[Closed] Full sus bikes not made in Taiwan

Titus went Taiwan several years ago.

Trek make some of their OCLV frames in the US. The Top Fuel/Fuel Ex/Remedy 9.9s certainly are, and I think the 9.8s are too.

The Taiwanese made frames are often better quality!

Chumba?

Apollo?

Titus brought production back to the US. Certainly my Motolite is US made 2008/9 model.

I'll keep editing the initial post.
I didn't know about Trek and OCLV - that's interesting, especially as some companies go to taiwan ONLY for their carbon models.

Chumba?

Taiwan.

ChunkyMTB - I was surprised to learn that Chumba were taiwanese made.

Arent Chumbas something made in someones bowels?

I don't really have a problem with bikes made in Taiwan/China

I'm not sure I'd put Taiwan and China together.

In my limited understanding of the industry, Taiwan has innovated and developed some of the best bike manufacturing facilities and processes in the world.

China copies what sells.

Orange aren't made in the UK are they?

moots
misfit psycles - EDIT sorry HT only!

Devinci

Chumba frames are mainly made in Taiwan, though custom stuff is made in the US factory by Ted Tanouye, the original Chumba owner/founder. Ted reckons the Taiwanese work is among the best in the world.

Cove? Don't they make some of their bikes in Canada/US?

Alan from Chumba is the new Tony Ellsworth.

Just looking up Devinci - their prices seem to reasonable to be Canada made, but they seem to be. hopefully it doesn't just mean assembled!

Nope made in Canada, they used to make the evil imperial hardtails too.

hmmm - looks like I can't edit the original post any more (three strikes and I'm out).

[b]Moots[/b] - I didn't realise they did more than softtails - shame on me!
[b]Cove[/b] - The Shocker, STD, Hustler, Hooker, Foreplay, G-spot and Stiffee are all welded in Canada!

I know some companies get the frames cut and tacked in Taiwan just to weld them in the US - so that they can say that, but it's very hard to get info on that.

Seems funny that some of the brands mentioned have a really high sticker price.
I wonder what the true factory gate prices are???

[b]Devinci[/b] (vague on models - a few sources claim it's only some but all the full suss bikes I clicked on said (made in Canada)

I wonder what the true factory gate prices are???

Not as low as you would think. I think one of the main reasons behind using Taiwanese factories is the expertise the Taiwanese now have with all sorts of tube manipulation and welding, no where else comes close to being able to offer the manufactures what they want/need.

I could be wrong, but i would say most non Taiwanese made frames have a distinct lack of hydroformed type tubes (for good or bad) and tend to stick with off the shelf type tube sets such as Easton etc.

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Made in South Africa.

[b]Morewood[/b] (made in South Africa)

Cool - I didn't know that, thanks andylux - I've just been reading the WMB 'bike of the year' test and they marked it down for value without mentioning this fact! I just want to make informed decisions.

Just out of interest, why does it matter to you if the frame is made in SA or not?

Litespeed Sewanee too.

I wonder what the true factory gate prices are

I think you would have to allow for economies of scale as well. Specialized and Trek will be spreading their R+D, Marketing, Tooling and Sponsorship across a lot more bikes than the boutique brands.

Morewood,

The town in SA where Morewoods are made (Pietermaritzburg) is the same place that the metal is mined out of ground and then turned into tubes etc.

The town in SA where Morewoods are made (Pietermaritzburg) is the same place that the metal is mined out of ground and then turned into tubes etc.

Top fact, i like that!

Si: Well - it might not. But I like to know. Once we know we can make an informed decision.

For me personally, I'm passionate about bikes (not just riding) and I think if someone's taking the hard route and finding ways to make bikes locally (SA is local to Morewood) then I find it interesting. Same with Orange. It clearly affects their pricing and they have a certain aesthetic (which I don't currently like) but I really admire them for doing it. And, if I bought a bike from them I would take pride in that fact.
Some of the US companies mentioned above make their own stuff in-house and have all sorts of problems (supply/quality/etc) but they're living their dream. I can identify with their goals.

I also really identified with Paul Turner wanting to outsource Maverick to taiwan because his designs when manufactured in the US resulted in a high reject and failure rate.

I can also relate to Brant sitting in his shed making use of global sourcing to deliver niche bikes at affordable prices.

I like these stories and they add something to a purchase for me when it's something as soulful and pleasurable as a bike.

AlexSimon, point well made, thanks!

andylux - yes that is a top fact. Nice one.

go to halfords and you'll find a few

they moved apollo production to bangladesh

ps, i really like the Morewood, if i wasn't the Chumba Distributor that's what i would be riding!

Just out of interest, why does it matter to you if the frame is made in SA or not?

Again, it's very debatable whether it matters or not in the end. But if you take Orange, there's something kind of cool about the fact that they just weld a bike up one afternoon and take it for a spin to see how it goes. It might not be the ideal way of doing things these days but they resisted the temptation to sell out on the back of Peaty's success, they carry on doing it their way, there's no doubt the end result is good - it's admirable and fun if nothing else!

Merlin(Ti)assuming they still make an xc f/s
Litespeed
Rocky Mountain (?) Please cofirm...
Some Canondales (?)

I must admit that the idea of buying a bike using components made in Europe appeals to me more than something made in Asia, even doing so is almost impossible.
Western Europe has outsourced its industries to the point where the skills are no longer handed down through the generations. I feel that it is a trend that needs reversing.

As I understand it, the monocoque Orange frames are made in the UK, all the others in the far east.

[b]Merlin 525[/b] (they only seem to do one hardtail and one f/s)
[b]Litespeed Sewanee[/b]

Scruzer - thanks for that. I clicked on a few bikes on the Rocky Mountain site and couldn't find any that said made in canada.
Cannondale - it seems they are in the process of moving all production overseas by 2011. It's tricky to find details on the MTBs so it's possible it's already moved.

pedalhead - are all Orange's full suss bikes considered monocoque? Or do they get round tubed main triangles made in Taiwan and just make the swingarms on some?

all orange bike's are made in halifax are they not,
they have a badge that says so and everything!

I'm not 100% on this, but I understand from previous discussions I've had on the Internets (so it must be true) that the Orange hardtails are made in the far east (except the Miii, which is monocoque), along with the non-monocoque FS frames. If I had to guess, I'd say the ST4 and the Blood might fall into the latter category, but I'm happy to be corrected if anyone knows for sure.

" Taiwanese factories is the expertise the Taiwanese now have with all sorts of tube manipulation"

To the point that some frames are manipulated in Taiwan and welded in ..... well a lot nearer home.

The Orange UK thing should be a sticky thread as it comes up every other week:

DaveFlynn2 - Member

All full suspension models are made in the UK. The majority of hardtails are taiwanese. The MIII is still UK made.

I have no problem with far east made frames. The thing is, they're made in the far east for cost reasons so I wouldn't pay a boutique price for a frame made out there. I put a value in having a bike being crafted by someone who actually rides and loves bikes, rather than a production line where each person does one weld and passes ie on. Many don't care about this, and I don't think the actual products are any less of a quality, but should be cheaper.