The Most Popular Bikes

The end and start to EVERY year can’t ever really be complete without a list. We love making lists: resolutions, regrets, things to change, buy, places to visit, memories made and to make — we love it. Countdowns too, “THE TOP 10 REASONS WHY YOU’RE SMILING” or something like that. Now I’m pretty sure you’ve read (or watched) your fair share of bike lists to both end 2022 and start 2023, from “the best places to bike,” or even “the top 5 things you shouldn’t upgrade on your bike,” ala GMBN (we watched it, we agree with ALL).

We at Sendr ride a lot, all around town and all the way across the Philippines too, from the Big North to the Solid South, we’ve seen A LOT of bikes. And so, that got us thinking: “What are the most popular bike brands in the country?” We set some rules, “5 BRANDS” and everything else is an “honorable mention.” So, here we go, you may or may not agree, but from what we’ve seen last few years, here they are.

SPECIALIZED

We can’t. We just cannot have a list without Specialized. It’s our dream bike. We all want the Enduro, Carlos wants the Status, Kenevo, and Tero, and well, who can say no to the legendary Stumpy? Specialized leads the way by a large margin for us, it’s not even close. With the science behind the bikes, the riders (SUPER BRUNI), the championships, and of course, the community, nothing can slow them down. Spez is a brand that feels committed you know? And it shows in their bikes.

Also, you can’t really beat how they market themselves.
FACEBOOK | WEBSITE

DARTMOOR

High quality at a great price.

There’s a ton of bikes out there at entry-level prices that we’d NEVER ride, but most of us in Sendr all owned a Dartmoor once upon a time– Mike and Carlos had hardtails (Hornet and Primal, respectively), and Carlo rode a Blackbird. Carlos even raced enduro on his Primal twice. Dartmoor made a name for itself through grass roots community word-of-mouth, the right ambassadors, and just really being an awesome bike to ride no matter what.

Yes, there are *fancier* bikes out there but no way we make this list without Dartmoor.
FACEBOOK | WEBSITE

GIANT

Looking at their PH Facebook Page now (or in the past few actually), you’d be forgiven if you’re wondering why GIANT is on this list. Well two things, 1. They’re probably focusing on selling their road bikes, and 2. You haven’t been riding long and long enough. The Giant Trance and Reign have been staples of every ride, race, and trail for as long as we can remember, and of course who can NOT love the Glory? Quite possibly one of the most fun DH bikes ever. Yes, ever. Also, the new look Anthem is well, looking good too.

Giant isn’t of the world’s biggest bike brands for nothing.
FACEBOOK | WEBSITE

TREK

Synonymous with world champions (Vali Holl! Woop woop!) and also one of the leaders in the industry, Trek Bikes is top of every mountain bikers daydream. From the playful Remedy to its rad sibling the Slash, and all the way up to the legendary Session, Trek knows what they’re doing. Seeing one on someone in a track tells us a lot even before they ride down and away. It’s also no coincidence that SEA Games gold-medal winner Jerich Farr rides a Trek as well, so if one of the best rips on it, imagine what you can do on one.

We also got to (kind of) “work” with Trek at the recent UCI Gravel World Series, as they were the race presentor.
FACEBOOK | WEBSITE

GT

“Good Times with a GT!” We all read that somewhere, some time in our biking lives and who could forget the super-popular GT Avalanche Philippines Editions (and all the horrible resellers who overcharged us for that)? They were awesome and it made our mountain biking scene felt well, “seen” on a global stage. But GT is more than that (and their awesome BMX bikes), the Force and the Fury models are always present in races AND podiums, with one of the country’s top riders Mark More, riding one himself.

Plus, one of our favorite riders ever rides for GT. How can you not love Good Times?
FACEBOOK | WEBSITE

So yes we’re sure, for some of you, we left out YOUR favorite bike brand. But hey that’s what the “honorable mentions” are for (and the comments section too). Check back with us soon for the brands for the other 5.