USA made components?
10-30-19, 05:46 PM
#1
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USA made components?
The USA has had some great frame builders, and had a great tube-set maker in True temper, but are there any USA made road bike components? Like can you outfit your Chicago Paramount with US components?
maybe some BMX and MTB parts.. but road? can it even be done?
maybe some BMX and MTB parts.. but road? can it even be done?
Last edited by jetboy; 10-30-19 at 06:58 PM.
10-30-19, 05:54 PM
#2
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There are or were a few cantilever brakes but some, like Pauls, were real spendy. I think Pauls was the only rear derailleur made in the US but I think it still needed shipmano shifters.
There were various cranks, headsets and hubs but by the time you bought all that you could have bought a nice VGC C-record group.
There were various cranks, headsets and hubs but by the time you bought all that you could have bought a nice VGC C-record group.
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“One morning you wake up, the girl is gone, the bikes are gone, all that's left behind is a pair of old tires and a tube of tubular glue, all squeezed out"
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“One morning you wake up, the girl is gone, the bikes are gone, all that's left behind is a pair of old tires and a tube of tubular glue, all squeezed out"
Sugar "Kane" Kowalczyk
10-30-19, 05:57 PM
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Jim Blackburn (racks & cages)
Phil Wood (Phil hubs)
Matrix (in house Trek rims)
Sun rims (early)
American Classic (hubs & seat posts)
I’m sure there’s more, but that’s all I can recall at the moment aside from makers of panniers & such.
Phil Wood (Phil hubs)
Matrix (in house Trek rims)
Sun rims (early)
American Classic (hubs & seat posts)
I’m sure there’s more, but that’s all I can recall at the moment aside from makers of panniers & such.
Last edited by deux jambes; 10-30-19 at 06:01 PM.
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10-30-19, 05:59 PM
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Avocet did for a while.
Excel
Hi-E
Sun
Not strictly C&V, but White Industries still do
Excel
Hi-E
Sun
Not strictly C&V, but White Industries still do
Last edited by P!N20; 10-30-19 at 06:08 PM.
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10-30-19, 06:13 PM
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10-30-19, 06:17 PM
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Dunno, just going off Velobase:
In its early days Avocet was driven by the dream of producing "Made in the USA" bicycle components. They developed a line of super-quality hubsets, headsets and bottom brackets. They also built a large saddle factory. Unfortunately, foreign competition made these ventures uneconomic and the saddle factory moved offshore. Only Avocet cyclometers were now made in the USA.
10-30-19, 06:19 PM
#8
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Thread Starter
Yeah I had some Avocet cranks but they were Ofmega (and awesome so thanks.. but). I do swear by my Avocet saddles- their touring series is the best. but not even sure they were really USA.
Like has anyone in the US ever even engineered and marketed a FD? I have no idea.. thus the ask.
Like has anyone in the US ever even engineered and marketed a FD? I have no idea.. thus the ask.
10-30-19, 06:30 PM
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As far as in production currently:
Brakes - Paul makes centerpull, V, canti, and disc brakes
Stems - Paul, Thomson, Moots, Industry 9, Enve (threadless only)
Seatposts - Paul, Thomson, Moots, Enve
Seat collars - Paul, Thomson, Phil
Headsets: White Industries, Phil, Chris King, Cane Creek
Hubs: Paul (SS only), White Industries, Chris King, Industry 9, Profile Racing
Rims: Velocity, White Industries, Enve
Saddles: Selle Anatomica
Handlebars: Enve and Thomson do drop bars
Cranks: Paul, Phil, White Industries, Profile Racing
Tires, pedals, quill stems, chains, derailleurs, and drop bar levers are missing
Brakes - Paul makes centerpull, V, canti, and disc brakes
Stems - Paul, Thomson, Moots, Industry 9, Enve (threadless only)
Seatposts - Paul, Thomson, Moots, Enve
Seat collars - Paul, Thomson, Phil
Headsets: White Industries, Phil, Chris King, Cane Creek
Hubs: Paul (SS only), White Industries, Chris King, Industry 9, Profile Racing
Rims: Velocity, White Industries, Enve
Saddles: Selle Anatomica
Handlebars: Enve and Thomson do drop bars
Cranks: Paul, Phil, White Industries, Profile Racing
Tires, pedals, quill stems, chains, derailleurs, and drop bar levers are missing
Last edited by TenGrainBread; 10-30-19 at 06:36 PM.
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10-30-19, 06:31 PM
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Paul had a few years of front and rear derailleurs CNCd in California (Powerglide). During the early 90s there were probably a couple other boutique CNC machinists with derailleurs.
10-30-19, 06:52 PM
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Forgot the original Weyless
Seat post, hubs and skewers, pedals.
Pino- bottom bracket, skewers, seatpost, stems.
Paul Components for brakes & levers, aside from the Phil disc.
Paul for derailleurs.
Going to be short of a full ensemble. Well, Schwinn did make stem shifters... Wald bars and stems.
Seat post, hubs and skewers, pedals.
Pino- bottom bracket, skewers, seatpost, stems.
Paul Components for brakes & levers, aside from the Phil disc.
Paul for derailleurs.
Going to be short of a full ensemble. Well, Schwinn did make stem shifters... Wald bars and stems.
10-30-19, 07:26 PM
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Gotta throw in a mention for my buddy.
https://wickwerks.com/
I've got his rings on a couple of my bikes. They really do work amazingly well. The upshift is instantaneous!
And some girl named Katie Compton sure seems to love his rings too.
The owner Chris is a straight up awesome dude and has had a hand in sorting out several of my bikes for me.
https://wickwerks.com/
I've got his rings on a couple of my bikes. They really do work amazingly well. The upshift is instantaneous!
And some girl named Katie Compton sure seems to love his rings too.
The owner Chris is a straight up awesome dude and has had a hand in sorting out several of my bikes for me.
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Steel is real...and comfy.
Steel is real...and comfy.
10-30-19, 07:40 PM
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a Weyless ad from 1975.....
Steve in Peoria
Steve in Peoria
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10-30-19, 07:41 PM
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Got a set of these on an '82 Trek 412.
10-30-19, 07:49 PM
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no mention of Bullseye, run by Roger Durham?
Bullseye offered the first set of sealed bearing derailleur pulleys. I was a big fan...
they also sold pedals and cranks. Admittedly, the primary market was BMX, but the stuff did work nicely for touring...
....and hubs.....
Steve in Peoria
Bullseye offered the first set of sealed bearing derailleur pulleys. I was a big fan...
they also sold pedals and cranks. Admittedly, the primary market was BMX, but the stuff did work nicely for touring...
....and hubs.....
Steve in Peoria
10-30-19, 09:55 PM
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HED wheels and rims.
Salsa used to make quick releases, seat collars, bar-ends, and stems in the U.S.
Besides the hubs already mentioned, Phil makes bottom brackets and used to make pedals.
This is going a little far afield but Paragon Machine Works makes dropouts and various braze-on bits. Art Stump made the AD Stump dropouts.
I believe Wilderness Trail Bikes made a unicrown fork crown, also titanium handlebars, stems, "grease-guard" hubs and Charlie Cunningham's toggle-cam and roller-cam brakes.
OK, not USA, but North America and home to many of our esteemed members; Race Face made their cranks and other components in Canada.
Brent
Salsa used to make quick releases, seat collars, bar-ends, and stems in the U.S.
Besides the hubs already mentioned, Phil makes bottom brackets and used to make pedals.
This is going a little far afield but Paragon Machine Works makes dropouts and various braze-on bits. Art Stump made the AD Stump dropouts.
I believe Wilderness Trail Bikes made a unicrown fork crown, also titanium handlebars, stems, "grease-guard" hubs and Charlie Cunningham's toggle-cam and roller-cam brakes.
OK, not USA, but North America and home to many of our esteemed members; Race Face made their cranks and other components in Canada.
Brent
10-30-19, 10:50 PM
#17
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Bullseye never gets enough credit. They (by they I mean Roger Durham) invented the modern 2 piece hollow splined crank/BB that has been adopted by everyone. If there were a modern equivalent to the Bullseye crank, I'd buy it for sure. Hollow steel makes more sense than hollow aluminum.
Meanwhile, my bike has a Chris King headset, Phil Wood BB, Velocity rims and White Industries hubs. I was slightly intrigued by the innovative White Industries crank, but did Sugino instead.
There were 4 or 5 companies making derailleurs in the USA during the 90s, but no one is doing it now, unless you consider SRAM to be American, which they are technically, though the derailleurs might be considered the descendents of Huret via Sachs/Huret.
Meanwhile, my bike has a Chris King headset, Phil Wood BB, Velocity rims and White Industries hubs. I was slightly intrigued by the innovative White Industries crank, but did Sugino instead.
There were 4 or 5 companies making derailleurs in the USA during the 90s, but no one is doing it now, unless you consider SRAM to be American, which they are technically, though the derailleurs might be considered the descendents of Huret via Sachs/Huret.
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10-31-19, 06:15 AM
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Depending on your cut-off point a lot of the 1990s CNC components could be considered C&V.
Besides Paul's rear derailleurs, there were rear derailleurs from Joe's, Precision Billet and Linear Motion.
Lot's of CNC cranksets from the likes of Adventure Components, Coda/Magic Motorcycle, Cook Bros., Grafton, Grove, Hershey, Kooka, Profile Racing, Race Face (Canada), Sampson, Sims, Syncros (Canada), T-Gear, TNT, Topline.
Brake's from the like of Avid and IRD, in additon some of the previously mentioned companies.
WTB offered a wide range od ATB components, some manufactured in the USA and some offshore.
I was at Paul Brodie's shop (Canada) were he showed me the protoype for his integral bar-stem.
While they're not components, technically speaking, let's not forget Easton tubing.
Besides Paul's rear derailleurs, there were rear derailleurs from Joe's, Precision Billet and Linear Motion.
Lot's of CNC cranksets from the likes of Adventure Components, Coda/Magic Motorcycle, Cook Bros., Grafton, Grove, Hershey, Kooka, Profile Racing, Race Face (Canada), Sampson, Sims, Syncros (Canada), T-Gear, TNT, Topline.
Brake's from the like of Avid and IRD, in additon some of the previously mentioned companies.
WTB offered a wide range od ATB components, some manufactured in the USA and some offshore.
I was at Paul Brodie's shop (Canada) were he showed me the protoype for his integral bar-stem.
While they're not components, technically speaking, let's not forget Easton tubing.
10-31-19, 07:08 AM
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@Salamandrine Bullseye is still being run by an associate of Roger, but obviously Roger is dead. From what I can tell the majority of their parts are still made in the US, by various machinists and welders under contract, mostly in Arizona. Although I've heard a few parts are made in Taiwan. You can still get cranks, but I think single ring only.
What you can still get is double or triple ring chromoly cranks from Profile Racing, made in Florida. They still make everything in-house. They have a variety of spiders available for different BCDs, chainrings, internal or external bottom brackets, steel or titanium spindles. I have a Profile crankset on my drop bar mountain bike. With the ti spindle the whole setup weighs about the same as a new Ultegra crankset!
What you can still get is double or triple ring chromoly cranks from Profile Racing, made in Florida. They still make everything in-house. They have a variety of spiders available for different BCDs, chainrings, internal or external bottom brackets, steel or titanium spindles. I have a Profile crankset on my drop bar mountain bike. With the ti spindle the whole setup weighs about the same as a new Ultegra crankset!
10-31-19, 07:33 AM
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I think their bike computers were USA made. Hubs, cranks, and pedals were made by Ofmega in Italy. Saddles by Selle Italia in Italy. Tires by National in Japan. Not sure where the shoes were made.
10-31-19, 07:45 AM
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While not really what the OP inquired about, some USA frame builders are making components, so might technically qualify for discussion.
If nothing else, it's an excuse to show a little bike porn...
Specifically, I'd like to share some pics of a tubular steel crankset built by Brian Chapman. These are on his personal tandem. Not sure if he would build them for a customer, and if he would, I would expect the price to be appropriately high.
With those disclaimers out of the way, here is the axle end of the drive side stoker crank:
and the pedal end of the arm. The little "wrap-over" feature at each end is a slick detail.
and the captain's non-drive side crank arm...
Steve in Peoria
If nothing else, it's an excuse to show a little bike porn...
Specifically, I'd like to share some pics of a tubular steel crankset built by Brian Chapman. These are on his personal tandem. Not sure if he would build them for a customer, and if he would, I would expect the price to be appropriately high.
With those disclaimers out of the way, here is the axle end of the drive side stoker crank:
and the pedal end of the arm. The little "wrap-over" feature at each end is a slick detail.
and the captain's non-drive side crank arm...
Steve in Peoria
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10-31-19, 08:37 AM
#24
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There is a pair of White Industries pedals up on ebay.
