Discussion of Big Name Brands Manufacturing in China

[Carbon_Dude]

All of us on Chinertown know that the Chiner frames are good and reasonably priced.  The frames are nothing fancy but they work well.

We also know that most if not all big name brands manufacture their carbon frames in China, possibly in the same factories.  Here is an excerpt from a story on MTBR about Intense Cycles.  Intense is a relatively newish brand that manufactures and sells lots of aluminum frames in the US but in the story, they freely admit their carbon frames come from China.

"Their carbon frames are made in China, since they have the best expertise in molding the raw carbon-fiber materials, and separate rear and front triangles are then shipped back to the factory for final assembly."

http://reviews.mtbr.com/factory-tour-intense-cycles

What other stories has everyone seen about the big name brands overseas manufacturing?

[Izzy]

Great thread idea! I'm actually a big fan of Intense cycles, and the fact that they freely admit where they source their frames only makes them more attractive of a brand to me. It's interesting to me that the quote states that they go to China for their carbon because they are the best, NOT because they are the cheapest. I wonder how honest that statement is..

[cmh]

...  Intense is a relatively newish brand ...

Intense is many things, but "newish" isn't one of them!

http://intensecycles.com/heritage/

They've been around since 1990 and their stuff is pretty legendary. They might be newish to carbon bikes, though.

[Carbon_Dude]

Didn't know Intense has been around that long.  Haven't heard of them until a few years ago, at least not out here on the East coast.

There are so many West coast brands that have been around but never got big, at least not on this side of the US.  For me Trek, Giant, Cannonade, and Specialized are a few of the most recognized.  Probably because that's what I see most at my local bike shops.

[cmh]

Yeah, come to think of it, I've never really seen them on the trails out here (SE PA) so I must have heard about them from magazines. (old Mountain Bike Action and such)

[MTNRCKT]

Intense is probably my favorite name brand manufacturer. Not sure why. Prob just their marketing and branding bc I've never actually ridden one, but if I was going to buy name brand (which I wouldn't) I'd go with Intense or Niner. Either way, Intense is def not new, but they are kinda "newish" when compared to Trek and Specialized and all the others so I think both of you guys a re right in a way    I also like that they seem to be be more upfront about the sourcing of their frames.

So, isn't Niner pretty much the only MTB manufacturer that actually has their own carbon production facilities? I may be way wrong on that but thought I read it somewhere.

[Carbon_Dude]

So, isn't Niner pretty much the only MTB manufacturer that actually has their own carbon production facilities? I may be way wrong on that but thought I read it somewhere.

If they have their own production facility, it must be in China.  According to a review in DirtRag Magazine, COO of the bike is China. 
http://dirtragmag.com/review-niner-air-9-carbon/

Not sure if any of the big brand names are US made, with the exception of the top of the line Trek road bikes.  Trek claims those are still US made.  Note that "Made in the USA" is a very narrow statement these days, meaning even the raw materials originated in the US.

[MTNRCKT]

Hmm. I'll dig for it, Carbon_Dude, but I'm fairly certain I read an article talking about how Niner has their own carbon plant in Korea. And I think it was a pretty recent addition, so perhaps that article which was written in 2011 was correct at the time.