New Year weight loss plans ???

Grumman-581 wrote:

I checked out your website and saw that your frames are made in China... I
was over at the bike shop a couple of weeks ago looking for a new bike for
my daughter and noticed that *all* the bikes were either made in China or
Taiwan... Doesn't *anyone* make a bike in the USA anymore?

One guy builds frames here in Louisiana. Its for the xtreme sports
people who do stunts and dirt racing. Used to build them here @4R7 and
then moved his operation to Baton Rouge...

Darrel Toepfer wrote:
Grumman-581 wrote:

I checked out your website and saw that your frames are made in
China... I
was over at the bike shop a couple of weeks ago looking for a new bike
for
my daughter and noticed that *all* the bikes were either made in China or
Taiwan... Doesn't *anyone* make a bike in the USA anymore?


One guy builds frames here in Louisiana. Its for the xtreme sports
people who do stunts and dirt racing. Used to build them here @4R7 and
then moved his operation to Baton Rouge...

There's a man near me who makes his frames in his own shop using, get
this, no power tools! He has a peddle operated grinder and other man
powered tools that he uses. Of course, many of his components are
imported as I don't think there are any US makers of brakes,
derailleurs, etc.

Check it out at: http://www.oswaldcycleworks.com/

I bought a couple of Fuji bikes there two years ago and Tom was a great
guy to deal with.

Matt

Grumman-581 wrote:
"Mark Hickey" wrote in message
...
It helps that I own a company that builds
titanium bikes - less impact on W&B.

I checked out your website and saw that your frames are made in
China... I was over at the bike shop a couple of weeks ago looking
for a new bike for my daughter and noticed that *all* the bikes were
either made in China or Taiwan... Doesn't *anyone* make a bike in the
USA anymore?

Frames cost $8 to make in China...

http://groups.google.co.uk/group/rec...47a63355fc8c86

My bikes (Giant) use Chinese frames and they really are very durable.

Imagine if extrapolated into the aircraft market....

"JohnH" wrote:

Grumman-581 wrote:
"Mark Hickey" wrote in message
...
It helps that I own a company that builds
titanium bikes - less impact on W&B.

I checked out your website and saw that your frames are made in
China... I was over at the bike shop a couple of weeks ago looking
for a new bike for my daughter and noticed that *all* the bikes were
either made in China or Taiwan... Doesn't *anyone* make a bike in the
USA anymore?

Frames cost $8 to make in China...

http://groups.google.co.uk/group/rec...47a63355fc8c86

My bikes (Giant) use Chinese frames and they really are very durable.

They really are quite good for the price - not too nice aesthetically
(and I'm pretty certain I wouldn't fly an aircraft built in the same
way...), but a heck of a deal for an aluminum frame. FWIW, the frames
I buy cost MANY times more than $8. Many, many times.

Imagine if extrapolated into the aircraft market....

Easy - all you gotta do is order a few hundred thousand of 'em....

Mark Hickey

"Grumman-581" wrote:

"Mark Hickey" wrote in message
.. .
It helps that I own a company that builds
titanium bikes - less impact on W&B.

I checked out your website and saw that your frames are made in China... I
was over at the bike shop a couple of weeks ago looking for a new bike for
my daughter and noticed that *all* the bikes were either made in China or
Taiwan... Doesn't *anyone* make a bike in the USA anymore?

Not too many make frames in the USA any longer - there are some
"artisan shops" that turn out relatively expensive frames, often with
aesthetic touches that can't be found on most "production frames"...
but the cost of labor, and probably equally important - the cost of
meeting environmental restrictions when welding and painting - have
driven most production overseas.

I happened to get into the business with the Chinese because I lived
in China for a couple years, and was introduced to a group of
aerospace fabricators who had been spun off the Long March rocket
booster program. I was very much impressed with the welders' art
(which is obvious on a single-pass TIG weld), and have been bringing
in the frames and selling them worldwide for over 10 years.

The built bikes are assembled in the US though (although there are
almost no viable US-sourced components).

Mark Hickey
Habanero Cycles
http://www.habcycles.com

The next question will be "Doesn't *anyone* make a car in the USA anymore?"

"Mark Hickey" wrote in message news
"Grumman-581" wrote:

"Mark Hickey" wrote in message
. ..
It helps that I own a company that builds
titanium bikes - less impact on W&B.

I checked out your website and saw that your frames are made in China... I
was over at the bike shop a couple of weeks ago looking for a new bike for
my daughter and noticed that *all* the bikes were either made in China or
Taiwan... Doesn't *anyone* make a bike in the USA anymore?

Not too many make frames in the USA any longer - there are some
"artisan shops" that turn out relatively expensive frames, often with
aesthetic touches that can't be found on most "production frames"...
but the cost of labor, and probably equally important - the cost of
meeting environmental restrictions when welding and painting - have
driven most production overseas.

I happened to get into the business with the Chinese because I lived
in China for a couple years, and was introduced to a group of
aerospace fabricators who had been spun off the Long March rocket
booster program. I was very much impressed with the welders' art
(which is obvious on a single-pass TIG weld), and have been bringing
in the frames and selling them worldwide for over 10 years.

The built bikes are assembled in the US though (although there are
almost no viable US-sourced components).

Mark Hickey
Habanero Cycles
http://www.habcycles.com

Not too many make frames in the USA any longer - there are some
"artisan shops" that turn out relatively expensive frames, often with
aesthetic touches that can't be found on most "production frames"...
but the cost of labor, and probably equally important - the cost of
meeting environmental restrictions when welding and painting - have
driven most production overseas.

Hey Mark -- does your company make a decent (and affordable) folding bike
for pilots?

It seems like all the ones I've seen are either (a) way over-priced or (b)
junk. And in at least one case, both.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

"Mark Hickey" wrote in message
news
The built bikes are assembled in the US though (although there are
almost no viable US-sourced components).

Yeah, it seems that even if you do get a frame that is made in the US, the
various other components probably aren't made there... I'm not sure what
this says about us, but I don't think I like it... Hell, I still ride an old
(i.e. mid 1980s) Schwinn Sprint from back when they were made in the US...
I'm not sure if all the parts were made in the US though...

I'm pretty evangelistic about bike commuting too

.... of course you arrive at work all sweaty.

Jose
--
You can choose whom to befriend, but you cannot choose whom to love.
for Email, make the obvious change in the address.

Jose wrote:

I'm pretty evangelistic about bike commuting too

... of course you arrive at work all sweaty.

Not a problem if there are showers at your place of work. Besides,
where I've done it (Florida and Arizona) you get all sweaty just
walking across the parking lot (not to mention actually getting into a
four-wheel sauna after work).

Mark Hickey