Our 71-page Bicycle Commuting Handbook covers a range of topics, including: Mick White is an Architect from the Washington DC area. Giant, as well as Specialized, imports, and uses a lot of materials that are imported from China. In the process of the redesign for the third generation of the bike, it’s become significantly more capable on the trail. The Schwinn Company used to have a bike known as Paramount. In 2001, Merida bought 49% of Specialized for a reported US$30 million, with its CEO and founder Mike Sinyard remaining the majority owner. That's why China is pissed at them, because they have surpassed them in the world market for industrialization and products (electronics, bicycles, cars, … I would like to see specifics on this as well. The company does not buy and rebrand other people’s products. Given the trend by most bike companies to contract their production to Asian companies, Focus is without a doubt a “rare entity”. Specialized bikes are one of the largest bike brands in the world. Schwinn bikes are manufactured in Taiwan. In an interview, Sinyard claimed that he made a total of $64,000 by 1974. They do all the research and design, prototyping, and product development at the headquarters. And no it’s not a bad thing at all since the quality is as good if not better than many U.S made bikes. Come join the discussion about bike parts, components, deals, performance, modifications, classifieds, trails, troubleshooting, maintenance, and more! Specialized's are made in Taiwan. As bike sales increased in the U.S., and after workers at the Schwinn plant in Chicago went on strike in 1980, Giant became a key supplier, making more than two-thirds of Schwinn bikes by the mid-1980s, representing 75% of Giant's sales. So I was wondering if. We have been in the business of making bikes for over 48 years and while lots of things have changed over the years, we still make our bikes by hand. Dirt King U.S.A. | WaKeeney, Kansas. This, therefore, becomes a win-win situation for the company. Time : ­ Time produces what is arguably the most advanced carbon frame in the world and all frames are hand­made in France, even the entry-level frames. In fact, a large percentage of firms from the Old World decided to outsource production to manufacturers in Taiwan and China. Key Asian suppliers are Merida, Ideal , and Giant . Founded in 1974, Specialized bikes are made for riders, by riders and have been at the forefront of bike design across road bikes, mountain bikes, electric bikes, kids bikes and more. You might be wondering why Cannondale doesn’t manufacture products in its country of origin? World’s Top Bicycle Maker Says the Era of ‘Made in China’ Is Over By . However, due to mismanagement, the arrangement came to a halt. Although the company has its HQ in Wilton, Connecticut; its manufacturing and assembly lines are situated in Asia. It's ok guys, notice how none of them have written back. Where are Specialized Bikes Made? Given the numerous types and designs in the market, there is no one single country that you can say all bikes are made. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. The only production that is done in-house is for high-end models. The company was founded in 1974 by Mike Sinyard, a cycling enthusiast who sold his Volkswagen Bus for $1,500 to fund a cycle tour of Europe, where he bought handlebars and stems made by Cinelli to take back to the US. It makes its own molds, meant for new frames and then assembles a number of prototypes before finally giving the manufacturing specifications to China. Among the Specialized bikes I owned or seen around, they are either made in Taiwan or China. How to carry your gear using panniers and backpacks, How you can get cheap cameras for your bike. This is what has ensured Trek bikes remain the largest brand in America. They say that's because they high-tech spec their bikes, and that cost real daddy bucks... :skep: Maybe that's true, but since they have their Brain, FSR and A/M# aluminum technologies around for quite a while, it should be cheaper to buy one, but it's not. The only real exception outside of Asia is the German brand Focus who have retained their independence. Even Cannondale and now some Trek carbon frames are made there. Yea all of Specialized bikes are Made in China/Taiwan as are Giants and many many other bike brands. To be more specific these factories are located in Taiwan, although some assembling happens in the US. THIS SITE IS OWNED AND OPERATED BY BICYCLE UNIVERSE LLC. However, let’s consider some brands in the market: In this article, we will consider the different countries where the leading brands in the bicycle industry manufacture their products. The Schwinn family maintained this name and later on acquired the Paramount factory in Waterford Wisconsin where they started Waterford Precision Cycles. Orbea is one of the two leading bicycle manufacturers in Spain; it is basically the Spanish equivalent of Trek. A bunch of whining cry babies. They do all the research and design, prototyping, and product development at the headquarters. In fact, at the time of writing it's the lightest production road disc frame ever made. Just as a matter of interest, the very first dedicated “mountain bikes” were marketed by Specialized in the 80s, in collaboration with the “fat tire flyer” guys like Joe Breeze who were flogging old cruiser bikes down the slopes of “Mount Tam” out in California. In 1981, the company introduced its first two bikes, the Sequoia, a sport-touring design and the Allez, a r… The design of Specialized is a bit more modern and provide a more elegant look. Focus say their bikes are fitted with some of the highest quality components in the market, which then proceed to be assembled by the Wiggle’s team based in the U.K. Focus is among the few existing brands that do not manufacture their products in the Far East. Instead, it uses round-ish tube that joined into a traditional diamond-shaped frame. Obviously, there is a predictable opposition to big businesses, especially when they compete with smaller companies. Taiwan is now one of the most industrialized, and well advanced nations in the world. Next to this, we should mention that Japan is home to three carbon suppliers that provide up to 80% of the material worldwide. The Specialized bike brand is based in Morgan Hill, California. It is quite clear that Asia is the leading producer of bikes, even though Europe and America still maintain the monopoly regarding brand numbers. Cannondale was first owned by its founder Joe Montgomery and Scott, his son, but after facing financial problems it’s now owned by its major investment fund. There is only one answer- the cost of labor. At the time this was the firm’s highest end model. In short order, we became trail access evangelists. At first, production for the Schwinn bikes used to be in the US, but with time competition increased steeply and the company had to start contracting with Bridgestone and Panasonic. Specialized = S-Works . Specialized didn't emerge on the scene as a bike manufacturer. Nowadays, all of their bikes are made in Taiwan and China, except for the Madone 6 series. Well, they sell a lot, so who am I to say? Generally, low to mid-level bike units are manufactured in Asia whereas the high-end bikes are made in Taiwan if not in-house for a few brands. This is true for all their middle-level to high-end bikes. I just saw the "New Cannondale - Made in China" thread (link: But specialized has a good reason to charge boutique pricing. Please read our Privacy Policy. Best known for its kids' tricycles, Dirt King has been … It might seem that all bike products are made in the Far East these days, but the British cycling industry is thriving and there's a growing choice if you want a frame or component that has been manufactured in the UK. Thanks for the reply. There are other countries that also produce bikes, although Asian factories account for almost 95% of bikes sold in America. The company makes aluminum frames in-house whereas carbon fiber frames production (which makes up 50% of Orbea’s road bikes) is outsourced to manufacturing specialists like Martec, who are based in China. His success is based on the fact that mountain bikes were very instrumental to the biking community at the time. The Specialized bike brand is based in Morgan Hill, California. Specialized: United States: Taiwan: Time: France: France: Trek: United States: Taiwan, except Madone 6 series: Merida: Taiwan: Taiwan: Giant: Taiwan: Taiwan: Wilier: Italy: Taiwan, some assembled in Italy Bicycle Universe also participates in other affiliate programs and advertising platforms. The main suppliers are APro and Kinesis. Besides, where do you think they come up with these ideas?? Orbea bikes are made in Spain and Asia, specifically China. Other mtbr threads of course... it's a vicious cycle of idiots reading other idiots posts and taking them to heart and believing everything you read on this forum is true. The only difference that is witnessed is in the geometry of the bike that is responsible for a better fit and feel. You don't like the company, dont buy the product! 1981 Introduction of the STUMPJUMPER, the first mountain bike available in neighborhood bicycle shops. Us too! You’d be interested to know that in 1974, Merida (A Taiwanese manufacturer) bought around 49% equity from Specialized, so it is no surprise that a large part of their manufacturing is in Taiwan. The rest, they say, is history. The brand was founded by Mike Sinyard in 1974, who initially imported Italian made components and sold them in … Check the frames on their bikes and you’ll see that it has clearly been labeled “Made in Germany”. I have been in the IT industry quite a while, and I have worked (IT) in an automotive manufacturing facility that did its own engineering/inventing. Don't get me wrong, there are a bunch of people here that know what they're talking about and have a lot of years in the industry, unfortunately nothing separates from them from the guy that's been riding for 6 months on a santa cruz (nothing knocking santa cruz) and is only riding it because his best friend told him that specialized are crap bikes and all of the chainstays on the carbon bikes (yes they are aluminum) snap because the Taiwanese don't know how to make the bike. We set down with Joe Buckley from the Specialized research and development team to pick his brain. http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=304832), http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?p=3171268#poststop, VerticalScope Inc., 111 Peter, Suite 901, Toronto, Ontario, M5V 2H1, Canada. Once the bicycle has been given its specifications, it is produced by a contract manufacturer in Taiwan. Let us take a closer look at some individual bike brands. Get a bike, lose the car, help the environment. Each and every one of the Focus bike models are hand-built in the company’s factory in Hamburg, Germany. Best Selectin of Specialized Bikes for sale – Mikes Bikes. Often But do you know where the bike you are riding is manufactured? Although Specialized is still headquartered in California under the leadership of founder Mike Sinyard, all bikes are made in Asia. Jeez... but there are obviously enough people out there that think it is a superior product or they wouldn't be buying it. I can't believe that I am playing the role of corporate apologist, but I don't think any of the examples provided thus far can be extrapolated to paint Specialized with the brush of evil corporate empire. Not to get off point of the main topic (who made my bike) but you are correct that the quality bike mfgs overseas trains their staffs on how to lay up the prepreg for the moulds as requested by the engineers and r&d. JavaScript is disabled. Specialized has a top notch manufacturing facility and you should get one. Metrofiets Cargo Bikes are made by hand in the Pacific NW from aircraft grade steel, steel made in the U.S.A. Our unique geometry, light weight frame and 24 inch front wheel give our bikes a sporty, responsive ride while carrying up to 400 lbs/181kg rider/cargo. Yes, ALL Specialized bikes are made in Taiwan, although they charge you hard bucks for their sleds. The sad fact is that these counterfitters do not understand why and how to lay up the pre preg carbon materials to keep strength and integrity as it was designed. He loves everything about bikes and enjoys writing about them when he's not working, traveling or of course riding his bike. We all love bikes! Unlike other industry players who prefer to tweak stock factory frames, carbon fiber frame design, prototyping, and designing are done in-house by Orbea. 10.9K views If you are outside of the USA, contact the Specialized distributor in your region for specifics on how your region does business. By 1987, bikes were getting the boot from public lands. Not sure where we're going with this one, but back to the Taiwan thing. Thanks to SRAM, we got incredible access to their Taichung, Taiwan facility. Bicycle Universe is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Tseng would later develop his own welding robots to meet his production goals. Cindy Wang. At first, frames were made in California but in recent years, production has since been moved to Asia, by a Chinese company known as Martec. He came back selling hard-to-find Italian components and two years later launched a Specialized tire for the touring market. And, if the frame is not a tube and lug, it is almost certainly made in China or Taiwan. Most of their bikes are still hand-welded by top-welders and technicians though.. don't let "Taiwan" sound cheap to you. It doesn't have the aero shaping found on many modern road bikes. However, this should not come as a surprise given the low cost of labor that Asian countries offer companies. The cheaper ones are sometimes made in China. The Trek brand of bikes is a major industry player in the United States. Allied Cycle Works. Cannondale Bicycle Corporation is a US-based company that also forms part of the Dorel Industries- a Canadian conglomerate that supplies bikes. Sinyard started out importing Italian bike components that were difficult to find in the United States, but the company began to produce its own bike parts by 1976, starting with the Specialized Touring Tire. We sponsored the first industry-wide meeting on the subject, and some of our employees went to sit on IMBA’s board. Shop Now. About. The original Merida factory was organized after the Raleigh Nottingham factory as the company began by making Raleigh bikes for the North American market. And, if the frame is not a tube and lug, it is almost certainly made in China or Taiwan. Nowadays, the company has its headquarters in Kent, Washington, with production coming from Taiwan, Asia. Specialized bikes are a bit more expensive in general but often offer higher quality components at the top range. MORGAN HILL, Calif. (BRAIN) – Mike Sinyard was in his mid-20s when he founded Specialized Bicycle Components in 1974, selling his old Volkswagen van for $1,500 and leaving for Europe. Bicycle Universe is compensated for referring traffic and business to these sources. With the Aethos, Specialized wanted to produce a bike less concerned with competition. You will realize that the majority of bikes sold in the USA are produced in Taiwan and China by just a handful of manufacturers; Giant being the largest of them all. These companies were both in Japan and they were contracted to make frames in an effort to cut costs for Schwinn. Revered for being among the pioneers of carbon frames, Kestrel was the first company to produce non-lugged carbon frames in the 1980s. Not long ago, Raleigh was bought by a US management team led by an ex-Murray executive, Bill Austin from its U.K. owners. No one even mentioned that Specialized does not. After spending a number of years manufacturing its products in the US in its first manufacturing plant in Wisconsin, the company moved the production of entry and middle-level bikes to Asia. Where are specialized bikes manufactured? 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