Aufschlussreicher Artikel über die Herkunft von MTBs, der Autor ist IMHO vertrauenswürdig und kompetent:
Where was my bike made?
Some bike companies have a few secrets. And one of those secrets is
where your bike is made or who actually made it. The bike companies
like it that way because many of them rely upon the same factories to
build their bikes!
The big picture is pretty clear: around 95% of the bikes sold in the
U.S. are made in China or Taiwan by a handful of manufacturers of which
Giant is the largest
Generally speaking, low to mid level bikes are made in China and mid to
high level bikes are made in Taiwan. The exception is carbon; many
manufacturers use Chinese manufacturers to make their carbon frames;
even their high-end racing frames
When it comes to knowing where your bike is made, shouldn’t it be as
easy as looking at the sticker on your bike or what is printed on the
box in which your bike came? After all, how confusing can a label that
says “Made in the USA” or “Made in France” or “Made in Italy” be?
Well; in a word ‘very’. It is very confusing because your definition of
“made in” is different from the bike industry’s definition
Generally speaking, the country claiming origin has to add 60% or more
of the value of the final product. For example, you and I can import an
unpainted carbon fibre racing frame from China to Spain, which will
ultimately retail for ,000 with Shimano components in the United
States
The frame and fork may only cost 0 from the Chinese manufacturer. In
Spain, we will paint, decal, assemble, and box the bike for shipping to
the U.S. Our cost to paint, decal, assemble, and box might be 0 and
the cost of the components might be another 0
So is this bike “Made in China” or “Made in Spain?” According to the
bike industry's definition, the bike is made in Spain. The sticker will
say “Made in Spain” as will the shipping box to the United States
because over 60% of the value will be added in Spain
Let’s say we took the same frame and have the Chinese manufacturer
paint it, decal it, assemble it into a bicycle, and ship it to Spain.
When we ship it to the United States, the label will have to say “Made
in China”
Perhaps the best way to eliminate the confusion is for the bicycle
industry to follow the lead of the automobile industry and tell the end
consumer the countries of origin of all aspects of the bicycle(?)
After all, if you are led to believe by a bunch of marketing people
that your bike was handmade in Spain when it was actually mass-produced
in a Chinese factory, would you buy that bike? Maybe; but you wouldn’t
pay a premium for it
With these things in mind, here is a run-down of some of the key bike
brands sold in the U.S. and elsewhere (information available &
derived from ‘Bicycle Retailer and Industry News' 2007 Factory and
Suppliers Guide’);
Cannondale
Aluminium Cannondales are made in the U.S. Cannondale, which was owned
by founder Joe Montgomery and his son Scott. Cannondale is now owned by
its key investment fund after experiencing financial problems.
Cannondale's market share appears to have diminished but stabilized.
Because it is owned by an investment fund, it is constantly rumoured
for sale. The carbon bikes are sourced from Asia
Felt
Felt is a fairly new bicycle company, started by motocross guru Jim Felt. All production comes from Asia
Fisher
After struggling with his own bicycle company, Gary Fisher sold his
brand to Trek Bicycle Company. Still involved in designing and
marketing his brand. Fisher bikes are made in Asia, except for the
full-suspension rigs (which are made in Wisconsin)
Fuji
Fuji is now owned by Ideal, who manufacturers most of their bikes.
Ideal is one of the key Taiwanese manufacturers along with Giant and
Merida. Ideal also manufactures for other brands. Topkey of China
manufacturers Fuji's carbon frames
Giant
Giant is the world's largest bicycle manufacturer with factories in
Taiwan, China, and Europe. Giant, a Taiwanese company started in 1972,
manufacturers their own bikes, including the carbon bikes, which is
unique in the industry (i.e., most other brands utilize other
manufacturers such as Advanced or Martec)
In addition to making their own bikes, Giant also makes, or has made,
bikes for many other prominent brands, including Trek, Specialized,
Schwinn, and Bianchi. Giant's claim to fame is that they have the most
sophisticated and efficient manufacturing facilities in the bicycle
industry
A bit of trivia is that Giant owns 30% of Hodaka, a key Taiwanese supplier for many other brands
Kona
A California company with all production from Asia. Kona, founded in
1988, is a very small company similar in size to Marin. Fairly and
Hodaka in Taiwan are key suppliers
Marin
A California company with production from Asia, except for a handful of
high-end models. Marin is a very small company similar in size to Kona.
Key Asian suppliers are A-Pro, Fairly, and Sunrise
Schwinn
Schwinn was for many years the largest American brand. All bicycles
were made domestically until the late 80's. After two bankruptcies,
Schwinn is now owned by Pacific, who also owns GT, Mongoose, and the
Pacific (and some other brands). Pacific is headquartered in Madison,
Wisconsin
The bikes sold in the U.S. are made in Asia, many by Giant
Scott USA
Scott got its start in Sun Valley. In the 80's, Scott developed a bike
line. Eventually, Scott pulled out of the U.S. market and focused on
Europe
Although the company is headquartered in Switzerland, production comes from Asia, with key suppliers being Hodaka and Giant
Specialized
Started in 1974 by Mike Sinyard, Specialized has enjoyed a
long-standing reputation for being a leading bicycle design and
marketing company
Several years ago, Merida (a Taiwanese manufacturer) bought a
substantial interest in Specialized. Although Specialized is still
headquartered in California under the leadership of founder Mike
Sinyard, all bikes are made in Asia. Key Asian suppliers are Merida,
Ideal, and Giant
Trek
America's largest bicycle brand. Trek built their first manufacturing
plant in Wisconsin and after many years of making its own bicycles in
the U.S., Trek moved entry and mid level bicycle manufacturing to Asia.
In 1992, Trek introduced its proprietary OCLV carbon process (Optimum
Compaction Low Void) which is still used in its handmade carbon frames.
All OCLV carbon frames, road and mountain, are still made in Waterloo,
Wisconsin. The all-carbon 5000 (which does not feature OCLV) is made in
Asia
Worldwide, Trek is the second largest bicycle company after Giant
Trek owns (or licenses) Fisher, LeMond, Klein, and Bontrager
Quelle: http://forums.mtbr.com/showpost.php?p=3945364&postcount=12
Source: MTBS-Archiv
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