BoSoxYacht

Most American cyclists don't get "up in arms" about bicycle manufacturing, but those that do are so annoying that they are very memorable.

I don't care where my bike is made as long as no Canadians have anything to do with the manufacturing process.

Machka 

One of my favourite bicycles is a Marinoni ... all Canadian.

Cycles Marinoni


My Ciclo is a beautiful little bicycle.

Machka 

And my titanium (also a very nice bicycle) is a HASA ... a Taiwanese company ...
HASA BIKE





Our bicycles come from everywhere.

Bob Dopolina 

And how would you ever possibly know?

And considering that Canada is the US's largest trading partner by far, good luck with that.

Machka 

Yes ... Canadians are everywhere ... you never know where you'll find us.

Shuffleman

As an American, I don't care at all where it is made. I also think government motors is garbage and would not buy one. Quality is quality regardless of where it is made.

scplus5

Actually, it's probably because of unions.

bruce19

+1

But, I'll play anyway.

If the issue is quality of construction and the quality is good then "no."
If the issue is "political" as in poor treatment of labor, human rights, etc...probably.
And, I'm still pissed at Trek for dumping LeMond over that phony Armstrong and Specialized for suing some small LBS over the name Roubaix.

bruce19

Actually it's probably not.

bruce19

Love my Guru.

Bob Dopolina 

You do know that the government sold it's it's GM stock quite some time ago, non?

Bob Dopolina 

Not according to JD Powers which hands out quality awards based on ther number of defects found/assigned to an assembly plant. By their reckoning Canadian assembly plants consistantly rank among the best in the world.

From the linked article dated June 2013: "General Motors of Canada took the Silver Award for its Oshawa Consolidated Line that produces both the Chevrolet Equinox and Impala."

dnslater

I love mine as well. Also love the fact that it was made in a small shop that emphasizes high quality and customization, and not mass production and lowest possible price like the overseas frame shops for many big name brands.

Machka 

coasting 

I just think that buying bikes made by canadian slave labourers is unconcionable.

Route 66

I do care about seeing so many American jobs being outsourced to other countries. I felt good knowing that the Cannondale that I rode for 19 years was made in the US, and I was naive enough to think that my new one was made here too. The salesperson set me straight on that point and I was disappointed to learn the truth about the origin of my new bike.

coasting 

see....that is a non-racist way to be pro made in usa. well done.

RJM

My next bike will be made in England.

bruce19

Racist?

coasting 

buying a brompton? i highly approve. but what about the british slaves in chiswick?

coasting 

i said NON racist. concern for american workers rather than hatred of asian workers.

headloss 

Personally, I try to not support the Chinese economy.

But from a quality perspective... it's not as simple as China vs Taiwan vs Japan vs US vs whatever. Like a wine, there are good years and bad years. There's a lot of complexity and a lot of unknown variables. What goes into quality? Experience? Most modern/recent tooling? Raw materials? It's not like any two factories are the same. Then there's the whole value-added thing... a bike can be labeled as being made in one place and yet still have many finger prints of the global economy. A sticker on the seat tube or down tube really doesn't tell us enough to make broad judgements about the bikes quality due to origin.

I tend to look at classic Italian steel for something collectable or performance oriented; I look at 90's Japanese bikes for commuting. I may look at a modern steel frame in which case I'm likely to choose something made in Taiwan over China every time. So, it depends. If I was shopping for carbon, I have to trust the manufacturer to have tight quality control and the latest technology above what country the sticker says the frame started in.

Personally, I'd rather ride a bike that was made by someone that I can go share a cup of coffee or a beer with... but that's rarely an option. It's life, it's all about compromise.

Machka 

We bought a pair of Thorns a couple years ago.

They used to be made in England and the retail side of things is there. But apparently they are made in Taiwan now.

So our Thorns (frames) were manufactured in Taiwan ... then shipped to England ... then shipped to Australia. Rowan built the bicycles and we set off on our round-the-world tour ... from Australia ... to Hong Kong ... to Taiwan ... to Japan ... to the UK and Europe ... to North America ... to Hong Kong ... and back to Australia.

I think those Thorns have been around the world twice.

bruce19

It was the issue of race that I was responding to. You quoted this...."I do care about seeing so many American jobs being outsourced to other countries. I felt good knowing that the Cannondale that I rode for 19 years was made in the US, and I was naive enough to think that my new one was made here too. The salesperson set me straight on that point and I was disappointed to learn the truth about the origin of my new bike." and I did not see the issue of race in that comment.

coasting 

he wrote about his concern for american jobs. i respond to this concern positively and said this is not a racist comment. now you tell me you don't see mention of race. That's my point!!!!