alanbikehouston

I was talking with a manager at one of the largest bike shop in San Antonio. He said that bikes in the $2,000 to $8,000 price range bring in the majority of the store's revenue. Out on the sales floor, the majority of road bikes were in that price range. And, at least HALF of the bikes in that price range were "Made in the USA" bikes from Trek or Cannondale.

The best bike shops in the USA strive to have a large selection of bikes that are "pro" quality, or close to pro quality, such as carbon framed bikes with Ultegra drive trains. And, I've never been in a larger, first class bike shop without seeing a large selection of either "Made in USA" Trek bikes or "Made in USA" Cannondale bikes, and many shops carry both.

Yes, the $75 toys sold by K-Mart and Wal-Mart outsell real bikes made by Trek and Cannondale 1,000 to one. But, Wal-Mart Chino-crap is not really a bike. Just a crappy toy, designed for a few months of riding around the block, and then off to the trash heap.

In 2006, the majority of dedicated American cyclists who are looking for a new road bike are going to spend more than $1,000, and bikes in the $2,000 to $8,000 price range will outsell the bikes in the $1,000 to $2,000 price range. That is the market the Trek and Cannondale focus their attention on, and that is why "made in America" road bikes are the first choice of the majority of folks who are truly serious about riding the best bike they can find.

garysol1 

Have to disagree Alan. You are saying that the majority of buyers of $2,000 to 8,000 dollar bikes are looking at Trek or Cannondale. While they do indeed take some market share I can't believe those two make up the majority. Not with Specialized, Orbea, Felt Colnago and so many other manufactors also taking a piece of the pie. I have no data to back this up, just a gut feeling

RATBOY

LITESPEED!

Made in Chattanooga, TN

Joe1946

Well I have put thousands of miles on my Walmart "Toy" all over my local area since 1999 and the only maintanance has been WD40 once a week and I don't have to worry about it being stolen when it's in a public place. I guess the millions of people in other countries that use their "Toy" for daily transportation should get a real $2,000-$8,000 bike to go from point a to point b.

lovemyswift

Serotta!

My custom Ottrott was definitely made in the USA

Eatadonut

Oh please, alan. You and I both know you just pulled that out of your ass.

There are chino-crap bikes. And there are taiwano-crap bikes. Hell, there are Ameri-crap bikes.

But I'll bet my taiwanese specialized frame is as well put-together as any non-boutique frame out there, including your beloved trek.

Coincidently, I have a trek frame that I absolutely love that was entirely produced in taiwan. Country of origin does not affect quality, the correlation you try to draw is almost entirely baseless.

To the OP, what is your reason for wanting an american-made bicycle? Is it a desire to purchase american-made goods (which I can understand, and certainly there are many choices, but we'll need a price range.), or a fear of foreign quality? If it's the latter, then you just need to find a reliable brand, and there are plenty out there. Foreign is not equivalent to bad.

folder fanatic

I think that it is no longer the case so much as "where the bike in question is made, but how it is made" and who does the final checking/prepping that any decent bike shop or internet retailer should do before it is sold to the customer. This is the point of departure where the serious bike players are separated from the big box so-called dealers. Most major bike components and accessories are now made somewhere overseas. It is the care and experience of the person who assembles and tunes them that really counts. Plus the careful selection and framebuilding of the guy (or girl) who creates the work of art that does it for sure.

Doug5150

Two more relaxed-geometry bikes are the Lightfoot Surefoot, and Day 6 Bicycles.

There's other bikes that cost less of course, but then, a bicycle that's too uncomfortable to ride is no bargain.
~

slowandsteady

Well if the BMX forum is any indication, you are certainly right.