Super Sized Cycles is the feature story in a New York Times small business article. Check it out! Let us know what you think–stay with US builds or move to Taiwan?
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Hi Joan,
I was very excited to see what you are doing! As I sell bicycles in NYC, I get the request for heavy duty bicycles quite often. I do what I can to modify my bicycles to a customers needs, but I am pleased to have found you as a referral when I cannot help.
Best of luck in the future direction of your unique venture!
John McFarlane
Read about you in the NYTimes. Here’s my opinion as a bike-lover/consumer.
I recently put the deposit down on a Cannondale CAAD9. The frame was handbuilt in the USA, although the rumor is that next year’s CAAD frame will be built in Asia. It gives me a warm fuzzy owning an American-made bike, but it wasn’t a selling requirement. I was looking for performance and features in a particular price range and happened to fall in love with this bike.
Taiwan makes some really great bikes actually. My 10-year-old alloy Trek was built there and is holding up very well. Also, there are very few non-custom frames still built in the US and most of the roadies have accepted this and moved on.
It’s the design, the performance, and the features that really differentiate you in a test ride, not the manufacturer.
I do like the idea of bikes custom-made in the US. You could absolutely tier your pricing so that consumers could put their money where their mouth is to get a higher-end US-built bike, and also get a unique package built for them in the process.
Good luck!
I’ve been a lurker here for a bit and recently read the article about building in Taiwan. I like to see American built goods. I hadn’t realized the state of the industry with most frames made overseas these days. But, the bottom line is, it will be a business decision and only you know the books, so to speak.
I’d love to see them kept here but will understand if they go overseas.
With luck, I’ll be getting my own supersizebike in the near future; waiting for the state budget to be resolved out here in california so I can free up my savings I put aside…
Thanks for all the thoughts about our building dilemma. We’re still working out the best way to make our Bikes for Big Riders. Keep ’em coming!