Cannondale to cease US manufacturing of frames. Thats the last major bike company who made the majority of their frames in house.
http://www.velonews.com/article/90148/cannondale-s-parent-says-the-decision-to-end-frame
I feel badly for the people in manufacturing who are laid off, not the best time to be looking for a job right now.
Kevin
that blows…another 200 people out of work.
don’t worry, it will come back…
End of an era? Probably the end of a company.
I mean seriously, why else does anyone buy a Cannondale these days? For the quality, right? That’s why I bought mine… now that all the bikes are going to be made in Taiwan, why buy it? Their engineering is sub-par (except for the lefty fork), but it was always balanced by pristine frame quality… now one of those elements is gone…
i disagree, their engineering is par or above most companies…you mentioned the Lefty but forgot about BB30…they were the ones who started the “system integration” that many companies are copying or using as a basis of their own systems.
i do agree that they just lost any real competitive edge…time will tell…guess I have to trade in my SuperSix for a Parlee or something now
sad day, but business is business and I’m sure plenty of people will still buy the bikes regardless of where they are made…look at Trek, Specialized, etc…they all moved majority of production overseas years ago and by all accounts those guys are still doing well.
How do you know the frame quality will be any worse?
End of an era? Probably the end of a company.
I mean seriously, why else does anyone buy a Cannondale these days? For the quality, right? That’s why I bought mine… now that all the bikes are going to be made in Taiwan, why buy it? Their engineering is sub-par (except for the lefty fork), but it was always balanced by pristine frame quality… now one of those elements is gone…
It IS an assumption on my part… but, I’m assuming that Dorel is going to give Cannondale the same level of quality and attention that it did when it took over Schwinn, Mongoose, GT…
Remember the days when a Mongoose mountain bike was THE thing to have? Remember GT’s revolutionary bikes (JT anyone??) Schwinn’s used to be awesome road frames.Now, the magic of Mongoose and Schwinn can be had for $150 at Walmart. I just don’t think that Cannondales new, Dorel-ized frames will have the same level of quality control that Trek, Specialized, and other made-in-Taiwan bikes have. The bike shop I worked at dumped Cannondale after the news of the Dorel sale to pick up another brand with a better long term outlook.
I would LOVE to be proven wrong. As justridingalong pointed out, I missed a few of Cannondales worthwhile engineering developments (bb30 is pretty cool); the stuff they’ve created has been awesome in the past (I put a lefty on my S-works hardtail, for example). But, I feel like their engineering has dropped off significantly in the last few years, and with their quality gone, what’s going to be left?
Ah, I didn’t realize there was a Parent company with a history here.
I think your assumption is justified!
It IS an assumption on my part… but, I’m assuming that Dorel is going to give Cannondale the same level of quality and attention that it did when it took over Schwinn, Mongoose, GT…
Remember the days when a Mongoose mountain bike was THE thing to have? Remember GT’s revolutionary bikes (JT anyone??) Schwinn’s used to be awesome road frames.Now, the magic of Mongoose and Schwinn can be had for $150 at Walmart. I just don’t think that Cannondales new, Dorel-ized frames will have the same level of quality control that Trek, Specialized, and other made-in-Taiwan bikes have. The bike shop I worked at dumped Cannondale after the news of the Dorel sale to pick up another brand with a better long term outlook.
I would LOVE to be proven wrong. As justridingalong pointed out, I missed a few of Cannondales worthwhile engineering developments (bb30 is pretty cool); the stuff they’ve created has been awesome in the past (I put a lefty on my S-works hardtail, for example). But, I feel like their engineering has dropped off significantly in the last few years, and with their quality gone, what’s going to be left?
don’t worry, it will come back.
When? The move is being made for monetary reasons. So for it to come back (and not just in Cannondale’s case) the costs of overseas production are going to have to increase to the point where it is more profitable to build in the US. Which means one (or a combination of the following have to happen): US wages fall below those of competing countries, transportation costs rise significantly, US consumers demand US made products, or quality falls to a point where it requires moving production back. This happened in a few cases in the clothing industry awhile back (ie: Calvin Klein moved some production back), but it rarely happens. A great example is VW’s move to Mexico - despite horrible experiences in the early 1990s with Mexican-made cars (so bad it missed a whole model year), VW continued to pump money into Mexican production instead of moving it back to Germany. There are talks of a Michigan VW plant - that would be interesting…
After trading a few PMs with Sharad about this issue, I created an in class assignment for my Current Issues in Employment Relations course regarding the off-shoring of high-end bikes, with the students being broken into different teams (manufacturers, retailers, consumers, government regulators, etc.) The general outcome was that it would be great to keep production here, but the likelihood of that happening was slim. Interestingly, this group of early 20-somethings did not consider foreign-made products inferior in quality to the US made products. I found that incredibly interesting, and very pertinent to the future of the industry (of which I do not claim to be an expert).
I am in the market for a US made tri frame, looks like I better snatch up that aluminum Equinox fast…
As far as the carbon frames go the overseas frames like the Slice, Synapse and Rush Carbon are extremely good quality. I have a Slice and a Rush Carbon and they are as well made as anything else. The aluminium frames that Cannondale started introducing from overseas this year are not of the same quality as the US made ones, but are usually on lower end bikes.
A correction, Mongoose, Schwinn and GT were purchased by Pacific Cycles out of bankruptcy, Dorel acquired Pacific so I dont think its fair to say that Dorel ruined those brands, Schwinn and Mongoose were already big box brands. GT has actually been resurrected and is making some really good high end bikes, but it was always a IBD brand.
I do agree that handmade in the USA was part of the Cannondale mystique, and that the decision will cost them some sales. But to be honest the vast majority of people who come into our shop looking for bikes dont care where its made, they just want to get the best component and frame spec for the money. If it mattered to more people then manufacturing would not have been outsourced to the extent it currently is.
Kevin
a shame,
Had a GT pre Doral.
Still have a Pre Doral Schwinn
Have wanted a Cannondale for some time (guess I know what years to look for now…
Well maybe we will at least get some new custom frame builders in PA.
When I was shopping for my first road bike, I was debating between a Specialized and a Cannondale. My cousin-in-law, who was a semi-pro mountain biker at the time, said to me, “Specialized bikes are robot-welded in Asia; Cannondales are handmade in the USA.”
That comment made the difference in my purchase; I went with Cannondale.
So, yeah, the relocation of their production probably will be a factor in whether I look at Cannondales in the future, as snobbish as that sounds.
what if robots weld better?
I guess that’s the big question, isn’t it? Do robots weld better? What’s your opinion, Jack?
When I was shopping for my first road bike, I was debating between a Specialized and a Cannondale. My cousin-in-law, who was a semi-pro mountain biker at the time, said to me, “Specialized bikes are robot-welded in Asia; Cannondales are handmade in the USA.”
That comment made the difference in my purchase; I went with Cannondale.
So, yeah, the relocation of their production probably will be a factor in whether I look at Cannondales in the future, as snobbish as that sounds.
Do you guys really care when climbing up a mountain or bombing down the other side whether the bike was made by hand or robot? Sure it is nice and touchy feely sort of feeling but does it really matter? 1% of you may matter. To the rest of the folks, price matters more.
I guess that’s the big question, isn’t it? Do robots weld better? What’s your opinion, Jack?
I have no idea. I am ignorant to the ways of welding.
don’t worry, it will come back.
one (or a combination of the following have to happen): US wages fall below those of competing countries, transportation costs rise significantly, US consumers demand US made products, or quality falls to a point where it requires moving production back.
Or the value of the US dollar drops.
or americans HTFU and learn to work for less
don’t worry, it will come back.
one (or a combination of the following have to happen): US wages fall below those of competing countries, transportation costs rise significantly, US consumers demand US made products, or quality falls to a point where it requires moving production back.
Or the value of the US dollar drops.
Oh, c’mon. Surely you’ve ridden bikes manufactured both ways. Could you tell a difference? Or is that just marketing garbage?
I think the way the frame feels would be dictated almost entirely by tube choice, and frame geometry design, not by the welding.
bad welding would just fail more often.
really if you asked me, but remember I’m ignorant, I would guess it is a bit of a red herring when dealing with steel or aluminum frames, where welding isn’t a terribly tricky thing anymore.
I down own an aluminum soloist and some suuuper cheap Taiwanese frame, and the cheap frame definitely flexes more. But I can only feel that on my trainer =)
Oh, c’mon. Surely you’ve ridden bikes manufactured both ways. Could you tell a difference? Or is that just marketing garbage?