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Ohh I see, people are only reading the title and not the post itself. The person also hasn't replied once so... Not sure what they're doing with this information lol But if they are looking to start a shop and people are recommending Polygon, Canyon, Commencal, and even YT... They may be in for a nasty shock lol also somebody just recommended GT 😂🤣 cmon guys no need to troll

Good: Santa Cruz, Specialized, Merida. Bad: Commencal, Giant, Norco. Norco might be a little controversial but I'm currently trying to build a gen3 Optic after my gen2's shock mounts fell apart, and it's a terrible experience. Most of the bolts are overtightened to hell with the tool interfaces having burrs and distortion as the material has yielded, i've had to chase multiple threads with taps because they're cut like shit and putting aluminium shavings all through the bike, there are multiple flaws in the paint, the rear triangle is crooked enough that it was actually difficult to reassemble. I hope...

Transition - higher end, rider-owned, lifetime warranty, stellar customer service. AirDrop - all mentioned about Transition (warranty is shorter but crash replacement is intact and proven) but at a lower scale and price Polygon - budget builds, sensitive spec Also, I wouldn’t expect any serious deviations from these companies in terms of brand/image/appeal. Transition has been long enough, didn’t sell to PE, value their history and roots. Airdrop hasn’t been around for that long but they seem to run lean business and have no intend for unnecessary growth. Polygon probably have the most experience in frame manufacturing and have always...

Santa Cruz GT Intense

These are for NZ market. Probably trek #1 - usually warranty is just approved - or upgraded to a new model without all the fluff. Hard to fault anything Advance traders bring in, Merida, Marin and Norco - they are really helpful. Hard to fault santa cruz, those frames are Such good quality. Scott here is pretty good especially with warranty but a shame about headset routing and no way to change - Id own a genius and ransom if they removed it for normal headsets(i've ridden the ransom and its damn good) Some brands are known for good support...

Transition, Frameworks & Pivot

Santa Cruz for sure. I own 3 of their bikes and previously had one. Nothing but good things to say about their quality and customer service. They'd be the premium brand for a shop. Downside is their lower end build kits are pretty meh value. I'd take Transition for value brand. They have solid working man's bikes, a bit less refined, but still excellent customer service. Their build kits across the board are pretty good value. Not sure who I'd say for a 3rd. Definitely not Specialized - I don't like how they push around shops and some other things...

Hmm I think I'd have to go. with; Orbea Merida for the workhorse & price point bikes. The 3rd brand is tricky? I think it would come down to either Marin or Norco?

Shop: Specialized, Santa Cruz, Norco Personal: Production Privee, Zerode, Forbidden Actual brands I currently own: Cotic, Transition, Surly, Esker, Giant

I like transition bikes... but there are more quality issues then I am tolerant of and I would be concerned about selling them online. If I were opening a shop: -I would want a high end, low return/warranty rate brand. That answer is easy, Santacruz... One could make an argument that Specialized may be a smarter choice in this segment as they cover a wider range... that being said, becoming a specialized dealer has it's own set of challenges and potential pit falls. -I'd want a cost effective option for customers... while I don't love giant's business practices... they offer...

is this a tax shelter thing? Opening a MTB shop in 2025 is bananas! To play along I’ll say Guardian, Guardian, and Guardian. Corrupt billionaires aka billionaires are into it!

I'm confused are people suggesting Polygon and Commencal for a 3rd party that wants to open a store? Is this pure hypothetical or maybe for a rental fleet lol In an ideal world, for a well-rounded shop, you would want a value brand, a popular mid range brand, and then a high end brand. Any mix n match of that will honestly do well, the only complication that can arise are weird situations where the popular mid range brand wants to like... 'buy out' your store and have you sell only their bikes. We all know who I'm talking about...

Transition - big fan of bikes and company. Trek - my preference of the big 3. Probably just carry limited numbers of USA made frames beyond that. Basically cool stuff for bike enthusiasts to look at while they wait for the service counter. Would have very few floor models. Just a bit of whatever is new and some sizes for fitting purposes. Most the shop space would be geared towards parts, accessories, and clothes. Loads of shoes in diffirent colors and sizes. Same with pads and helmets. Wall of grips, seats, handlebars, etc. store credit trade ins where we will...

NS Bikes , just love their dirt jumpers and steel frame bikes. Marin , great value for the price but the seem to be looked down on. The last would be between YT and Canyon , a few others I really like too but too many to choose from.

Forbidden for sure, there's a reason they have a cult following. Also they have great customer service Transition is just great to deal with and their bikes are solid. I'd probably ride them if I wasn't such a forbidden fanboy. Ibis/Pivot seems to end up having loyal followers who love to buy bilgy high margin bikes. They also are great bikes for the folks who like to mountain bike, but maybe are doing something else with their life besides looking at Vital and arguing the nature of crab links.

If I were to hypothetically own a shop, would definately want to go down the bosch route for ebikes and then not having shithousery for the rest of the bike (looking at you Scott, Giant). Santa Cruz - Built well, excellent customer service Whyte - Built well, excellent customer service, cheaper than a santacruz Third option? Tricky one, want something to bring the money in, states mtb brands, but would be putting a good road brand in there if there wasn't a shop locally. Bigger catchment so less reliant on one group of customers.

Forbidden for mountain bikes... Landyachtz for Gravel / Adventure riding.. ..and Giant for roadbikes.

Santa Cruz - quality, Warranty, free bearings for "life". My Hightower v3 is probably hands down the best quality made bike ive ever owned. Transition - Warranty, customer service is like no other. super fun and playful bikes. Norco - Canadian brand, I am biased. grew up riding norcos.

Commencal - History, development, race pedigree Transition - Relaxed coolness, rad models Amflow - Next Gen tech, awesome value, seriously capable bikes

Hello, here's my take: I'd do Polygon, as a value brand that offers a lot of bike for comparable little money. Then I find Norco interesting and on the rise and a brand that covers a lot of bases. I wouldn't have considered Norco 10 years ago, but their bikes intrigue me now, especially in the last couple of years. The third brand is Orbea, a brand with excellent bikes and with a rising image in the entire world, now with the added visibility of World Cup downhill. Bikes are excellent, people who own them love them, and their customization...