[CR]OT: Asian production of modern famous makes....

(Example: Framebuilding:Tubing)

Date: Sun, 09 Feb 2003 13:03:41 -0500
From: "Mara & Steven Maasland" <TheMaaslands@comcast.net>
To: Classic Rendezvous <Classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
Subject: [CR]OT: Asian production of modern famous makes....

Angel wrote:
> I was talking to someone recently that had been over to Taiwan (I
> think that's where) for some bike business and the person cited a
> long list of bike manufacturer names that were on bikes coming off
> the same assembly; I don't remember the names but I do remember
> being really surprised as the list included some respected,
> including European, names.

In my last job, where I was International Sales Director for one of the world's biggest and most respected tennis racquet makers, I personally observed many modern bike frame components being made in Asia. Many used the exact same 'vendors' that we used for our tennis racquets. This is all very logical as new non-ferrous materials become the 'style du jour'. If you look carefully, the tennins market has often been a few years ahead of the bike and other industries in developing and adapting new materials and technology (Likely because of lesser liability concerns and greater earnings per tech dollar returns.)Carbon fibre is just one very good example. Contrary to public perception, carbon fibre is not terribly hightech, it is also highly labor intensive. An ideal product to have produced by inexpensive reasonably well-educated dependable workers. In my mind, that worker description does not point to any likelihood of these components ever being produced in Europe, Japan or North America. That may be where the design process will be handled but production? highly unlikely!

Steven Maasland
Moorestown NJ