[Industry_Hack]

I've got one. The OS tubing is hella stiff, which is not necessarily a good thing. But the Headshok and Lefty are much more precise than most suspension forks. The downside is that when they need service, it's not cheap.

 

[Industry_Hack]

Most are made in good old USA which is a bonus. You get what you pay for !!!

Not to start an argument, but what's that supposed to mean?

 

[Industry_Hack]

I buy made in the USA to help support the local economy. If it is produced here then one of my neighbors got paid to make it, raise it or grow it. I understand that companies have found it cheaper and more sensible in a business sense to have their items produced overseas. That is fine. I prefer to buy items made in the USA. My clothes, my food, my vehicles, my bike, my wife and my kids all made in the USA. It makes sense to me to support my neighbors and my country.

I'd like to keep this a debate rather than an argument, but I'm curious to know what kind of car you own. It's also very difficult to only buy food and clothing that is comprised of 100% US content. Of course, your bike would only have a frame made in the US, but where did the tubing come from?

In the interest of full disclosure, I will point out that my car is 100% Japanese, my motorcycle American-made, and three of my kids were made in Australia. As far as bikes go, they are from the US, UK, and Taiwan. And I find "Made in America" and "Buy American" to be silly concepts.

 

[Industry_Hack]

^^^ Nicely said. USA is better in most all cases, so why not. And, they do make good long lasting bikes. They are like the Toyota of the Cycling world. From what I know.

The irony is that the bikes you are probably making reference to are no better or worse for being made here. They are no different than bikes built with the same R&D, attention to quality, and raw materials built anywhere else in the world, and priced accordingly.

 

[Industry_Hack]

Not likely. Even the Japanese buy from foreign subcontractors.

According to the sticker on the window, the content is 100% Japanese. I seem to drive a consistent 10k/year, with fuel economy averaging over 30MPG. If a domestic auto manufacturer offered a similar vehicle with the same quality, reliability, and price/performance ratio, I would have bought it. But I understand all too well how the American auto industry operates, and cannot bring myself to reward that kind of inefficiency.

 

[Industry_Hack]

So, Industry Hack, Your saying you would rather buy foreign cars, bikes, food..... Kids? Excuse me for being Patriotic, but I live in the US of A. Greatest country ever established. If I have an opportunity to buy something that was made by our fellow countrymen, i'm going to do it. That is my debate.

So you're saying that you will reward companies with poor business practices, even if it means paying more for lower quality?

How many other countries have you lived in?

You could buy a Nissan or Honda made by your fellow countrymen. Is that patriotic? Or would it be more patriotic to buy a Ford, many of which are made in Canada and Mexico?

 

[Industry_Hack]

As you pointed out to Grape Ape...

That statement applies to cars as well. Take just the stereo for instance. There are probably components made in several, maybe even a dozen different countries.

From a quality standpoint, I agree that country of origin is no longer an issue. I sell products that are made in China, Korea, India, Israel, Taiwan, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Canada, and the US to name a few, and there is no difference in quality among them. It's more a matter of who is making it rather than where.

The sentiments expressed here by Grape Ape and clemfan seem to be more about spending their money at home rather than supporting foreign nations which I don't think is silly at all.

And how would the US economy fare without foreign trade? Walmart is a US company - would you shop there? Buy their stock?

What does "Buy American" mean? What are "American made" goods? Made by Americans? Made by Americans from materials sourced overseas? Made by Americans for a foreign-owned company? Are these "American" companies you refer to wholly-owned by Americans, or do they have foreign investors, shareholders, or subsidiaries?

I guess I need someone to explain to me the specific product, and how that benefits this country. It's very likely that what most people consider "American" is not really so American. Heck, some folks think that Harley Davidson still makes all their bikes in Milwaukee.

 

[Industry_Hack]

Having lived there for 20+ years, I can assure all of you that California is a separate country.

 

[Industry_Hack]

My t-shirts are all made in the USA using US labor and materials in Los Angeles CA.

 

[Industry_Hack]

You have to consider more than just the country of origin. The factory that makes cheap Walmart bikes may not be anywhere near an environmentally friendly as the one that makes my Wabi.

 

[Industry_Hack]

I asked Richard, the owner of Wabi Cycles, why he couldn't offer his new Special with chromed lugs. He explained that he could not find an environmentally approved chromer in Taiwan. If chromed lugs meant harming both the environment and the workers making his products, he would not offer them. When I posted this on another site, it was pretty much roundly agreed upon that he made the right decision, and deserved respect for that.

There are plenty of companies out there that don't respect their workers (Nike) or the environment. They should be avoided on principle, whether they are American, Canadian, or other.

 

[Industry_Hack]

I wish they would pass legislation to accommodate safe business practices as opposed to allowing a manufacturer to send it to China and continue poising the Earth and it's inhabitants.

You can express that sentiment very easily with your wallet.

 

[Industry_Hack]

If you buy a product from an overseas corp. where are the tax $$$ going to Japan or to our country that is in a free fall in deficit, Our country is trying to help us out of this bad time, We need to help them out

George

Huh? Please explain.

 

[Industry_Hack]

Profits go overseas then that country taxes the earnings of business, the U.S. government does not receive a dime. Our workers are out of work and receiving unemployment but revenue that could help pay for this went elsewhere.

George

So the basis of your argument is that the US government doesn't tax foreign companies doing business in the US? I don't think you understand how things actually work, so perhaps you better provide an example of your logic.

On a related note, American auto workers being out of work has far less to do with foreign competition than it does with poor management and bad business practices. As for non-automotive businesses, too many of them that are publicly held placed more importance on meeting quarterly projections than long-term sustainability.

 

[Industry_Hack]

My grandpa served fighting these same japs in WW2 I am prood of him for this.

This may be a world economy but I can try and help my fellow Americans have and keep a job instead of helping someone in china to be able to afford there cardboard box. They need to feed there familys too but they are not being paid a living wage. We need to force anyone doing buisness in the U.S. to pay a living wage and to follow our enviromental laws instade of just dumping the crap on other countrys

I agree that the world economy has improved the products produced

Yes I bought my 2 Cannondales for the labal on the stays Handmade in the U.S.A. also my Trek say this on its seat stays.

Happy Cycling
George

I think you should stick to discussions about bicycles. Is it safe to assume that you are a student?

 

[Industry_Hack]

To many assumptions first I'm old now i'm a student, I'm 42 - Thanks for the compliment

George

You should switch to Firefox.

 

[Industry_Hack]

Explain

It can't fix grammar, but it does have a spell check feature.

 

[Industry_Hack]

On the subject of buying American, anyone that would like to show their patriotism is more than welcome to make an offer on the Chevy sitting in my driveway. It's got about 70k miles on it, and the engine was replaced at 64k.

I can guarantee that it will be replaced with something Japanese.