Are "boutique" mountain bike brands better?

Question

...like Ellsworth, Turner, Santa Cruz, etc. They always seem lighter than they're corporate counterparts who also make kids bikes, commuter bikes, and tricycles. I hear that big name sponsors will also use rebadged boutique brands.

Answer 1

Not necessarily better, but they concentrate more on the actual needs of their customers, thus boutique brands are much more expensive.......

Answer 2

jimmi c is right. Not always. Boutigue brands concentrate on high end and custom bikes (with limited resources). While the other brands have wide ranging product lines. That doesn't mean a Trek, for example, doesn't put in the time on their high end stuff, they do. Simply because larger brands have a wide product line doesn't mean they're inferior. In fact, these larger brands have more resources devoted to R&D than the boutique brands. The newest innovations usually come from the high end industry leaders. They all offer super high end, state of the art products.

Answer 3

Not necessarily.  They may fulfill a need in a bicycle that large brands don't.  Larger companies try to fill a broader spectrum of riders where smaller companies pool their limited resources into a specific niche.  Sometimes a smaller company will come up with a new improvement and get it to market faster since they aren't as bound by the larger companies bureaucracy.  On the other hand, larger companies are in a better position to chase down new ideas with their greater resources.  Remember that at one time Specialized and Cannondale were boutique brands.  I wouldn't get hung up on brands wether they are boutique brands or big brands.  If a bike works for you ride it.