Made in USA?

[G-MONEY]

Hi all--this topic has probably been hashed over to death here, but the "Ask R.C." column in the Oct. issue of Mountainbike Action got me thinking again about the whole Made in the USA vs. Made in Taiwan or China debate. The question was basically are Asian made bikes "that much better?" But it was this part of R.C.'s response that made me sit up: "...Giant, who along with their own brand manufactures bicycles for other companies, is exceptionally skilled at hydroforming tubes into complex shapes, as see on upper-end models Giant makes for Specialized, Trek and Santa Cruz." So Giant makes all those beautiful S-Works, Enduros, Strumps, Blurs, Nomads, Fuels, Sessions, etc. frames? Sorry if this is old news to you all, but it floored me.

As for buying American made frames, R.C. seems to think the reasons for buying Made in the USA are more for sentimental reasons than performance/quality: "...you might want to buy a made-in-the-USA design to get a more customized build, to have access to upgrades, or to take advantage of a closer relationship between the bike and bike maker if a warranty issue pops up....The fact that the Chinese and Taiwanese factories have been making frames for the best brands in the world for many years means that they have the most experience and access to the sharpest minds in the business."

Not saying that R.C.'s word is gospel, just wondering what you all think about this? Is this globalization at its best (or worst)?

For the record, I ride a Giant which I love dearly-- on the downtube there is a sticker that reads: "Designed in the USA, Made in Taiwan" with a big American flag.

[J_Sims]

If I have an issue with my M6 I can walk into Intense and Jason my customer service rep will take care of it personally... I will take an hour drive compared to a 14 hr flight

My Niners on the other hand US design, Built overseas and their customer service is second to none... I broke a frame the new triangle was in the mail within 24 hours of hearing "snap"

I would focus on where you are buying your frames, what kind of service you are planning on getting from your LBS

Mine rules

[SnglTrckMnd]

In general I think the US v. China/Taiwan thing is a holdover from the years when there was a clear difference in quality. I have a 1990 Fisher built in Taiwan.....ugliest welds I have ever seen. But I recently purchased another frame built in Taiwan and the welds look great. If Taiwanese welds still looked like they do on my Fisher I would probably be willing to pay a premium but it doesn't seem to be much of an issue these days.

[stinkyrider]

Lifetime warranty on all Giant Frames.

[RacinJason]

Intense bikes are completely hand made in Temecula from the milling to the tack welding to the heat-treating all processes are done here in house.

I can personally name everyone who has touched your frame from start to finish.
The quality that we put into our frames is unparalleled.

Yah I know you have heard this all before and it starting to sound like an infomercial. It’s the real deal.
If you look on MTBR you can even have your frame identified as to whom welded it.

I make sure that everything goes smoothly because I don’t want to see anything come back.

[kev]

Lot of stuff like that. Made in Taiwan in one factory and sold to a bunch of other guys. The White Brothers Rocksolid fork looks exactly like the Origin 8 Fork etc...

[Rossage]

I own a Matts TFS-whatever that means, that is a high-end AL hardtail, made by a company in Taiwan called Merida. Merida owns a minority stake in Specialized, estimated to be around 40%. This frame is like a poster child for what can be done to a frame. The frame is hydro-formed, and uses square and round and flattenend tubing.There is a sticker on the seattube proudly proclaiming that is was TIG welded by robots! Do robots have a nationality?
Globalization has been around in the bike industry for a long time. Close to 90% of all bicycles sold in the US are made in foreign countries, mostly China and its "rebel" province, Taiwan.
Oh yeah, Specialized has a deal with Merida not to sell its frames in the US-mine was a gift from China.

[MotoDave]

Made in the USA products give me a warm, fuzzy feeling inside. That is all.

[BrewMaster]

Originally Posted by RacinJason

Intense bikes are completely hand made in Temecula from the milling to the tack welding to the heat-treating all processes are done here in house.

I can personally name everyone who has touched your frame from start to finish.
The quality that we put into our frames is unparalleled.

Yah I know you have heard this all before and it starting to sound like an infomercial. It’s the real deal.
If you look on MTBR you can even have your frame identified as to whom welded it.

I make sure that everything goes smoothly because I don’t want to see anything come back.

All of that is nice, but it makes no difference to me when I am out on the trail.

I work in domestic manufacturing, but I also realize it is a global economy. I don't care where my bike is made as long as it is made well and performs as I need it to.

[RacinJason]

I'm getting a bit warm and a little fuzzy ~wait wait~ I think I am feeling woooozie Did you hear that?

[duke777]

I think supporting local business is always good. How else do we all make a living? Taiwan bikes are getting better all the time but they should be cheaper due to lower labor cost.

I don't support taiwan bikes that cost as much as US bikes......pivots are nice but they are awfully pricey for a taiwan bike.

If I'm going to spend that kind of money then US frame it is.

[RacinJason]

For those who don’t care then there is wall mart
Quality bikes at affordable prices.
I have bikes that are from all over the globe and I love them no less that is for sure.
I don't need to know who took part in building it but it sure is interesting.

[RacinJason]

Could you be any closser to the guy that you will call in the rare case you have problem ?
Hey don't get any ideas I don't go that way.

You know what I mean.

Paging any other CS reps any one any one?

We do have some great reps on here for some great brands.
I enjoy hanging out with them. All are really cool.

With so many great bikes comming out it is hard to say what bikes are the best.
I would like to think we offer great customer service on the bikes that we offer.

To keep on topic I would like to say don't worry about where the bike is made just find a bike that fits you and your budget. Buy the best you can afford.
Shop around. Quality speeks for itself.



Jason

[ChrisB]

i work in manufacturing

Taiwan probably has a much better manufacturing process than we do when it comes to making bikes. Meaning...they make them faster, more accurately, better repeatability, so on and so forth. So, if they had the exact some blue print, specs, and all, they would produce a better product at a lower price

Of course that doesn't mean that huffys are good bikes

It just means that just because it is made overseas, does not make it any less in quality than something made in the states.

[El Salt]

Originally Posted by Trance Pilot

"...you might want to buy a made-in-the-USA design to get a more customized build, to have access to upgrades, or to take advantage of a closer relationship between the bike and bike maker if a warranty issue pops up....The fact that the Chinese and Taiwanese factories have been making frames for the best brands in the world for many years means that they have the most experience and access to the sharpest minds in the business."

I agree with all of that...


For me it is mostly wanting to deal with a smaller company, and the good vibe this can give you. When you can speak to the owner of a company, and that person also happens to be the guy that welded your frame, and that guy calls you out of the blue to check some measurements on a bike he is building you, well that is pretty cool. Now, I don't necessarily think that a US made, or even US - "hand made" bike is better than overseas built. In days past yes, but not so much any more. Bigger companies have the ability to maybe put more into R&D, so newer better(?) designs can be made more quickly. Still, for me, I like the idea of getting something of quality from someone I know enjoys what they do.

[foofighter]

from the roadie perspective a lot of the euro bike companies like LOOK, Colnago etc have started outsourcing their "entry level" CF road bikes to taiwanese CF bike builders and if you didnt know any better you would not know the difference between the one made in Ernesto Colnago's factory over the ones made in Taiwan.

They actually hand picked the people to build/lay the carbon and have a couple of people that reside over there to oversee production.

But again it's the local support that will get you moving if there's a warranty issue.