Fairly sure this has been discussed before. Given the events in the USA since Trump was re-elected I am very reluctant to buy any components from companies based in the USA. I have run this past several of the innovators who were behind mountain biking as an activity and sport - the majority deplore Trump and don’t have an issue with this.
When I buy new components, accessories or clothing today - I actively avoid products from companies based in the USA.
It’s made a lot easier as the majority of my current component choices are from Canada, Europe and Japan.
I’ll be looking elsewhere for my next set of trail pads (Fox), Flat pedals (Crankbrothers).
Any suggestions?
Just to be the first to state the obvious..... Hope
Biggest issue for me is suspension - used Fox across most of my bikes for years now and Rock Shox before that. What else is there for sensible money (which rules out Intend for me!). Everything else - dead easy to source parts from UK, Europe, Far East etc with no involvement from the yanks.
Seems odd this. Most of the current component manufacturers were probably in business before Big T got into power & probably will be after he leaves. If you avoided all countries with disappointing current or past leadership, it would be slim pickings for sure.
Outlier pedals are brilliant, and Canadian
Biggest issue for me is suspension - used Fox across most of my bikes for years now and Rock Shox before that. What else is there for sensible money (which rules out Intend for me!). Everything else - dead easy to source parts from UK, Europe, Far East etc with no involvement from the yanks.
Formula? No idea what they're like tbh but they're Italian aren't they?
Biggest issue for me is suspension - used Fox across most of my bikes for years now and Rock Shox before that. What else is there for sensible money (which rules out Intend for me!). Everything else - dead easy to source parts from UK, Europe, Far East etc with no involvement from the yanks.
EXT and Formula are Italian
Biggest issue for me is suspension - used Fox across most of my bikes for years now and Rock Shox before that. What else is there for sensible money (which rules out Intend for me!). Everything else - dead easy to source parts from UK, Europe, Far East etc with no involvement from the yanks.
Öhlins?
Lots of ideas here: https://www.pinkbike.com/news/tags/the-european-bike-project/
Is it fair to boycott the companies who have built the sport that we participate in and probably hate the Mango Mussolini just as much as we do?
I'll still be buying Fox clothing because it's half price in Go Outdoors.
Suspension is easy. Ohlins is better than any Fox/RS kit I've ever had. I'd try Formula if I needed to but I won't be bike shopping for a while.
Biggest issue for me is suspension - used Fox across most of my bikes for years now and Rock Shox before that. What else is there for sensible money (which rules out Intend for me!).
Anything made in Europe will cost much more than something from a USA based brand manufacturing in China.
Burgtec are a UK brand? I'm a big fan of their stuff
I’m torn on this (although I have no purchases planned, so it doesn’t really matter right now)… take Chris King for example… few companies in the sport are as committed to “doing it right” in terms of valuing their staff, environmental impact, looking after customers long term… is avoiding them helping anyone?
When it comes to tourism, the numbers are obvious and sends a message… just don’t go.
When it comes to tech companies that are standing shoulder to shoulder with MAGA, avoid where you can.
When it comes to products from USA companies not supporting Trump, I’ll take it case by case myself.
Are Ohlins German? DT Swiss?.
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And to answer mos' point, I can kind of see where (s)he is coming from regarding 'collective punishment' for want of a better phrase, avoiding the 'good guys' as well as the obvious baddies. However, a lot of those will be publicly traded companies, or have publicly trading parent companies so the ownership really isn't clear cut. Moreover, the whole point, with a few blatant exceptions like Tesla where the known owner is a twunt, is to not put any more money than absolutely necessary into the US economy. The worse the economy as a whole does the less likely Vance is to get elected next time round (assuming Trump doesn't try to change the constitution and go for a third term or declare marshal law or something equally unusual) The average American needs to see that these policies do no good for them, so that they will vote for someone offering an alternative.
As an added bonus, whenever you don't buy something American and instead buy something British or Canadian or German or whatever you are helping support friendly nation's economies.
Individually this makes next to no difference. Collectively it will. If you want to feel like you've done something else buy a Hope Hun or whatever, then email Chris King and say 'I would have bought one of yours but I don't because of Trump's stance on Ukraine/Greenland/Gaza/etc, please mention this to your senator' If enough businesses are complaining to their senators or representatives that this is costing them then some political pressure may mount. This is more likely to be a factor if the Canadian government buys Grippens instead of F35s rather than me buying a Rental sten instead of a Thomson but every little helps. It's like being vegetarian, me not eating a sausage makes sod all difference, a million of us not eating beef can change a whole farming landscape.
A blanket boycott here makes no sense to me.
Boycott Spotify, Instagram and so on, that might be a drop now and it may just help the tide in the end. Boycotting big brands might relate to the general US economy but bike companies are tiny in all that.
Boycotting the smaller brand good guys who are already feeling the effects of tariffs and general downturns won't help though. If anything we should support the brands who are in support of change, they can vote and can make a difference, let them know why you're buying from them while you're at it. So maybe find out who you're buying from and what matters to them politically and then decide.
edit to add,
email Chris King and say 'I would have bought one of yours but I don't because of Trump's stance on Ukraine/Greenland/Gaza/etc, please mention this to your senator' If enough businesses are complaining to their senators or representatives that this is costing them then some political pressure may mount.
OK I see this angle, fair point - but I very much doubt that's how political influence in today's USA works. It's all well past that stage imo.
The bike brands aren't responsible for Trump's actions and policies. Plus all the parts you'd likely buy are already in stock with UK bike shops already.
But anyway...
Canadian brands OneUp and PNW both make decent flat pedals, along with bars, stems, droppers, grips etc.
For pads look at Bliss Protection, Bluegrass Protection, Dainese, Endura, IXS, POC et al.
Seems odd this. Most of the current component manufacturers were probably in business before Big T got into power & probably will be after he leaves. If you avoided all countries with disappointing current or past leadership, it would be slim pickings for sure.
Agree, I would have avoided UK made products for most of my life based on that...
Are Ohlins German?
Swedish. I go past their factory on my way into Stockholm on the E4.
Spotify are an oddity. Daniel Ek seems to have gone balls deep into the Tech Bro mindset from all the bad parts of the US tech scene. It miught be from here and have a large office here, but it does not represent Sweden. BUTT... Boycotting it is getting a lot of traction; I know a lot of people that are moving to Qubuz instead of it.
I know a lot of people that are moving to Qubuz instead of it.
I found Qobuz to be a less than joyful experience, Tidal is better (don't know or really care where they are based)
Said it before, but what does boycotting the little companies, whose employees probably voted against Trump, achieve?
Do we have to stop listening to American music? Watching American films? I guess if it makes you feel like you're taking some anti- Trump stance that'll change the world, go for it.
Canadian brands OneUp and PNW
OneUp is an interesting one… owned by Pon who are Netherlands based and own lots of big “USA bike brands”, like Santa Cruz, Cannondale etc… how does all that international context effect purchasing/boycott decisions?
PNW are Washington State, USA.
I'm going to boycott Spotify as soon as I can figure out how to do so, but not because of Trump but because it's so awful these days.
Anyway, SRAM are out then, so only Shimano groupsets? Or maybe we need to form Single Speeders For Democracy!
Formula - Italian Don’t they have a fascist in charge too?
Said it before, but what does boycotting the little companies, whose employees probably voted against Trump, achieve?
As I see it
.The worse the economy as a whole does the less likely Vance is to get elected next time round
and by buying British or Canadian or whatever else, you are supporting people who _definitely_ didn't vote for Trump
Said it before, but what does boycotting the little companies, whose employees probably voted against Trump, achieve?
removes money from the US economy which is the aim of any boycott.
lots of mental gymnastics going on on this thread.to make folk think its ok to continue to support the US
Who remembers when Hope were on the news in the run up to Brexit? They were talking about what incredible opportunity it was to take our country back etc. All the individual members of staff interviewed said they were voting leave.
Did any remainers see it and boycott them?
Said it before, but what does boycotting the little companies, whose employees probably voted against Trump, achieve?
I understand this perspective - however there are less ‘little companies’ than you might imagine. So many have either gone out of business or been acquired into a larger conglomerate.
Whilst I am sure that larger companies wont be harmed by my abandonment of their products:
- SRAM
- Rockshox
- Fox Racing Shox
- Fox Racing (Clothing)
- Giro/Bell
That’s not what I am looking to do. I just need to look myself in the mirror every day and feel in my small way I am not putting money into the USA economy through discretionary purchases.
Maybe we should just make a list of all the companies we are boycotting, regardless of sector, and publish it here. We could make it a competition to see who has the biggest list.
Did any remainers see it and boycott them?
Didn't see it but now they're off the discretionary purchase list, will that do?
We could make it a competition to see who has the biggest list.
I don’t reckon there would be many surprises.
lots of mental gymnastics going on on this thread.to make folk think its ok to continue to support the US
Or grown ups making their own decisions where they want to buy stuff from.
Or in my case, not caring less
Don't let perfect be the enemy of good, I believe the saying goes
Sure, anyone can point out holes in any of the above plans (and in the grand scheme of it, I doubt it will make an near-term difference to DJT's attitude) but it sends a message. And I say that as someone who bought a bike with full SRAM drivetrain fairly recently 😕
Now, if anyone knows which bike-adjacent brands actively campaigned for, or financially contributed to each of the political parties, then that might be more useful. Id happily spend money on US brands which supported the Democrats (though even that isn't perfect if the majority of the workforce voted Republican!)
For my part, USA is most definitely off my travel radar (and I say that as someone who used to travel there extensively). Which is kinda disappointing but I'll spend my money in Canada or Europe instead
So why would you want to buy American when there are perfectly good British, Canadian, European or Japanese alternatives?
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Serious question @tafkaSTR, where do you actually draw the line? Do you for instance buy Israeli products at your local supermarket? Are you happy to keep using Russian oil? Items made by children in Vietnam or tested on animals? Not trying to get at you, just wondering if any of the above lead you to boycott products, and if not why not, but if you do avoid the above then why do you see American products differently?
Serious question @tafkaSTR, where do you actually draw the line? Do you for instance buy Israeli products at your local supermarket? Are you happy to keep using Russian oil? Items made by children in Vietnam or tested on animals? Not trying to get at you, just wondering if any of the above lead you to boycott products, and if not why not, but if you do avoid the above then why do you see American products differently?
I don't give a second thought to where something is made to be honest. But then all my food, clothes, bike stuff, cars, tech are all just mainstream brands off the top of my head. Probably the biggest thought process would be not buying cheap Chinese tat but that's all
Does it not bother you at all?
Or is just too much effort to work out where things are from, which company owns which other company and where the money actually goes? That can be a right ball ache to figure out sometimes
Not trying to pick on you, I'm far from perfect, there's still some American companies I'm using because I've not yet found a viable alternative (anyone suggest something to use instead of MasterCard as an example? I'm using more cash but that's not practical for everything)
I have two pairs of BOS forks and two rear shocks. All have been superb.
Have a pair of Ohlins RFX36 forks and two rear shocks - TTX22. Again excellent.
Would have no issues buying them again. From a good friend I have heard great things about his EXT forks and shock. They could also be a consideration.
Biggest issue for me is suspension - used Fox across most of my bikes for years now and Rock Shox before that…
But so are the non-American ones. And when the shops come to reorder surely they will be reordering their best selling items, which we should be trying to ensure are from elsewhere?. Plus all the parts you'd likely buy are already in stock with UK bike shops already.
Biggest issue for me is suspension - used Fox across most of my bikes for years now and Rock Shox before that. What else is there for sensible money (which rules out Intend for me!). Everything else - dead easy to source parts from UK, Europe, Far East etc with no involvement from the yanks.
X Fusion, Suntour both make high end suspension Taiwan... a bit harder to source parts, but X Fusion's Roughcut damper as an example needs less maintenance than competitors.
Add in Ohlins (also made in Taiwan i believe), Formula, EXT, Intend from Germany, you've probably got more options from outside America than inside... it's just they've managed to get market share.
Formula - Italian Don’t they have a fascist in charge too?
Yeah, but when they make a speech, we can't understand what they're saying ... oh, hang on.
Not knocking the OP's intentions, someone prepared to align there hard earned with their principles is good, but....
Is this not all in vain when aligned against spending your money with Amazon, Netflix, Microsoft, Apple, Google etc (hard to avoid all of of those last 3 named) but the biggie has to be your hard earned taxes buying US defence products - F35B, Trident etc Surely thats where the real "evil" is done?
Not a US based bike manufacturer who manufactures the majority of their product in Taiwan?
Not a dig per se...
Is this not all in vain when aligned against spending your money with Amazon, Netflix, Microsoft, Apple, Google etc (hard to avoid all of of those last 3 named) but the biggie has to be your hard earned taxes buying US defence products - F35B, Trident etc Surely thats where the real "evil" is done?
Thats the tricky question. Many bike companies are probably far from the centre of evil and their employees are possibly less likely to be “republicans”.
But if you were in the position to allow yourself to not buy a product or service from a hostile country, why would you choose the product from the hostile country?
I saw a meme earlier today thst said that the USA isnt the way it is because they voted for trump, they voted for trump because that is the way tbe USA is. I think this idea is something that may be a bit of a shock a lot of Americans and they are the people that need to change my mind.
I saw a meme earlier today thst said that the USA isnt the way it is because they voted for trump, they voted for trump because that is the way tbe USA is.
This.
I've met plenty of the 'good' Americans who, when you start talking to them, have some not so good views on a range of issues. Although it should be said I've met a fair number of 'good' Americans who are actually pretty decent people.
Personally I'm trying to avoid American products whenever I can. I'm not 100% boycotting (because as others have said that is almost impossible) but whenever I have a choice (and I remember) I check and see if one of my options doesn't involve sending money to the US.
Bike related stuff is one of the easier categories of product I regularly buy where I can take the time to check the country of origin and not buy American.
Having previously used both Giro and Camelback products, I decided I wouldn't again after finding out about links to the NRA but to be honest I don't know if that's still the case .
Following most bike companies on SM, you quickly get a sense of their allegiances. Most of the, non global mega corp, ones that are abhorred by what’s happening say so, the MAGAs throw their toys out the pram, life goes on. I’m happy buying from smaller brands, as bike people tend to be good people. For the others, it’s not ideal, it’s a consideration and I’ll try to buy elsewhere but there are far worse bike/bike adjacent companies doing far worse things elsewhere in the world than just being in America at the moment
I said this before about those knock off Lewis brakes - as consumers you should already be supporting home grown manufacturing*. Money being spent with Hope etc puts taxes into the economy, money into local workers pockets and even Brenda at the Barnoldswick bacon butty shop gets her cut of it.
*im not a Union Jack flag shagger but I work in UK manufacturing/engineering and see the spread a single company has in the local economy.
