Currently Dorel Industries owns GT, Mongoose, Schwinn, and Cannondale bicycle companies. All that means, is that they own the name brands.

At one time I'm certain that GT, Mongoose, Schwinn, and Cannondale all had their own specific aluminum processing methods and formulations for their own respective bicycles. However, since these companies have come under the singular control of Dorel industries, they are now subject to a wide variety of diverse types of changes. Changes that will more than likely contribute more towards increasing the profit margins of Dorel Industries and the not benefit the world cyclist.

I personally believe that the world cycling community loses when corporations like Dorel Industries acquire and merge bicycle companies. The technological competition between these companies now no longer exists. Innovation and creativity have both been stifled. Therefore, technological growth has been stunted.

For all we know, there may be absolutely no difference between an aluminum Mongoose frame and a Cannondale frame. There may be identical formulations for all companies in terms of both aluminum processing and bicycle production. The same workers in Taiwan making a Cannondale on Monday, may be making a Schwinn on Tuesday.

As long as Cannondale was an independent bicycle manufacturer separate from Schwinn, and Schwinn separate from GT, we were promised more exciting industrial competition from these companies.

While it may be in the best interest of Dorel Industries to continue profoundly incessant research and development in both the formulation and design of various bicycle materials, it's progress will be stifled by the lack of competitive incentive.

So when these bicycle companies are acquired by conglomerates, do you think that they are allowed to maintain a genuine separate identity? Are they then further allowed the freedom to evolve from their own technological DNA and spawn new zygotes?

I would think not!

These huge PacMan-like acqusitions and mergers are therefore, devouring technological progress all in the name of profit.

Who knows what an independent Cannondale or Schwinn would have come up with by now?

Would Dorel Industries change anything about GT, Schwinn, Mongoose, or Cannondale?

You'd bet they would!

They'd make them more similar, thereby reducing future comfort and bicycle efficiency for the world cyclist.

Therefore, the world cyclist, loses again!

- Slim