Brand name, quality, function, bike geometry, and performance are just some of the features you may look for in a bike.
But the top bicycle brands in the world right now matter a lot, way more than you think! Riding a bike with a prominent brand is more than just any brand – the little things matter such as quality, the parts, the legacy, and what they have established in the cycling world.
The top cycling brands in the world have attained a certain level of trust. Those brands already have proven names and success records in the biking world. But how do you know what’s the best brand out there?
Here will provide you with this list of top bicycle brands that you will find in the global market right now that are most recommended to have you on for a perfect ride.
How to Choose the Best Brand
Picking the best brand can have a significant impact on your cycling experience. You will likely encounter entry-level bikes from Decathlon or other no-name shops and your little bike shop, and that’s fine because this will help you understand why you need a branded bike that works well for your cycling journey.
For example, if you are into mountain biking, different types of bicycles with excellent performance are available for mountain biking. If you focus purely on bike performance like the speed or the quality of the bike assembly, then you need to check properly on the specs and what the particular brand is known for.
Last but not least, choose brands from a reputable manufacturer who has established its name in the biking community. These brands have extra sales services and give you a unique sales experience when you buy their products.
So always get what suits you and gives you the comfiest ride and the best purchase possible. Remember: there’s no right or wrong, but you need to find a brand that you are familiar with to ensure you get the best deal for comfort and performance.
What Are The 10 Top Bicycle Brands?
As cycling is gaining fame and global recognition, top brands from Italian to American and Taiwanese manufacturers are wide-ranging. We have listed ten top bicycle brands that you can pick for your next purchase.
Among the biking community, these are the top 10 brands from quality to company integrity, and brand reliability.
1. TREK
The Trek brand originated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the United States, in 1976 by two determined guys, Richard Burke and Bevil Hogg. They envisioned a product of the highest quality craftsmanship that would bring joy to a broader audience in cycling, and the first Trek bike was born.
The company believes in creating the world’s best and most innovative bicycles that solve complex problems through cycling. As a major brand, Trek has more than 40 unique models designed to match every rider’s skill, from beginners to professional bike riders.
Also, Trek bikes have multiple models perfect for mountain biking, urban biking, and road biking. Each has a strong yet light and refined aluminium frame and an advanced suspension system.
Today, Trek bicycles are globally distributed with 1,700 retailers only in North America and manufacturing sites in the Netherlands, China, and Germany. They are still upholding the founders’ values, guided by the mission to aid in the betterment of the planet Earth through cycling.
To edge wider in the market, the company is into cutting-edge technologies like the OCLV Carbon or the Optimum Compaction Low Void carbon frames and the Active Braking Pivot that allows rear suspension while braking.
They also have other advanced technologies like the Alpha Aluminum, Full Floater, and the Iso Speed suspension.
2. Specialized
The Specialized brand believes that biking has the power to change lives. They are there for every biker, from kids and commuters to the weekend warriors or the seasoned pros.
The brand was introduced in 1974 by Mike Sinyard. He initially imported bicycle parts from Italy to build his first bike, guided by its mission to create quality bike products that people will identify and appreciate as part of their daily lives.
Specialized is one of the most popular models which delivers the best performance for mountain bikers and road biking. And that makes the Specialized brand the sought-after name in the biking world!
Each bike released in the market is carefully made and popular because of its seamless balance, strong design selection, and high-level competitive performance. Besides, you will also enjoy the brand’s countless models for trail biking, cyclocross, road biking, commute biking, and many others.
3. Colnago
Ernesto Colnago first built the most desired high-end brand of the bicycle in 1954 when he decided not to follow the family’s farming business.
Instead, he became a bike builder. He focused on creating bikes after abandoning his racing career after the nasty crash, making it a good move since the brand became a huge success.
The brand considers itself the most successful bike globally, with a debatable claim of having had many professionals make it to the podium in a Colnago bike. The brand boasts of its high-performing, race-winning frames.
Quality-wise, Colnago bikes are known for strength and versatility. It offers an excellent performance attributed to its technical features, perfect designs, and aerodynamic details.
This is because Colnago uses carbon fiber materials, making it the top choice for road bikes.
4. Pinarello
In 1953, an Italian bicycle manufacturer in Treviso, Italy, made its first handmade bike. Giovanni Pinarello, the man behind its inception, produces bicycles under the brand name Opera.
It is a high-end road bike brand that is equally good in cyclocross, MTB, track, and road bikes. It is no wonder that Pinarello was used by top pro teams, including Banesto, Movistar, Telekom, and Team.
And in the 21st century, Pinarello bikes entered into a partnership to sponsor Sky’s new age team, the Team Ineos Grenadiers. And because of such success, it became the most sought-after bike reaching significant and valuable customers from all around the globe.
5. Cannondale
The Cannondale brand has got to fit every cyclist’s desire, from the fastest race bike to the most capable off-road bicycle.
The Cannondale company started in 1971, initially creating a bicycle trailer before heading to produce the initial launch of the Cannondale bicycle in 1983.
And since then, they are gaining a reputation in the bike world, expanding their reach in the global market by introducing multiple lines of bicycles created with great innovative technology.
Regarded as the game-changer in bike technology, the American brand Cannondale continues to innovate products with exceptional quality. Taking pride in its high-end quality, Cannondale has the confidence to secure its products with a lifetime warranty for frames, with only a few models not included.
And in 2010, Cannondale collaborated with Robert Bosch GmbH to establish and develop E-bikes fitted with Bosch high-performance drive.
Today, the Cannondale higher-end bikes are distributed globally and produced in their facilities over Southeast Asia. Its Taiwan production plant takes charge of the aluminum and carbon frames, while Vietnam makes the more affordable models and keeps its assemblage in the United States.
6. Bianchi
Bianchi was created to fuel every riders’ ambition. This is one of the top 10 bicycle brands that will take you to the next level of your biking escapades.
With Bianchi’s lines of premium bikes, you can easily take on any challenge, whichever road you race. They have collections of road racing bikes or the fastest line, including the Specialissima, Sprint, the OLTRE XR4, OLTRE XR3, and Aria.
Bianchi also boasts road bikes, cyclocross, endurance, and triathlon bikes.
Every single unit of Bianchi released into the market is embedded with cutting-edge technology that allows you to ride comfortably. It puts more miles in every race without compromising comfort because of an 80% reduction in vibrations brought to its NASA-approved vibration-dampening Countervail technology.
7. Cervélo
If you want to improve your biking prowess, the Cervélo bike is the ultimate bike to own in the cycling world. With its goal to design and engineer the world’s fastest bike, it’s a no-brainer why the speediest cyclists always opted for this brand.
Cervélo is a newer brand in the market but is fast gaining reputation because of its best bikes for races and triathlons. And whether you are an Ironman champion, a Grand Tour racer, an age-grouper, or a morning enthusiast, you can get ahead with its line of products for your specific needs.
The Cervélo cycles started conquering markets in 1995 by a Canadian manufacturer founded by Phil White and Gerard Vroomen. It started with a racing bike developing the fastest time-trial bike, which had the grand entry in the Toronto Bike show in 1996.
Today, the brand already has five different bike series: classic road, aero road, endurance road, time trial/triathlon, and track series. It has also become a global favorite for its climbing bike. Also, it is best for training for the Tour de France because of its speed performance.
8. Giant
Giant Bicycle is a Taiwan origin brand founded in 1972. Named the king of bicycle manufacturing, the company supplied bikes to Schwinn Bicycle Company in the US until it grew to deliver to other brands like Trek.
In 1987, Giant started creating its bike brand manufactured in China. It specializes in cheaper products that are most affordable to general bike enthusiasts. In the same year, Giant launched the CADEX carbon-frame bike, making them the first company to mass-produce a carbon road bike.
Since then, the company has never stopped leading the forefront of bike brands and making advancements in technology. A decade after, in 1997, Giant introduced another breakthrough bike series, the road bike with compact geometry.
And this brought massive success to Giant, selling 6.6 million units with a revenue of $1.9 billion. Today, you will hardly know of a cyclist who never heard of Giant. It even expanded its series of bikes for women (under the brand Liv) and children.
9. BMC
BMC has always been known for its speed. It is one of the best global brands with its quality and high-end bicycles. It is a premium Swiss brand mainly used by prominent cyclists winning prestigious races.
Most of their bike series are high-end bikes, but there are also models for entry-level cyclists.
They made their product available for mountain biking, road biking, and commuter biking.
With its distinct quality and performance, BMC bicycles have won numerous awards for their top-shape designs which are most loved by professional bikers.
And oh! BMC means Bicycle Manufacturing Company, the thing they do best!
10. Merida
Merida is a Taiwan handmade brand and German engineered bike series of mountain bikes, trekking bikes, cross bikes, and road bikes. The brand also has urban bikes, e-bikes, and children’s bikes worldwide.
Barely four decades after its inception, Michael Tseng, the son of Ike Tseng, became the company’s president with the latter’s passing in 2012. In the same year, with the company’s significant success, it became publicly traded on the Taiwanese stock exchange and valued at £350 million.
Its superior quality gives the brand confidence because of its manufacturing method and quality control standards. And as such, the brand offers a lifetime warranty on each frame manufactured since 2011.
In 2013, it entered the World Tour as co-sponsor of team Lampre-Merida, co-sponsor of team Bahrain-Merida, and Bahrain McLaren.
Merida brand is right on trend, with its Scultura series on the frontline of modern bikes. It boasts of an aero profile tube that helps reduce drag. It also has a lightweight frame and is available in either rim or disc brakes, and uses Shimano gearing across the range.
So What Are the Best Bicycle Brands?
There are numerous global brands of bikes seen in this list. Each is available in a series of types or models, and each brand has prominent features and quality.
These listed brands are among the top bicycle brands globally, giving you the best performance, unparalleled product quality, and integrity.
Owning one of these brands almost guarantees that you will have a long-lasting bike – and you can always keep the bike frame, and upgrade your wheelsets and other bike parts!