This whole arguement is just like PowerBalance, where some perceived advantage is supposed to justify a massive price... I can promise you that if someone blindfolds you and lets you ride a "real" Pina, and then a "fake" Pina (that's probably made 500 meters down the road from the "real" Pina factory in China), you wouldn't be able to tell the difference. That's what the brand names try to convince you of, that by putting their sticker on the bike that it magically justifies a price that's 10x more, and that all others will break and kill you. Not so. I'm sure most Hubbers are tired of hearing about my 29er (blank Chinese frame). I've thrown that thing down Bergplaas that made people wonder what was coming past them. Didn't flinch, rock solid. Brand slut much? Midlife Crisis? Want some bragging rights? Then sure, go and get yourself a R40k frame. I'll be riding right next to you on my R4k frame, and then ride away from you. The frame above is made in a Dogma mold, with carbon laid in by guys that know what they are doing. On the Chinese sites you can get yourself frames that are clones of Dogmas, Cervelos, latest Specialized's, etc. I'd be damned if I buy a "branded" bike/frame again. That's like believing that a shirt that says Billabong justifies a price that's 3 times higher than a shirt with no branding on. BOTH are made by a 4 year old Chinese boy in a basement sweatshop of a Chinese restaurant in Guandong Province.
