By mainstream I mean really mainstream, not jones and the like.
So far I can only think of a few :
santa cruz
intense
orange
nicolaï
Foes
rocky mountain (albeit only on the top of the range)
home bicycle
I can’t think of other companies ot the moment

Can you?

Are those really that “mainstream”, though? Nicolai, for example. Mainstream? Really?

Santa Cruz are made in Taiwan and China, add Rocky Mountain to this list….

Well niclaï is imported in several countries, have a few models covering most of mtbing practices.

Aren’t santacruz made in the US then?
And I know entry and mid range rocky are made in the far east, but AFAIK the RMX is still made in BC, or am I wrong?

Morewood? Still handmade in South Africa I think.

Most Oranges are made in the far east, if that matters.

TBH the far east has some of the best welders in the world, so I have no problems what so ever with it

Only the ‘folded’ oranges are made in halifax.
Santa Cruz used to to make the VPP bikes in the US but its all Taiwan now.
Turner,Ellsworth and Titus are made in the US but with Sapa closing their bike arm (they produce the vast majority of US made frames) a few other will go east aswell.
Cove are made in Canadia.

tazzymtb I have no problem with far east bike and never said I had, just being curious 😉

Trek still make the high end carbon bikes in the US.

Brompton and Pashley – made in England.

Nicolai make about 2000 frames a year; hope that doesn’t make them mainstream!

Devinci are probably the biggest manufacturer still making in their home country of Canada.

Time and Look still made in France. Quite a few other higher end (not mainstream probably) road bikes too.

geetee1972 – Member

Nicolai make about 2000 frames a year; hope that doesn’t make them mainstream!

Pretty mainstream in the SE of the UK though! 😉

None of those braynds are ‘mainstream’.

Most of them are grossly overpriced in genuine comparison to just as good Far Eastern stuff.

Some of them aren’t as good as Far Eastern made bikes.

Raleigh? It’s been a while since they were so mainstream that every kid in Britain had a Grifter, Chopper or Burner, but don’t they still make road bikes and have a factory in Nottingham?

Moulton?

Raliegh have a warehouse in Nottingham (just off Church St, Eastwood), but haven’t manufactures bikes there for a long while.

Time and Look still made in France

Look made in Tunisia IIRC.

Andy

Yep as Shaggy says, OCLV Treks are still made in Wisconsin.

I’d say theyre the only mainstream brand mentioned! You’ll upset a lot of people by suggesting those others are mainstream!

I’d say theyre the only mainstream brand mentioned! You’ll upset a lot of people by suggesting those others are mainstream!

Exactly!

Pretty mainstream in the SE of the UK though!

Exactly!

Accrington Stanley….Who are they?

Exactly!

I have a 2012 OCLV Remedy 9.8 and it had a made in Taiwan sticker on it. It does have “designed in Wisconsin” on it though.

BMC carbon frames, Swiss made, Swiss prices

Orbea – made in thpain no? 😐

the carbon frames at least?

why are people bothered? Taiwan is the centre of the bike industry in terms of manufacture – because they are good at it…

though bet the profits stay more with the designers in their own countries… though

I have a 2012 OCLV Remedy 9.8 and it had a made in Taiwan sticker on it. It does have “designed in Wisconsin” on it though.

That’s interesting, perhaps even they have changed now then. They were pretty open about the fact the Taiwanese really were no worse than the US, it was purely a status thing that some idiots care about!

Ah well Trek have changed their naming conventions – it’s all OCLV now! Madone 3 series use OCLV 300 then goes up to OCLV 700. I think both OCLV 600 and 700 bikes are made in Waterloo.

colnago still make the master in Italy.
Time are still handmade in France.

Peoples Definition of “mainstream” seems a bit off TBH.

Brands like Trek, Giant, Specialized, Boardman, GT, Kona, etc probably qualify.
I reckon a “mainstream” bike company should have at least 3 complete bikes under £600 in their range these days (feel free to disagree).

Of those listed so far it appears the only frames made on home turf tend to be the not so mainstream higher price point fancy bollocks ones.

Western manufacturing is generally too expensive for most westerners to want to pay for it… discuss?

Santa Cruz frames are made in the far east, but are finished off (hardware, paint, decals) local to Santa Cruz, California

I reckon a “mainstream” bike company should have at least 3 complete bikes under £600 in their range these days (feel free to disagree).

Well it’s about sales volume not price IMO.

Well it’s about sales volume not price IMO.

+1, although they’ll generally go hand in hand.

Ah well Trek have changed their naming conventions – it’s all OCLV now! Madone 3 series use OCLV 300 then goes up to OCLV 700. I think both OCLV 600 and 700 bikes are made in Waterloo.

I’d have expected a Remedy 9.8 to be one of the top ones though.

why are people bothered? Taiwan is the centre of the bike industry in terms of manufacture – because they are good at it…

though bet the profits stay more with the designers in their own countries… though
Exactly. Generally speaking a Taiwanese bike will be better made for the same money than a European/US one. Having said that I do like to buy from British companies so out of the two bikes I’ve bought new one was a Whyte and the other a Genesis (both UK companies but made in Taiwan AFAIK).

Well it’s about sales volume not price IMO.

Indeed that’s where the “Stack em high sell em cheap” model comes into play, what sort of Volume of sales do Trek see for £3k+ MAMIL machines Vs £300 commuters?

Doesn’t most of their turnover comes from the cheaper end of the range?

Companies like Santa Cruz don’t really operate in that cost driven market, or in high volumes, and as such they can’t really be called mainstream…

It’s a bit like comparing Ford with Ferrari:
Yes they both make cars, both invest in motorsport, ford even make a model or two in a similar price range to some Ferraris but I doubt you’d ever call Ferrari a “mainstream” car manufacturer….

*All IMO of course…

Yeah but I’m sure we could naem a few niche low price manufacturers – are they mainsteam?

Where are Cannondale made these days?

Bianchi and look?

Niche – low price?

It’s all relative, I guess that covers your DMRs and On-Ones doesn’t it, only they don’t really do complete builds in the same price range that “Mr Average” would be willing to pay do they?

Not mainstream, more targeted at a very specific minority, people who are seriously into certain types of cycling but not looking to spend the huge sums normally associated with the sport, but still willing to spend a bit more than most people would on a push bike…

Like mudshark said it’s about sales volumes, but that is tied up with finding the biggest market and hitting the price they are willing to pay, and the STW concept of the “mainsteam” or “average” bicycle purchaser is a good £400+ over the mark… We’re talking “BSO” territory.

If it helps, I have a Marin frame that’s designed in the UK for an American company, built in Taiwan using imported aluminium which probably originates from Australia or China. The forks were assembled in Germany, the rims are French made, the brakes/hubs/headset in Barnoldswick, the gears from Japan/Taiwan and the rear shock from the US. It’s all globalisation innnit.

Let’s not forget that a £2.5k Marin full suss is hardly mainstream when you consider that the majority of bikes sold in the UK are BSO types.

[edit] By “mainstream”, most of the people who consult my advice on bike buying tend to have a budget limit of £250…