Elkhound

And when natural disasters hit, who are the first ones to send in aid? Usually the Americans. Leaving aside Katrina, how many disasters in the US have prompted other countries to send aid to us? The LA earthquakes, Mt. St. Helens, the flooding in the Midwest. . . .?

|3iker

Canada.
IIRC, when Hurrican Katrina devastated N'orleans, many global countries offered help. Now the management of the aid as we all know is a different matter.

Doug5150

"Made in [somewhere else]" on stuff sold in the US is not just a surprise anymore. At least, it shouldn't be.
All the little parts of the bike were probably already made in China/Taiwan. Does it really make that much difference that the frame is or isn't?

Over the last year a couple of the biggest recumbent bike manufacturers in the US began selling frames made [somewhere else]. Previously they didn't sell enough bikes for outsourcing their frames to be economical. Classically these were fairly-small shops, engaged in hand-building frames themselves. Nowadays they are selling more bikes, but the advantage of the lower foreign labor costs was just too big to ignore.

Pretty soon if you want a bicycle frame "Made in USA" you're probably going to need to pay a guy with a hacksaw and a welding torch to build it for you. On the one hand that will be good for you, because he'll probably take your measurements and build a frame that fits you pretty well. On the other hand, , , , -you're going to see what US labor really costs.

-------

If you are in the US and don't like how "everything is made in China now" then at least get mad at the right people: the US politicians who engaged in monetary inflation, raising taxes and raising the minimum wage. That is the reason that so much smaller manufacturing has left the US.
~

Longissimus

I don't need to "re-read" anything. You responded to the guy's post and I didn't like what you had to add about the U.S. Get it?

Cyclaholic

You can't hadle the truth, at least not about the U.S..... yeah I got it.

PlatyPius

Militant n00bs. Gotta love it.

AdamDZ

I know it's cynical, I really don't trust any governments, but do you really think USA govt helps those countries purely from the goodness of hearts? There is some goodness left in American people as we saw from the response to the Haiti disaster. But where do you think those billions of dollars are going to? Who pockets most of that money? Haitians? Hint: who gets rich from wars and then from "rebuilding" the countries we bombed the s**t out of? American people or...?

Adam

rogerstg

Where and who? Without you telling us the details, your post is just more misleading propaganda. Trying to make points without specifics and by asking questions is a sure sign of deception.

Artkansas 

Yeah, the frames may be made here and the bikes assembled, but what about the components?

Some foreign names that occur to me are Campagnolo, Shimano.

Artkansas 

LOL. With contentious threads like this popping up around the forum, you can tell that winter is getting to everyone. Darned groundhog.

AdamDZ

Well, if you need my answer to it then you will probably disagree anyway, but here you go anyway:

American Corporations that sold their wares to US Army, rescue organizations, etc., In the end this is good thing because the people of Haiti get help, but it's all business behind the scenes. The money ends up in corporate pockets and the govt knows that. Then, when time comes to rebuild, American companies will surely get the first shot at this too. Wars and natural disasters create enormous business opportunities. The wares have to come from somewhere.

Adam

rogerstg

So you think that the farmer that supplies the food should do it for free and not pay his mortgage or feed his kids. Or maybe the companies that make the blankets and cots should fire their workers and go out of business.

The reality is that most of the money paid to corporations ultimately goes to pay workers. Corporations are not much more than flow through entities.

corkscrew

This is nothing new. Haven't Trek's been built overseas for awhile now? Pretty sure I worked on a ladies solid-forked MTB Trek that couldn't have been very recent and it was made in Taiwan.

Didn't Cannondale lay off the majority of its American framebuilders last year?

Just a good reason to buy old bicycles.

jalbri

So...who pockets most of the money?

KungPaoSchwinn

Can we peacefully get back to talk about the joy of bike?
Okay...bikes.

jalbri

I don't see anything other than a "peaceful" discussion going on in any of the posts on this thread. Some people disagree with other people. So what? I can't understand why others feel the need to lecture the participants in a discussion about what can and can't be discussed. I for one appreciate hearing the views of others, although I might not agree. If you don't like a post, ignore it and go on to the next one. Not hard to do.

KungPaoSchwinn

Will do.

CbadRider

We have a different forum for discussing politics. This is the general cycling forum.

If this thread diverges to more of a political theme, it will be moved to P&R.

jalbri

This is a perfect example of what I'm talking about. I guess some people just have a need to try and regulate what other people can and can't do. The OP was about the fact that most bicycles seem to be manufactured outside the USA. The discussion just flowed naturally from there. No epithets or dirty names have been hurled. In my opinion, no adult supervision or threats of punishment needed.

PlatyPius

Bold on the part where you failed.

CbadRider = moderator
You = 31 posts; guessing you normally post in foo.

Ergo, one person in the exchange has the authority to move the topic if it strays too far from "General"...and it ain't you.

no1mad 

Don't recall seeing that poster in Foo before.

Some people lost their post counts when this new and improved site (powered by vB4) steamrolled out.

jalbri

Guessing you didn't read my post too carefully.

No need to guess; look 'em up. Hint: Bold on the part where you failed.

Yeah, well I think everyone knows this, but thanks. Also, your comment completely misses the point.

Bianchigirll 

well I was taken aback last summer when I stopped off at a LBS for a box and as loaded a Cdale box in the BTV I noticed it said "Made in China" I was hoping that was just the box but I am sure it wasn't

however there is hope. if the rebuilding goes well in Haiti (this time) after the international community builds all new infastructure there will be an abundance of cheap labor. so maybe we will atleast see manufacturing in the western hemisphere atleast.

AdamDZ

I already answered that few posts up.

I didn't say anything like that. Farmers get paid crumbs compared to what the final product is sold for.

What reality would that be?

The market isn't demanding high quality, but variety and low prices. As long as people are satisfied with Kmart and Walmart quality the manufacturers have no incentive to improve the quality. People who recognize and demand high quality and are willing to pay for it are minority. It has nothing to do with "Made in China". If the Western markets demanded high quality I'm sure the Chinese could deliver it.

Yup. It's a discussion and so far I don't see anyone getting upset.

A.

pwdeegan

i feel that my bike (salsa la cruz), made from US tubing (though probably mined from Brasil or somewhere in Africa), was TIG welded very professionally in Taiwan. I can't for the life of me think how nationality would affect weld quality. And it was cheaper, as a result. But it is odd, to say the least, that these tubes were shipped to TW, welded, painted, and then shipped back to the US for sale (online), by a company based in Minnesota (but who originally hailed from California); global networks are always so utterly fascinating.

All that being said, some day when i can afford it, i'm getting a Co-Motion and a Moots. those things are just eye-candy (and leg candy) to me.