thehammerdog

Is there really a difference in bike companies or has the standardization of UCI rules and the bike 3 groupos working so dam well and with most labels being made in China....why get all serious over a brand? This is not true with the very high end stuff but for most people...... does/should it matter?

kayakdiver

bored?

DScott

depends.

alexvpaq

Here's a bit of geography for you

China


Taiwan


And here's for history and more : https://www.cia.gov/library/publicat...k/geos/tw.html

So, I would conclude this class by saying that most bikes are made in Taiwan and Taiwan isn't China.

Both countries are pretty different and most brands aren't the same, different mold, different properties, different type of fiber and more.

pallen

Does country of origin really matter? Is it THE only factor to consider?

climber7

kayakdiver - it's winter...which is also why i'm going to respond.

OP - first of all, they're not all made in china. a bunch of stuff is from taiwan.

second, just because they're all made there doesn't mean they're all the same. the big companies all do lots of R&D. they design frame shapes, carbon layup, etc. there are definitely differences between bikes, although most of the differences probably affect how the bike feels/rides rather than how fast it is. my mom, who had only ever ridden a heavy old hybrid, test-rode a few entry-level road bikes recently and surprised me by coming out of the tests with pretty strong opinions and preferences. she said she could really tell the difference in handling and in geometry between two of the bikes (although part of it was probably how they were set up).

so while most people would probably do just fine with a range of bikes, i don't think it would be a good idea to choose one at random.

rooftest

I definitely don't agree with your "everything made in China is of equal quality" argument. Fiat/Ferrari, Chevrolet/Honda (both made in USA), etc...

eminefes

I'd say no. It's the design specifications, quality specifications, and choice of factory that make the real difference...not so much the choice of country.

Jed19

You are absolutely right that they are different countries. However, people either do not know, or they gloss over the fact that a lot of the bicycle factories in China are being set up by taiwanese entrepreneurs taking advantage of the cheap labor and land cost in China relative to Taiwan.

So, you essentially have chinese made, taiwanese owned bicycles.

pallen

I would guess two bikes coming from the same shop could have very different quality. It all depends on how closely the other end of the contract is watching.

pallen

Not if you ask the Chinese

tagaproject6

:

pdxtex

taiwan good. mainland china bad.....yes it matters.....

pdxtex

previous statement amended.......i would feel confident with a chinese ti frame though. many ti frames out of china seem to be pretty decent. cheap mass market alu frames seem to be banged out with much greater frequency, thus there seems to be more quality issues. dunno about carbon.....

giantcfr1

and of course, just because the head office is in Taiwan, it doesn't mean the factories are.

lazerzxr

Far more important is tha bike shop that sold you the bike, buiilt it and fitted you to it. A good shop getting you on the right size, building it properly (BB30 non creak assembly and the like) and then offering after sales support will impact your cycling far more than choosing 1 brand over another.

Who cares where the frame was made, where was the bike built?

Having said that my frame was hand built in Italy - and it does show (in a good way obviously)

canam73

Man, you guys are dumb. The OP isn't the one beating the dead horse. No, China and Taiwan aren't the same. Most of us know that but it really wasn't the point of the question. Maybe he should have stated it as an "eastern country without a tradition of performance bicycle building or racing" instead of "China". Big deal.

canam73

Obviously you do.

lesdunham

Last time I checked most bike shops recieve a bike in a box, 90% assembled and adjusted. Unless they fit it with another component most of their work is done, minus fitting. It is better to pay the Italians than the other forgeiners? Someday I may have a $6k bike. Or maybe 2 $2500 non Italian bikes.

Drew Eckhardt 

Yes. For example you can go to Nelsion Titanium Products in San Fracisco, get measured, and have Dan Nelson build you a silver metal bike which fits and suits your tastes. Or head south to Santa Cruz, get fitted by Calfee, and have them make a plastic or bamboo bicycle. Other guys do steel in your choice of lugged, fillet brazed, and TIG welded depending on how traditional you are. Reynolds 953 stainless is also an option.

You can have things like a sporty road bike with long reach brakes (so you can run fenders in the wet months), clearance for 32 or 35 tires for gravel trails, and rack eyelets for commuting. Mix in S&S couplers so you can take your favorite bike with you when you travel.

You can spend even more money for something like a Trek or Giant but the McBike won't be too special.

seanthebear

As a 20 year resident of Taiwan thanks for this. Nothing hurts more than when people confuse us with that rabble over the water. Well maybe this and when people confuse NZ with Australia (which Taiwanese do every day...."you're from NZ? you got them Kangaroos and Koalas, they're so cute )

alexvpaq

Close enough.

Mike F

After my MagicShine took a dump after 2 months I would be very hesitant to purchase a frame from there.

canam73

Are the frames made in the same shop? What the heck's going on over there?

StanSeven

Read OPs question again. It doesn't say that.