If you feel that patriotism is only buying American made products, that failing to do so is tantamount to treason and you consider yourself a partiot on these and only these grounds, it is extremely important.
If you are looking for a good bike, it is not important at all.
America has not had a stellar record in quite some time viv a vis the quality of its goods, especially vehicles.
If your one criterion is that it be made in the US, you severely limit your choices, some might say you restrict them to substandard products. But then it is not about the bike, it is about your own nationalism.
If you are looking for a good bike, and it is made in acceptable location (i.e. not made by five year olds in third world sweatshops), don’t worry about where it is made. Worry about the bike.
If you feel it is important to support US workers it would be desirable to buy a bike with as much US content as possible. But, it will be very difficult to buy a bike 100% manufactured in the USA since parts come from all over.
That said, US designed bike parts are among the best (although often more expensive) in the world … where available. Frames, wheels, hubs, brakes, cranks, suspension forks, pedals, seats, etc are all available from US manufacturuers (although in some cases they are US designed, but foreign manufactured).
If you want to be a bit less strict, aim for a US bike brand (e.g. Trek, Cannondale, Kestrel, Lightspeed, Iron Horse) and you will be supporting a US manufacturuer even if the parts are of global origin. Note that many familar brands are fully or partially foreign owned (e.g. GT, Mongoose, Kona, KHS)
I’m sorry to break this to you but it is now IMPOSSIBLE to buy a 100% US made bike. There are some companies that ASSEMBLE their bikes in the US using “domestic and foreign parts”, but the domestic parts are usually limited to the paint.
Even the high end bikes with carbon fiber frames that are fabricated here use fiber from Japan (who makes more than 95% of all carbon fiber in the world).
Taiwan and China account for more than 80% of the worlds production of bicycles and parts and have the process perfected. I design bikes for a living and have been to those factories. Do you think your local bakery or restaraunt is clean? Not compared to the paint room of a Taiwanese bike factory!
So, is it important for bikes to be built in the US? Nope.
That depends on what your priority is.
If you feel that patriotism is only buying American made products, that failing to do so is tantamount to treason and you consider yourself a partiot on these and only these grounds, it is extremely important.
If you are looking for a good bike, it is not important at all.
America has not had a stellar record in quite some time viv a vis the quality of its goods, especially vehicles.
If your one criterion is that it be made in the US, you severely limit your choices, some might say you restrict them to substandard products. But then it is not about the bike, it is about your own nationalism.
If you are looking for a good bike, and it is made in acceptable location (i.e. not made by five year olds in third world sweatshops), don’t worry about where it is made. Worry about the bike.
There is nothing dispatriotic about global trade.
It depends on your personal priorities.
If you feel it is important to support US workers it would be desirable to buy a bike with as much US content as possible. But, it will be very difficult to buy a bike 100% manufactured in the USA since parts come from all over.
That said, US designed bike parts are among the best (although often more expensive) in the world … where available. Frames, wheels, hubs, brakes, cranks, suspension forks, pedals, seats, etc are all available from US manufacturuers (although in some cases they are US designed, but foreign manufactured).
If you want to be a bit less strict, aim for a US bike brand (e.g. Trek, Cannondale, Kestrel, Lightspeed, Iron Horse) and you will be supporting a US manufacturuer even if the parts are of global origin. Note that many familar brands are fully or partially foreign owned (e.g. GT, Mongoose, Kona, KHS)
I’m sorry to break this to you but it is now IMPOSSIBLE to buy a 100% US made bike. There are some companies that ASSEMBLE their bikes in the US using “domestic and foreign parts”, but the domestic parts are usually limited to the paint.
Even the high end bikes with carbon fiber frames that are fabricated here use fiber from Japan (who makes more than 95% of all carbon fiber in the world).
Taiwan and China account for more than 80% of the worlds production of bicycles and parts and have the process perfected. I design bikes for a living and have been to those factories. Do you think your local bakery or restaraunt is clean? Not compared to the paint room of a Taiwanese bike factory!
So, is it important for bikes to be built in the US? Nope.
It don’t my mountain bike was made in Canada