schwinn (REALLY good low maintanance steel and aluminum cruisers for commuters and casual cyclists). In the vintage I agree with Mongoose, original Motobecane (French) also Panasonic (they used to make bikes in Japan, super durable).
Jamis has a nice line and very under rated.
Mongoose definitely still makes high quality bikes. You just have to buy one at a real bike shop or directly from them.
I have a Fairdale Weekender and Iove having the only one in town. Steel, durable, and very cool.
And designed by one of the raddest BMXers of all time, Taj Mihelich! 🤘
I will definitely go for a Motobecane Le Campione titanium when I buy my next bike, and at the same time, I love the Airborne Zeppelin
I think most brand snobs overlook bikes from Decathlon. Sure the cheaper end of their catalog is rubbish, but their more expensive stuff are actually decent options for more casual and beginner cyclists.
Completely agree, many look down upon Decathalon but I have a full suspension model ST540S , for the price I simply can't fault it. I'm 69 though so no radical stunts for me :-( But it does spend most of its time off road :-)
This is the most extreme example of underrated. Got to test st530 and it's great for the price! 350€ for hydraulic brakes, 1x9 advent drivetrain with clutch and decent quality wheels with in my opinion above average qr skewers is a great deal. Only thing that made me angry was seatpost. Straight to trash, it 700g (1.5lb) with no adjustment piece of garbage.
Another story is my friend that won several xc races on rockrider xc100.
Reputation of Decathlon bikes is ruined by kids abusing them at local spots.
MiracleBike and Ican fly under the radar, good quality bikes without the huge markup of even the bigger Chinese brands like Winspace and Yoeleo
Interesting video. I really think All-City is an underrated brand. Their bikes are old school cool. And, they have probably the nicest paint jobs of any production bike brand on the market.
Great video. Some underrated or slightly less well known brands to add here would be Basso (Italian) and Pyga (South African).
I rode a Takara bmx bike in the late 70’s and it was a pretty cool bike, I had the JT racing seat, SR bar stem, and Z rims.
Very cool!
Felt all the way. We have several felt bikes, xc road and trail. Just put together awesome build with edict carbon frame. Love it. Just sad felt isn't making mtn bikes anymore.
Devinci is underrated. Some of their bikes are made in Canada - Canadian aluminum.
Underrated and with their particular frame design which allow me to go further/ longer rides would be PARLEE!
Small brand made in
Boston - Massachusetts By Bob Parlee, someone who has developed a “unique” carbon layout that gives you better long term reliable, lighter, comfortable frame.
Have the ALTUM DISC and it’s a nice to have something kind of “particular “
Love the comfort (even if the shape it’s something that doesn’t kill me) and they are pretty decent about their power transfer.
And it’s one of the few brand that offers lifetime warranty on their frame too.
🙌
I love my 2010 Ritchey BreakAway cyclocross bike -- It's become my do everything bike.-- road, gravel. It travels in it's patented suitcase, so I can take it anywhere.
🙌
As a roadie… I’m really impressed with my tarmac sl6.. I ride amongst a lot of buddies that ride some sexy “off brand” rigs,, a year or so in they are busting spokes Also, I never would have thought this but my specialized is faster… it’s pretty obvious amongst the group that the wind tunnel designed frame makes a big difference. It’s all about the frame design and this is where I think we should be looking. How much R&D is put into the frame design
Saw a split down tube on a mongoose mtn bike that was made of carbon fiber from the 90’s
Mongoose bought that frame from some little company....can't think of it. They were just not strong enough.
How to comment on this thread. Insert brand of a bike that is used in a UCI World event, even call Commencial (once ridden by Rachel Atherton), Giant (sponsors a top UCI Women’s team) and massively common in Asia. Also for Cube, Canyon or even Pinarello (used by UCI Pro teams)
Diamondback has always been a well priced brand.
Can attest. Just prior to COVID I scooped up a new Diamondback Overdrive carbon HT 29er with SRAM 1x11 and Rock Shock Reba for $1100. Weighed 21lbs out of the box. Gosh I love that bike.
Years ago I had a Sheffield Cruiser bicycle 🚲 it was nice had a smooth ride 😎
Otso - I’ve ridden their full range haven’t found another company with as much consistency in terms of ride quality and thoughtful design. Bonus points for having great customer service.
Right on!
I have a 2010 Felt FS mtb. Still daily ridden. I'll hold on to it as long as I can
The Belgian Thomson Capella is a cracking bike. Never heard of them until a friends friend started importing them.
And also salsa, their cutthroat gravel’s geometry is soooo comfortable
I recommend Polygon Bikes. Great prices and well built for the money
Bruce is underrated. I would rather him as a sportscaster than half the dudes with the actual job. Very personable and clear.
We like him too!
Team Fat Chance! The new Yo Eddie is spectacular!
🙌
I have been using Decathlons Van Rysel for a year now. Good value for money endurance bike but isn't much talked about
$500.00 for a Schwinn Axum DP. Easy on a budget and easy to upgrade. Also, since it's a Schwinn, other bikes will be stolen before mine. so, there's that.
Commencal for sure!
Still loving my Canfield Brother's EPO.
Yes...I'll admit that I once rode a "John Tomac" signature GIANT 990 full suspension bike back in the day...awesome bike for its time.
Right on!
I have a 2016 Raleigh Skarn Expert. Best XC bike I have ever owned. Never seen another on the trail.