I thought I might be able to get all self-satisfied that my Conundrum had been made in the US, but, alas, that’s likely not so. I don’t really have a problem with parts being made offshore, though my preference is for products made here.
Sprach Surly:
"Where are your frames and components manufactured?
Most of our products (including all frames and forks) are manufactured in Taiwan. There is a vast infrastructure there for the making of bicycle-related things, they do an incredible job (our warranty rate is well below 1%), and the people who we work with are our long term business partners and friends, so we have a vested interest in each others’ welfare. We visit our manufacturers at least three times a year to check in, solve problems, and commune with each other in person. Also note that our frames are not built by some sort of robot, but rather by human hands belonging to experienced professionals."
Yeah, pretty much every single bike and unicycle company produces in Taiwan. I think there are only a handful of really small (and expensive) companies that don’t. The one that comes to mind is the bike company White Industries, from their website: All our products are manufactured in our Northern California manufacturing facility, and we are proud to be able to say that our components are made in the USA.
Needless to say, I’ve heard great things about their products but I’m never been able to stomach the prices… which is the main reason why almost every company produces in Taiwan: because of the experience and infrastructure, the same quality, volume and flexibility simply costs way more anywhere else (you also have to consider changing demand and suddenly needing an order of 10000 frames next month and then the following month zero. No other place can deal with this changing demand - price effectively at least).
But even they don’t make unicycles or even bike frames. I guess there are probably a few really high-end bike companies that still produce their frames in the home country (USA/Canada/Germany) but not many. On numbers I would guess far less than 1% are not made in Taiwan.
But the only 5 on the list that I have ever heard of and seen in wild: Ellsworth, Foes Racing, Intense, Turner, Ventana, but all definitely way high end.
Taiwan is the main source of good to great quality stuff, but there is bicycle manufacturing in lots of other places. Buy a bike at Walmart and it’s more likely to have come from mainland China. Or most “cheap” unicycles on eBay. Chinese manufacturers continue to get better, but I think they will be playing catch-up with Taiwan for a while longer (they make pretty good iPhones though). Millions of bikes are produced in India, I’m sure. Last I heard, Miyata still does all its manufacturing in Japan, though this priced them out of the US market back around 1993 or so. Many of you newer riders may not even know of the Miyata brand, but in the 80s, 90s and early 200s it was the go-to brand for Track and Freestyle.
In America (and I assume Canada, Western Europe, etc) there are many boutique manufacturers of bike frames and specialty components. Most of these, I think, are handmade, while some may be made in small production runs in semi-automated factories. Aside from the cost of doing business, those forms of manufacture are more expensive so usually what people are making is custom or very high-end stuff. Bronson Silva, of SilvaCycles, makes high-end touring frames and other bikes, but these are made to order. I think the same is true for most bike frame makers in the US.
And most of that is about frames. When it comes to most of the other parts, they are even less likely to come from “expensive” countries. Things like rims, tires, small parts, brakes and shifting mechanisms. Does Campagnolo still manufacture in France, Shimano still manufacture in Japan? These can probably be looked up (not that you need either for your unicycle).
In the 1970s you could get a Columbia unicycle, which had an American-made frame and seat (not sure about the other components). In the 80s you could still get an Emory unicycle, made by hand in Florida. And I think Schwinns were made in the USA up to 1983 or so (not 100% sure). I remember hearing once that the Schwinn Giraffe frames were made in France, but have no idea if this was true. Possibly the USA, possibly Taiwan. The Schwinns from 1986 and later were coming from Taiwan.
He’s in my category “dirty hands”. I had him on the phone for one hour last month. Had one customer this year. Sold one large chain to an huge idiot. He’s beaten out of competition, by what’s my category “box movers”, who think they are clever.
I think the upper level stuff is still made in Japan and the lower level stuff somewhere else (Malaysia?). I have a couple of SLX brakes on my unis which I bought new last year, and they’re made in Japan.
Wait. You had him for an hour, or he had you? He was famous for keeping people on the phone forever.
Poor Tom/Tommi, he’s severely allergic to sound business practices. If he wanted, he could probably work full time making custom unicycles and novelty cycles. But he always tended to undercharge, and sometimes take forever to complete a job. I waited exactly a year for my original Big Wheel (45"), though other projects got done a lot faster. I hope he’s still making things for people to ride.
My apologies to Campy! Thinking they were a french company, shows how much of a road bike expert I’m not.
Imagine how much less a Schlumpf hub would cost if they were made in Taiwan. But that would/could never happen since it’s such a niche item, and not mass produced. A spec of sand in a sea of bikes.
Yes, that is true. However, they are not like most Italian companies. They make the highest quality parts available. I’m not saying other companies aren’t at their level, but Shimano’s top end is on par with Campy’s second (or third) tier.
The whole cycling industry is changing, but for the most part China still produces junk. The one exception is Carbon Fiber. Apparently even Colnago, anf Pinarello have frames made in China. So, maybe when a carbon fiber Uni frame comes into the mainstream it will have a China sticker on it.
I don’t know if it is still true, but for a while some of the best consumer composites came out of China because they didn’t restrict the use of carcinogenic resins that gave them qualities not attainable with materials in other countries. If it is still happening it could explain why high end frames are being made in China.
That’s because complex carbon shapes are manual labour. You have to fit the fabric over a machined shape, apply resin and repeat layer by layer.
The carbon fibers itch like hell and will stick in your clothing for months to come no matter how much you wash. The resin isn’t healthy either and if you don’t wear a mask and gloves you’ll soon develop an allergy.
Alike minds with alike enthousiasm… so I can’t tell, but I understand what your saying
Creative people like to create, rather than doing paperwork about “your” product that you never even saw.
So personally I agree that outsourcing your core-business isn’t great practice.
Plus now at least you know for sure they were not made by child slaves.
Counting the number of custom unicycles I saw at recent conventions, then I think a chain-drive is nowadays a novelty.
Fiat ain’t Ferrari, who don’t seem to have bad engineers in F1, to mention one league.
Now IMHO Italy is richer in bicycle history, than in car industry.
Last year I heard the only Colnago’s ever made outside Italy were made by Jan LeGrand.
As a kid I use to visit his place sometimes, and even meet Peter Post. His son is now working at Presto, also a frame-builder, where I happen to have had a internship very long ago. Actually the closest decent bike-shop near my house.
During the summer of 2014 I heard -and saw- Giovanni Pinarello saying they were all made in his factory. He died September that same year. I doubt the company has suddenly changed.
And fake Pinarello frame are known as “Chinarello”.
Personally I liked the concept of Cervélo, which was developed by a student at the University of Eindhoven, also here in Holland; have the carbon weaved into the shape a the frame frame. The concept was offered few kilometers further in Valkenswaard to Manfred Krikke (Concorde, Ultima, American Eagle), who AFAIK initially declined to become the manufacturer, but later became the sole distributor, …and went bankrupt in 2012.
I’m curious if that concept has any flaws. But doubt the very expensive process has serious benefits for a unicycle.
Anyway, the Carbon K1 never was a popular frame, but probably because it’s oversized shape. And I think it still had a lot of aluminium in it.
If you hold a welding gun, you fit in my category “dirty hands”.
