Where were your bikes made?

[Mad Doug Biker]

I might be receiving some old British beauties soon, but I'm saying nothing for now.

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

Celia Johnson and Vera Lynn? Lucky boy.

Only if someone has put them on Ebay!

 

[oldfatfool]

The tourer is from GB (Ridgeback) the Turbo bike Taiwan (Giant) and when it arrives the roadie will be German (Rose)

 

[TVC]

Apparently so. Another Spanish Basque Orbea here.

FTFY

 

[StuAff]

This is a complicated issue- components on pretty much every bike will have multiple manufacturers from various countries, for a start. As far as I'm concerned, it's where the frame was made that's the key issue (or not- in a sense, who cares as long as it was made well?) Some previous posters seem to have confused final painting/finishing/assembly with actual manufacture- a confusion that's unsurprising since many manufacturers claim to manufacture in their home country when the frames are actually from far eastern suppliers, and some (eg Colnago and Trek) make the high-end stuff in their homelands and other bikes abroad.
For the record...
Viner: Italian. Made in Pistoia, Tuscany, from carbon tubing supplied by Dedacciai (Milan), though the carbon will be far eastern just like everyone else's.
Trek: US. Mine was made before they moved the bulk of production abroad.
Condor: Italian, made by Dedacciai.
Dahon: Taiwan.

 

[gaz]

Germany and UK.

 

[Accy cyclist]

Accrington!http://www.henrygregsoncycles.co.uk/

 

[HLaB]

I'd guess my bikes would be made in Taiwan or China. The Kinesis says British designed so it almost certain and the Viking SS will probably be the same.

 

[HovR]

I wonder how many have got the country of manufacture correct? How long is it since a Dawes frame was "made in Britain"? And I suspect many more, it's not something manufacturers want to shout about.

I was also surprised with the number of votes for the UK with the majority of modern bikes being produced in the east.

Although I'm sure my Dawes was manufactured in England, as it was produced in '77 - thirteen years before production was outsourced to a far eastern factory. (And a year or two before the company was bought from the Dawes family).

 

[StuAff]

There are (AFAIK) only three even-vaguely-volume bike manufacturers in the UK- Brompton, Pashley & Moulton (and Pashley makes the Moulton TSRs to boot- 'proper' Moultons are still from the Bradford on Avon shed production line). On the recumbent side we have ICE and (in a state of flux) the Windcheetah- original manufacturer is no more, but plans are afoot to restart production. Apart from that, it's bespoke/custom stuff from frame builders like Mercian.

 

[hoopdriver]

I have three bikes. Two of them, a Thorn eXp and a bespoke Enigma tourer were made here in England. The third, a Pegoretti, was made in Italy.

 

[stewie griffin]

I was also surprised with the number of votes for the UK with the majority of modern bikes being produced in the east.
Although I'm sure my Dawes was manufactured in England, as it was produced in '77

I think you can confidently say your Dawes frame was made in the UK, I ordered a single lugged frame from Dawes in about 1990 that was definitely hand made in the UK, but I don't know how much longer they continued, maybe someone more knowledgeable could tell us?

I think where a bike was "made" is where the frame was made as it's the heart of a bike, show someone a frame & they will tell you it's a bicycle, show someone a pile of components & most won't know what it is! (apart from wheels)

I suspect the Taiwan bar should be longer & some of the others shorter, especially the UK, USA & maybe Germany?

 

[mickle]

The question presumes that most bikes - even those owned by enthusiasts such as us - were sold complete rather than assembled from a pile of individually selected components. Its the country of origin as printed on the shipping container it arrived at the bike shop in.

Orbea - Probably Taiwanese. Marin - definitely Taiwanese (with the exception of the Doug Bradbury/Manitou full boinger of the early nineties.

 

[youngoldbloke]

OK - then my Ribbles are British.

 

[srw]

I was also surprised with the number of votes for the UK with the majority of modern bikes being produced in the east.

There are (AFAIK) only three even-vaguely-volume bike manufacturers in the UK- Brompton, Pashley & Moulton

Brompton will account for a very substantial number of the British votes - they're probably the largest single manufacturer on the commuting streets of London. There will also be quite a lot of "classic" (or simply old) steel-framed bikes in the total.