just wondering are they a same company ?

Origin 8 - and countless other companies - don't actually manufacture anything but instead, re-brand other products.

Welcome to the world.

There's a magnificent article about this phenomenon in the latest Bicycling Magazine.

https://www.bicycling.com/news/featur...es/italian-job

i bought the magazine on a flight home from chi. read the whole thing through.

tl;dr - there's a new new business sense that outsourcing and rebranding like this leaves you with an empty company with no way to innovate or offer anything of value above competitors.

i love my track pro cranks, but they're heavy. i will look at sugino 75s or dura ace to replace these, or if i go for a real steel build.

i clicked on this thread with the intention of linking the same article.

In other breaking news the Geo Prizm is a rebadged Toyota.

https://https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geo/Chevrolet_Prizm

Just messin.

Interesting article.

I studied this in undergrad business school: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White-label_product

There are producers and marketers.

"Trade dress" basically means company logo.

More things Origin 8 doesn't make: my pedals

Duh!

Producers


Marketers

Yup.

That's a really big problem.

What is the problem... Are there No USA made cranks sold at all? Or is the problem that are there no $75 USA made cranks?

The whole re-branding thing wont last. HTC (Taiwan) used to sub-contract for other manufacturers, but now makes their own, awesome phones. So don't despair: iust give them time and there will be Taiwan firm branded pedals, cranks, headsets, etc. They need time to own the technology

The problem is that the US is spoiled on inexpensive goods and are happy paying other countries for them. Those countries are trading their sweat for US cash. That cash is more powerful than the products that US consumers traded for them. Fast forward...the products imported have no value and were not used as raw materials to make more valuable products. They were simply consumed as clothing, toys, bikes, electronics, etc...(basically everything in walmart except for some of the produce). Yet the cash the US traded away still has value but now belongs to another country's economy.

It seems that the US wants more from other countries than what other countries want from the US.

The goal is to produce more than one consumes if one wants to win. Earn more money than you spend.


/armchair economist

armchair made in the US?

I recently bought some really sweet cnc pedals from Brev.m, and was really impressed so I odered their whole crankset...
I was really bummed to see Lasco marks on the reverse side of the Brev.m crankarms. And their chainring had really ugly burrs on the teeth. The pedals were the only good parts they sent.
They havent responded to my emails about returning the crap-ola. Brev.m sucks. So much for an "upgrade" to my Lasco cranks...

Brev.M = Masi = Haro = etc.

I think the fact that our biggest export (so to speak) is services (tech, financial, etc) and it is incredibly expensive to manufacture in the united states is the biggest cause of our giant trade deficit. I'm not sure the goal is necessarily to have the biggest trade surplus of exported goods though. I think that the service industries of America still are quite valuable but the competition (namely the BRIC nations) is catching up fast and will probably be more competitive soon.

/business student and armchair economist

Great article! This motivates me to shine up, tune and ride my Campy (Daytona) equipped steel lugged Casati and pretend I'm Italian.

"Buon giorno,Papa!"

"I'm not "Papa".I'm your god-damned father!"

I love Breaking Away.

i always wished there was a cool quarry like that here

I've got one a half hour from here. Rope swings and all. Haven't shaved my legs yet, though.

BMW: Paul components isn't too bad (for their crank) at $250 for their road crank. If people used those U.S. business interests that are still trying to produce top-quality products here - maybe that would help either push the foreign market to produce a superior product again or convince people to buy American again instead of being cheap.

Isn't this how Giant started?

I work in the manufacturing industry as a machinest. I can say that while the industry is still at a very low point, it seems to be recovering. We are starting to produce in this country again! The U.S. and Euro countries have always had a higher standard as far as overall quality is concerned. Regardless people need to decide on purchases based on whether or not they want to support what specific companies stand for and stand by. Not the cheap rebranded, outsourced product, because it was indeed "cheap" compared to a quality counterpart. One day folks will realize you get what you pay for.