Your thoughts on which is better? Is Look worth the extra money?

Brand vs. brand, I think Look is worth the extra money. They have much more experience, more available sizes, more models with differing geometries to fit your needs, and they are less common. The only bike more common than Giant might be the Trek. For me, rating bikes includes more factors than weight, stiffness, and price. Riding my bike is an emotional act, and I consider how history, aesthetics, and exclusivity will make me feel the bike.

That said, there is a reason Giants are so common - they are an incredible value. 05 v. 05 models, there is no way Look can match the spec of Giant, purely due to volume differences. One is hand-built in France, the other is mass-produced in Taiwan. This doesn't automatically mean one is higher quality than the other, but it does have an automatic impact on price.

It comes down to what your needs/ wants are and, most importantly, how the bikes fit you. Also remember that this is a great time of year to get good deals on 04 models.

I believe Looks are now manufactured in Algeria, according to Look fanatic Dave Hickey. http://forums.roadbikereview.com/showthread.php?t=20680&highlight=algeria

My '03 KG461 says something like "Designed and engineered in France" on the chainstay. To me that's a dead giveaway that the frames are not actually "made" in France.

I dig my KG461, but I do miss my Trek 5200. IMHO the KG461 is a little stiff for a carbon frame. I have Mavic Equipe wheels on it, and those are pretty stiff, too. In NYC I actually see more Giants than Treks; it seems like every fifth or sixth bike is a Giant, and 30 percent of the women riders I see are on Giants. As for Look, I'm the only person I know who rides one.

I paid $1270 for my frame on closeout. As the above poster said, pound-for-pound a Giant is one of the best values on the road. Get the Giant and spend the money you saved on upgrades or a cycling trip. Or save it, natch.

Your thoughts on which is better? Is Look worth the extra money?

I have a couple of VERY expensive automatic Swiss watches, and a friend said his Seiko keeps just as good of time. .he doesn't understand. . An automatic Swiss watch is like a pet, and a Seiko is like an appliance. Same with the frames. .Look = pet Giant = appliance. :)

I believe Looks are now manufactured in Algeria, according to Look fanatic Dave Hickey. http://forums.roadbikereview.com/showthread.php?t=20680&highlight=algeria

To try to clear this up for the umpteenth time, LOOK recently built their own factory in Tunisia (not Algeria) to manufacture some of their frames. This is quite different than the implication that they have outsourced all their frame production to some no-name African production company - typical of what many other (high end!) European brands have done with Taiwan. This means the manufacturing process is still under their control, and of course LOOK's leadership and long-term investment in carbon-frame research and technology is indisputable - only a handful of brands can come close.

LOOK's high end frames continue to be made at their production facility in France.

As to the original question of the thread - both LOOK and Giant make high-quality frames that will perform well. LOOK has a longer track record and a strong reputation for durability. They also have a much more impressive race pedigree to fuel your passion. Is that stuff worth the extra dough? For me, yeah... for you, only you can answer that.

Most countries produce things that they'd like to sell. Europeans produce things that they'd like to own.

Just for the record, I said LOOK made their frames in Africa. I never said they were made in Algeria :) :)

well said by Peterpen. I recently purchased a KG481SL after considering a host of cheaper carbon bikes, trek, giant, even the Orca. I had to scimp on the parts to afford it, but I usually own frames for a long time, and can look forward to searching for some unique upgrades.

I saw a carbon Giant on close out at Performance in Boulder for an unreal price - don't remember exactly - I was trying to put it out of my mind. It seriously challenged my thoughts, but I went ahead with the Look.

For me it was a combination of trust for a company with that much carbon experience, plus evolution of that particular frame (the 481 SL updated the 381), but also a political belief to support local shops rather than mail order, and hand craftsmanship over mass sourcing.

When you go out to eat, are you happy with PF Chang's or will you go out of your way to find the hole in the wall with a unique experience?

I'm sure you've already considered the benefit to your relationship with your local shop. Although less important now with the web, remember the value of leverage your high dollar purchase can have.