Planning on buying a new bike? Act soon
#26
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#27
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I was thinking of buying a new bike, looking at a Trek Domane. If I don't buy right now am I going to pay a premium so that Trek can pay the US tariff tax? Should I be looking at a European brand instead? I know that Allied (owned by the Wallmart folks) makes it's bikes in the US but really has a premium price tag with little if any LBS support. Any thoughts? Maybe just keep what I have.
#28
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This is an excellent summery of the situation. My company uses imported bearing steel, which is no longer made by anyone in the United States. Imported "bar stock" steel was hit with a 25% tariff this summer. The steel contributes 30% to the cost of the finished product. This created an instant 7% price increase on product coming out of our factory in Indiana. We also import nearly identical products from Japan. Finished product from Japan was not effected. Imported Japanese product did not get the same price bump, but prices will go up.
Well, here is another summary. My company has a product built in China, shipped here and sold here. With the 25% we are no longer competitive cost wise and my company is thinking of moving the production of that machine back to the U.S. or to the home base facility in Europe. No decision yet, but if they move it back to the U.S. because of the 25%, that means more jobs in our facility. So, it works both ways. Right now, we are busting at the seams. Our problem is finding sheet metal vendors that can make our parts. All of our Vendors are slammed with work which translates to at least a 12 week lead time on just getting sheet metal parts.
john
#29
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Of course, you mentioned the Trek Domane, a top quality bike. If you were thinking about buying a Huffy from Walmart, yeah that sucker's 100% Chinese and it's going up 10% right now and 25% January 1.
Should I be looking at a European brand instead?
Last edited by tcs; 09-26-18 at 03:27 PM.
#30
Senior Member
I just spoke with local Trek dealer and after first round of tariffs, depending on the Trek bike, retail prices have been increased between 5% and 10%. This, of course, is before the 25% tariff increase that is expected to take place in January.
#31
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It takes a couple years to compile the data, so all this is a few years behind 'right now':
95% or 99% of bicycles sold in the USA are imported. About 94% of bicycles imported into the USA come from either China or Taiwan.
USA domestic bicycle manufacturing is either 'boutique' craft makers, specialty firms like Worksman (industrial) and BikeFriday (travel) or a small effort by Kent/Bicycle Corporation of America to assemble imported parts onto imported frames.
Unlike the USA, in the EU roughly 2/3rds of bicycles sold are produced in member countries.
Bicycles manufactured in China and imported into the EU are burdened with a 48.5% 'dumping' tariff and a 14% import tariff.
95% or 99% of bicycles sold in the USA are imported. About 94% of bicycles imported into the USA come from either China or Taiwan.
USA domestic bicycle manufacturing is either 'boutique' craft makers, specialty firms like Worksman (industrial) and BikeFriday (travel) or a small effort by Kent/Bicycle Corporation of America to assemble imported parts onto imported frames.
Unlike the USA, in the EU roughly 2/3rds of bicycles sold are produced in member countries.
Bicycles manufactured in China and imported into the EU are burdened with a 48.5% 'dumping' tariff and a 14% import tariff.
Last edited by tcs; 10-11-18 at 01:13 PM.
#32
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#33
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Actually, very little. It's estimated in one of those reports I linked that out of a total annual EU market of ~20,000,000, only ~80,000 bikes/year are manufactured in the UK: niche firms Brompton, Pashley and Alex Moulton, some children's bikes made in Wales and the craft, bespoke builders.
Brompton says they export 80% of their production. The EU is a major market for Brompton, and if there's a 'hard' Brexit with tariffs & quotas as a warning to other member nations thinking about leaving, it would surely impact that company's bottom line. Brompton has announced plans for a major sales/marketing expansion into China, where they'll find at least (IIRC) seven other companies already offering folding bikes based on Andrew Ritchie's brilliant, patent-expired folding design at various price points and quality levels. One of these bikes, the Dahon Curl, is already provided to the EU market out of another of Dahon's factories, in Taiwan (which is in this context, as we have discussed, not China).
Brompton says they export 80% of their production. The EU is a major market for Brompton, and if there's a 'hard' Brexit with tariffs & quotas as a warning to other member nations thinking about leaving, it would surely impact that company's bottom line. Brompton has announced plans for a major sales/marketing expansion into China, where they'll find at least (IIRC) seven other companies already offering folding bikes based on Andrew Ritchie's brilliant, patent-expired folding design at various price points and quality levels. One of these bikes, the Dahon Curl, is already provided to the EU market out of another of Dahon's factories, in Taiwan (which is in this context, as we have discussed, not China).
#34
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Well, I guess I'll be following my own advice. October is always a great time to find close-outs and I'll be getting my first race-worthy bike with electronic shifting this month.
#35
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I went on a ride with my Congressman's district office director a couple of months ago. The other rider runs a shop that only sells e-bikes and was very concerned with the impending tariffs. I don't know where his estimate comes from, but he thought that he was looking at a 25% price increase.
This is a real shame. My city used to be a leader in bike use, but has fallen on hard times and is on track to have no cyclists left after 2024 if trends continue. However, the majority of the bikes I see during the day these past couple of months have been new riders on e-bikes. I was really hoping these things would help lead a resurgence in cycling locally. They may still do it, but as the price for a decent e-bike jumps up over $2k, that's going to slow things down a bit.
This is a real shame. My city used to be a leader in bike use, but has fallen on hard times and is on track to have no cyclists left after 2024 if trends continue. However, the majority of the bikes I see during the day these past couple of months have been new riders on e-bikes. I was really hoping these things would help lead a resurgence in cycling locally. They may still do it, but as the price for a decent e-bike jumps up over $2k, that's going to slow things down a bit.
#36
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Don't need any new bikes. Hope it stays that way.
#37
Senior Member
No real need to buy China bikes
214 USA made Bicycles & this list is growing
https://usamadeproducts.biz/vehicles-bicycles.html
Lynskeyperformance.com
A good one
My Rove frame made in USA,
Lowest unemployment rate in decades.
7.1 million US job openings
#39
Senior Member
well
the thousands of US workers employed by the above companies believe they are.
I have no reason to disagree with them.
I believe bikes made in the USA are of the highest quality.
IMO , yes, better than China.
the thousands of US workers employed by the above companies believe they are.
I have no reason to disagree with them.
I believe bikes made in the USA are of the highest quality.
IMO , yes, better than China.
#40
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I only know of a couple of what I think are 100% US manufactured bicycles. (When I suggested one to a fellow looking for an 'American bike' on this list a few years back, I got a profane reply!)
Other so-called US made bicycles are US frames assembled into rideable vehicles with imported parts. Often the value of the parts exceeds the value of the domestic content.
Well, go down to your local Walmart, inspect a BCA bike and if you think so, buy one!
Other so-called US made bicycles are US frames assembled into rideable vehicles with imported parts. Often the value of the parts exceeds the value of the domestic content.
Are USA made bikes and accessories of better quality than China made?
#41
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No real need to buy China bikes
214 USA made Bicycles & this list is growing
https://usamadeproducts.biz/vehicles-bicycles.html
Frame designed and welded, and bike built up, 12 miles from my house. Hubs, headset and cages made in the U.S. Rode it home from the shop.
#42
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Pardon the aside, but can you tell me more about that? How has your town fallen on hard times and what effect does that have on cycling?
#43
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This isn't happening in other cities near us. Portland is sitting flat at 6.3% and Corvallis is continuing its rise and is now up over 13%, so it's not the weather, gas prices or the economy, which we share with those other two. Eugene is doing something(s) different than other places that isn't working as intended and I'm kind of on a mission to figure this out. The leading candidate is official city fear messaging. Perversely, Eugene sends people out to targeted neighborhoods to chat face-to-face and then does a closed street event where cars aren't allowed for a few hours on a Sunday in that neighborhood. Cycling rates drop substantially in those neighborhoods almost every time they do this.
I'm really hoping e-bikes will save the day here. I'm seeing boatloads of new riders on them. I'd rather never figure out what is going wrong here and have it self-correct than figure it out only to find myself riding in a city that doesn't have any other people on bikes.
#44
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Eugene has been seeing a remarkable decline in bicycle use over the past six years, that's what I meant by hard times. (Though like any other city we have our issues, with affordable housing being right at the top.) If you look up Eugene's bicycle commuter numbers on the US Census American Community Survey, you will see that cycling here was humming along with an increasing trend from 2005-2012. Since then, we've seen an epic collapse. (The high was actually 2009 at 10.8%; the low is the most recent year, 2017, at 4.4%). The data since 2012 matches tightly with the best fit line and projects zero cyclists by sometime in 2024.
This isn't happening in other cities near us. Portland is sitting flat at 6.3% and Corvallis is continuing its rise and is now up over 13%, so it's not the weather, gas prices or the economy, which we share with those other two. Eugene is doing something(s) different than other places that isn't working as intended and I'm kind of on a mission to figure this out. The leading candidate is official city fear messaging. Perversely, Eugene sends people out to targeted neighborhoods to chat face-to-face and then does a closed street event where cars aren't allowed for a few hours on a Sunday in that neighborhood. Cycling rates drop substantially in those neighborhoods almost every time they do this.
I'm really hoping e-bikes will save the day here. I'm seeing boatloads of new riders on them. I'd rather never figure out what is going wrong here and have it self-correct than figure it out only to find myself riding in a city that doesn't have any other people on bikes.
This isn't happening in other cities near us. Portland is sitting flat at 6.3% and Corvallis is continuing its rise and is now up over 13%, so it's not the weather, gas prices or the economy, which we share with those other two. Eugene is doing something(s) different than other places that isn't working as intended and I'm kind of on a mission to figure this out. The leading candidate is official city fear messaging. Perversely, Eugene sends people out to targeted neighborhoods to chat face-to-face and then does a closed street event where cars aren't allowed for a few hours on a Sunday in that neighborhood. Cycling rates drop substantially in those neighborhoods almost every time they do this.
I'm really hoping e-bikes will save the day here. I'm seeing boatloads of new riders on them. I'd rather never figure out what is going wrong here and have it self-correct than figure it out only to find myself riding in a city that doesn't have any other people on bikes.