# Making America Great Again - Starring Mr Columbia



## djheffer (Nov 11, 2016)

I know it's not Wednesday, but I just happened upon this.  I have not seen it posted before, so here it is for those that may be interested.


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## catfish (Nov 11, 2016)




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## bikiba (Nov 11, 2016)

makes me want to buy one. nice job


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## Bozman (Nov 11, 2016)

Great video! 

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## None (Nov 11, 2016)

This is AWESOME! I love my Columbia and my Elgin! So cool! They ended that perfectly with... Cycle of life, things come back.  Thank you for sharing!


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## 2jakes (Nov 12, 2016)

A very inspiring video. Thanks.

My first was the 5 Star anniversary bike.





Next :




I took some liberties by adding chrome fenders and dual front springs.
The dual springs have improved the comfort ride by 100%.




I finally found an original Columbia 3 Star which is being put together.


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## nycet3 (Nov 12, 2016)

Very cool video.
(Caught a lot of trout in that river.)


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## mike j (Nov 12, 2016)

Very interesting, well edited video & Ken, you're a natural. Great job all around, thanks for sharing.


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## mickeyc (Nov 12, 2016)

Very cool!

Mike


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## markivpedalpusher (Nov 12, 2016)

Nice !


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## Dave K (Nov 12, 2016)

So are the new bikes made in America?


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## Elginboy (Nov 12, 2016)

Cool video.


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## dnc1 (Nov 12, 2016)

Dave K said:


> So are the new bikes made in America?



Or are they made elsewhere, like so many British companies do.
Sadly English companies so often farm out their manufacturing overseas, it would be great if this video was to lead to a resurgence of your bicycle industry.
Great video by the way!


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## THEGOLDENGREEK (Nov 12, 2016)

Cool video!


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## Floyd (Nov 13, 2016)

Inspiring video for sure! But if they say made in China I'll pass.


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## partsguy (Nov 13, 2016)

I hope they're made in America, for all the patriotism they're selling in that video.

Very cool video nonetheless!


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## partsguy (Nov 13, 2016)

Every Columbia I've bought, has sold quickly. Good quality too! I remember the time I rescued a 1974 Tourist V women's model in a 26" wheel size. It was a 50's turquoise with white stripes and lots of chrome. No less than about half a day later, a neighbor who witnessed me pushing that old bike behind the house wanted to buy it. So, I immediately brought it in the garage and spent about a week fixing it up. It was beautiful, I wish I still had picture of it.

I've owned other Columbia's, but my neighbor falling in love with that '74 Tourist is my favorite Columbia story. The '75 men's Tourist V I had was a great ride too. It rode as smooth as silk, I hated to sell it! I got $135 out of it though and didn't have to ship it!


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## djheffer (Nov 13, 2016)

Posters have been wondering about where these bikes are built, so I did a little digging.  There is a website for the new Columbia company.  http://columbiabicycles.com/  The word "China" does not appear anywhere on their site, but this was posted on their Facebook page a couple of weeks ago:
_"Well I was suckered in your wording of just being the oldest brand in the USA thinking that they were built there, received one of the two bikes I bought today just to see made in gosh dam China all over the box!  So you know they are going back to you!"_

Perhaps they're made in China, Maine.


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## partsguy (Nov 13, 2016)

Well, if they say "sold to Sears, Wal-Mart, Target", what can we expect? Go figure!


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## Floyd (Nov 13, 2016)

I suspected as much. What a misleading video!! Pathetic!!


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## morton (Nov 14, 2016)

The problem I have with all those repops, in addition to being china stuff, is that the frames are too small.  The last one i saw had a 19 inch frame. That may have been an average size back in the 1940's or 50's, but people today a quite a bit taller.  I'm just shy of 6' and my knees would explode if I rode one that size for more than a mile or two.

You can see by this photo from the vid, his leg doesn't even come close to being almost fully extended, which is the proper position for the leg.  Riding like this for me, would bring on severe knee/leg cramps.


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## Harvest Cyclery (Nov 14, 2016)

It is just a liscensing deal. Someone buys the rights to use the name and cranks them out of China. That's the story with almost every major brand in the industry today. Nothing new.


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## MrColumbia (Nov 14, 2016)

They were going to make the new Columbia's here but they could not find a factory's worth of workers willing to work for the the $4.05 per hour that a Columbia worker was paid back when Columbia's retailed for $175 -$250. Yes, $4.05 was what I made when I went to work there in 1979.

These new Columbia's are not in any way "re-pops" nor are intended to be. They were also not intended to appeal to the antique and vintage bicycle crowd nor to take the place of a good American Made Vintage bicycles. They were however designed here in the USA taking their que from old Columbia styling. They are not simply rebadged Chinese bikes that are available with different badges. The quality is actually quite good on the ones I have seen and I own one myself for a rider. The Compax if anyone was wondering.

Make no mistake, I wish the manufacturing could come back but the world has changed and I know that will never happen. American workers did not lose work in this case since Columbia stopped making bikes here more than a generation ago. The company longer has the equipment or the desire to compete in the highly competitive low cost bicycle market. These bikes are designed and marketed to and for the department store market to compete with the fake Huffys and fake Schwinns. So why not a fake Columbia, we have fake Indian Motorcycles too. 


As far as the editing goes I am not happy with some of it. They filmed the segment at my house for about 6 hours and all that got condensed into a few minutes. There are places that are so carefully and skillfully edited that it has me saying things about one bike that I actually said about a completely different one. I was impressed with the drone work done flying over Losierville. 


In the end I figured I would take some heat on the CABE for participating in this video. That's Ok and I make no apologies for my part except for others to have seen my ugly mug on their computer screens. There were non-monetary considerations that I got out of the experience that will ultimately help the vintage bicycle world.


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## catfish (Nov 14, 2016)

MrColumbia said:


> In the end I figured I would take some heat on the CABE for participating in this video. That's Ok and I make no apologies for my part except for others to have seen my ugly mug on their computer screens. There were non-monetary considerations that I got out of the experience that will ultimately help the vintage bicycle world.




Ken,   No apologies necessary. You did a great job. And you provided great info.   Catfish


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## Dale Alan (Nov 14, 2016)

I think it is a great video,well done.


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## djheffer (Nov 14, 2016)

I, for one, did not look at Ken's (Mr Columbia) involvement with the video as him being a shill for a Chinese bicycle company.  I looked at his appearance as that of a man that is knowledgeable and passionate about the history of Columbia bikes, which he is.  There is certainly nothing to be embarrassed about.  I was surprised that he didn't post the video himself.

When I worked at Columbia, which was about a decade before Ken, I worked on the assembly line and was paid $5.00 per hour.  Assembly line workers made more than almost all other workers in the factory.  It was considered "piece work" and as long as "the line" never stopped, which it rarely did, everyone on the line made $5.00 per hour.   This was a high rate of pay for the time, regardless of the industry.  The interesting thing is that working on the assembly line required fewer skills than required by other workers in other positions that made much less.  As long as you could perform some repetitive task in 20 seconds and joined the union, you qualified for the assembly line.


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## MrColumbia (Nov 14, 2016)

The assembly line was a challenge to break into. I worked it a couple of times as a fill in for employees out that day. As you said the line never stopped. They also gave the easier jobs to the people with the most seniority.  They put me installing the built in kickstands. The bike frames are on the line upside down and me being short had a very difficult time reaching up and getting the force needed to overcome the spring. Nobody cared about anything except making rate and the line never slowed. Eventually I fell behind and bikes were going past with no kickstands. It was kind of like the "I LOVE LUCY" episode on the candy line except I guess only nobody was laughing. The next day I was sent to the fork room to braze forks. I loved that job because it was dirty and there was no bullpoop from the others.

 I think it would be tough to get today's youth to do some of those factory jobs we took for granted. A good share of them don't know what a wrench is for. Ahh, the good ol days.


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## MrColumbia (Nov 14, 2016)

"I was surprised that he didn't post the video himself."

In all honesty I did not think anyone here would care as it did not relate directly to Antique or Classic Bicycles. The video was done back in the spring.


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## Floyd (Nov 15, 2016)

The video is enjoyable for sure. But way to much Americana to sell china made crap. Seriously..... showing the factory with parts in it?!?! It's horribly misleading


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## Dale Alan (Nov 15, 2016)

Any day I can learn anything about the history of bicycles is a good day in my book . You won't get any criticism from me,I found it enjoyable . I figure before I can give a harsh critique on something I better be able to do better and backup my words.


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## MrColumbia (Nov 15, 2016)

Floyd said:


> The video is enjoyable for sure. But way to much Americana to sell china made crap. Seriously..... showing the factory with parts in it?!?! It's horribly misleading




I'm not sure what you find misleading. They showed the factory as it looks today making school furniture. They also have a parts department for the later bicycles that they sold.


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## Floyd (Nov 15, 2016)

The video talks about "Bringing it back to America", Then tours the American plant showing bicycle parts. It really insinuates production there. It very intentionally misleads. If anyone truly believes Pacific bicycle china crap is even close to what that factory once made, then shame on them.


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## rustjunkie (Nov 15, 2016)

Nice video, thank you @MrColumbia for your part in it. Was it at least some fun being involved?
When watching this vid I didn't have the expectation or impression that the bikes would be made in the USA.
Seems to me the "made elsewhere" toothpaste is looooong out of the tube, so I doubt there was any intention to deceive.


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## the tinker (Nov 15, 2016)

Partsguy is correct. These bikes are going to the big chain stores where every bike and toy is made in China.
So what else is new? They are not in any way shape or form being sold as "reproductions" and no where in the video does it state they are being made in the old plant  or someplace else in the USA.  If they were made here the video would have stated so. Probably several times and in big bold in letters. Does anyone here on the Cabe think any manufacturer, especially Columbia is stupid enough to repeat the Black Phantom fiasco? Are there any Cabe members or the general public for that matter,  that would actually buy one of these bikes from Target thinking it would be made anywhere but China?......".Duh......gee whiz you mean it's imported from Cheena?"

 And.......If by chance these bikes were made in the United States  we would still have the complainers here picking them apart and finding fault.
{Thanks for posting this video Ken} and telling your story about the old days building our bikes .

0730  11/16/16                 I edit this to acknowledge the fact that I mistakenly thought Mr Columbia was the one  that posted this video.    I am glad it was posted and I really enjoyed it.


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## 2jakes (Nov 15, 2016)

I don’t have an allegiance to any specific bicycle brand.
If I like the looks, I will buy it, regardless of where it was made.

That’s why my collection varies from  Aerocycle, to  Zeppelin bike.
And in between, are the Columbia, Monark, Phantoms & Western Flyer
with a couple of repos thrown in for good measure.

If Wally-mart was to come up with a copy of a “Bluebird” edition.
If I like it & can afford it, I will buy it with no hesitation & have fun with it.
Anyone having a problem with this.
 I’m sure you know where the exit door is located. 

Enjoyed the video, Mr. C.


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## MrColumbia (Nov 16, 2016)

rustjunkie said:


> Nice video, thank you @MrColumbia for your part in it. Was it at least some fun being involved?
> When watching this vid I didn't have the expectation or impression that the bikes would be made in the USA.
> Seems to me the "made elsewhere" toothpaste is looooong out of the tube, so I doubt there was any intention to deceive.




 Just for the record, I don't have any stake in Ballard Pacific, the company making these bikes. I did help the owner out with History of the company and searching through the factory. In that _I did have fun_ and got the opportunity to do some research that would have otherwise been unlikely. I also had the opportunity to scan about 20 catalogs that I did not have, all will be helpful to many here when needed. Getting access to the bicycle collection that used to make up the Columbia museum that my father once curated was also on my agenda. I was also quite amazed that about 6 hours of footage could be whittled down to a few short sentences. 

 I also did not make this video or have any part in editing it. I had no say in it's content either. I agreed to talk on the "history" part if the video only. I also *never intended it to be posted here on the CABE*. Although the outpouring of support has been tremendous, I knew there would be some who have nothing but hate to share. I know how the CABE can get and my goal is to try and avoid controversial subjects. This is why I opted out of the brake room. Trust me, I get it. You hate Chinese junk. I resent the loss of American Manufacturing as well but it is already done. Move on! It's time to pick up the pieces and do something positive.

 I do think that the video was posted here with good intentions and not to become an argument on the quality of walmart products or the ethics of overseas manufacturing. 

 Finally I would share the story and motivations behind the resurrection of the brand.  The owner of Ballard Pacific Ron Horta lives in Rhode Island and grew up riding Columbia Bicycles. He loved his Columbia's and already had a line of Chinese made bicycles , the Hyper Brand. Now everyone knows that Columbia had not made bikes in Westfield since the 2002 blue "anniversary model".  What some may not know is Columbia Sportswear branched out into sports equipment including bicycles a few years ago. This was problematic though because even though they are a different company entirely they had to pay royalties to Columbia Mfg to call their bikes Columbia despite only using the Columbia Sportswear logo. They finally decided to stop marketing bicycles and that is when Ron heard of the availability of the brand. He approached Columbia Mfg initially with the intent of a partnership having at least part of the bikes made or at least assembled in the Westfield factory.  They wanted no part of making bicycles any longer because they felt it would be impossible to compete in today's market. A licensing agreement is all they would do.

  Ron did not want to simply re-badge his Hyper bicycles with a Columbia badge. What he wanted to do was make unique new bikes that look like they were designed by the same people who designed Columbias in the old days. The new plan as described to me was first and foremost to reclaim public recognition of the brand. After all, an entire generation has grown up not having heard of Columbia bicycles. Making them inexpensivly was the only option to start with. Ron is still looking at bringing some of the manufacturing back to the USA, probably in the south where it's cheaper to operate. I hope he is successful enough with the re-launch so that he is able to bring some form of the process back and I wish him well in that regard. 

 Just one last thing on the subject, I did not feel right promoting a brand without being a consumer of it so I purchased one of their folding Compax bikes directly from Walmart. I will say that for $199 and free shipping it was a big bang for the buck. The folding feature is well thought out and works well. Overall the bike is extremely well made. Every bit as good as any Westfield made bike from the 50's on. The bike was geared low and came with knobby tires like a mountain bike. I wanted a bike to bring in the back seat of the car to the rail trail so I did change the front gears to taller ones and put on a set of street tread Kenda's.


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## partsguy (Nov 16, 2016)

@MrColumbia

You can never please everyone. I thought it was entertaining. 

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk


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## partsguy (Nov 16, 2016)

MrColumbia said:


> Just for the record, I don't have any stake in Ballard Pacific, the company making these bikes. I did help the owner out with History of the company and searching through the factory. In that _I did have fun_ and got the opportunity to do some research that would have otherwise been unlikely. I also had the opportunity to scan about 20 catalogs that I did not have, all will be helpful to many here when needed. Getting access to the bicycle collection that used to make up the Columbia museum that my father once curated was also on my agenda. I was also quite amazed that about 6 hours of footage could be whittled down to a few short sentences.
> 
> I also did not make this video or have any part in editing it. I had no say in it's content either. I agreed to talk on the "history" part if the video only. I also *never intended it to be posted here on the CABE*. Although the outpouring of support has been tremendous, I knew there would be some who have nothing but hate to share. I know how the CABE can get and my goal is to try and avoid controversial subjects. This is why I opted out of the brake room. Trust me, I get it. You hate Chinese junk. I resent the loss of American Manufacturing as well but it is already done. Move on! It's time to pick up the pieces and do something positive.
> 
> ...



I'm actually about to restore a 1984 Columbia Charger 24" 10 speed. It's the same colors and model year as my 1984 Dodge Charger Shelby I'll soon restore. They'll make a great pair! I'll need new decals if you know where I can find some?

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## MrColumbia (Nov 16, 2016)

partsguy said:


> I'm actually about to restore a 1984 Columbia Charger 24" 10 speed. It's the same colors and model year as my 1984 Dodge Charger Shelby I'll soon restore. They'll make a great pair! I'll need new decals if you know where I can find some?
> 
> Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk




I cleaned out the parts department of decals 10 years ago and still have a sizeable stash. I'll take a look and see if I have what you need. Send me an email to mrcolumbiaman@yahoo.com to remind me as I don't do the PM's here on the CABE.


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## partsguy (Nov 16, 2016)

MrColumbia said:


> I cleaned out the parts department of decals 10 years ago and still have a sizeable stash. I'll take a look and see if I have what you need. Send me an email to mrcolumbiaman@yahoo.com to remind me as I don't do the PM's here on the CABE.




Cool! I'll get some pics Thursday and email you then.


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## Floyd (Nov 16, 2016)

What's "the Black Phantom Fiasco"??


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## SirMike1983 (Nov 16, 2016)

A large part of why bicycle production moved to China is because the American consumer wanted it to do just that, at least indirectly. Consumers demanded ever-lower prices for basic bicycles, while costs of production rose in the U.S. In order to build bicycles in the U.S. again, the American consumer would need to reconcile himself to higher prices. The quality of the goods probably would be better, but it would take a great deal of convincing the consumer to accept higher prices. I have yet to see evidence this will happen in any substantial way.


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## 2jakes (Nov 16, 2016)

Floyd said:


> What's "the Black Phantom Fiasco"??




This is my  "Black Phantom” ’95.
Hasn’t broken down and having a blast riding it regularly.


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## nycet3 (Nov 16, 2016)

SirMike1983 said:


> A large part of why bicycle production moved to China is because the American consumer wanted it to do just that, at least indirectly. Consumers demanded ever-lower prices for basic bicycles, while costs of production rose in the U.S. In order to build bicycles in the U.S. again, the American consumer would need to reconcile himself to higher prices. The quality of the goods probably would be better, but it would take a great deal of convincing the consumer to accept higher prices. I have yet to see evidence this will happen in any substantial way.




I agree. And to repeat what was said earlier, it's doubtful people here would work for minimum wage. 

It's such a drag that good quality massed produced bicycles can't be made here.

I've been on different forums where the question is often asked: What will happen to our hobby in the future? Will tomorrow's "classics" be limited mostly to originally expensive, high-end hand-made bikes? They sure aren't coming out of factories in USA or China.

Anyway, I liked the video. I knew the bikes weren't American. I spent a lot of time in Westfield. It's a pretty interesting place.


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## the tinker (Nov 16, 2016)

The black phantom fiasco was one the last attempts by an american bicycle manufacturer to reproduce their iconic flagship bike from the 1950's.  Like the Columbia and Roadmaster bikes it was not a money maker and from that standpoint was a dismal failure.  This was an attempt to boost lagging sales. ....and make a profit.
For us in the hobby, we either liked them or not.  I personally like the Columbia and Phantom re-issues. I think reproducing these bikes are responsible for many of us getting into this hobby. When I saw the line of Green Columbia's with that great looking springer for sale in a local store [named Sportmart] outside Chicago I almost bought it. Instead I sought out an original Schwinn like I had back in the 1950's  I now own two original 50's Phantoms.
Like them or not these reproduction bikes have their own place in the history of our hobby.........and I think most of the "restored" original Phantoms and Columbia's today sport parts from these reproduction bikes.  They did a good job re-making these bikes and the only folks that can spot these "re-pop" parts used to restore an original are the eagle-eyed members here.
I will not bash any of these China made bikes. Maybe after some "young-in" buys and starts riding his China retro they will later opt for the real deal and join us here on the Cabe. 

P.S. Last year I bought a green Columbia re-issue with that springer for myself.
This winter I plan on placing New Departure hubs in some new old stock rims;[ I like New Departure] changing out the headlight for that cool looking rocket one Columbia used and installing the braced Columbia handlebars that I purchased from Memory Lane a few years ago. That's what this hobby should be about....having fun.


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## Floyd (Nov 17, 2016)

I do wonder now that the American consumer has had a good solid 20 year affair with low quality China garbage, if maybe the climate is right for things like these to be made here again. Seriously after watching that video I was ready to plunk down a good amount on one of those cruisers


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## rustjunkie (Nov 17, 2016)

Does the "everything made in China is garbage" claim really hold true? I'd guess that some of the planet's most modern engineering and manufacturing facilities are there.
It seems more a matter of "build to suit" to me: if the buyer wants a higher quality/fit/finish/precision, they'll make it, more $. If the buyer is more concerned with a low price instead of quality, they'll do that too.


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## Dale Alan (Nov 17, 2016)

rustjunkie said:


> Does the "everything made in China is garbage" claim really hold true? I'd guess that the planet's most modern engineering and manufacturing facilities are there.
> It seems more a matter of "build to suit" to me: if the buyer wants a higher quality/fit/finish/precision, they'll make it, more $. If the buyer is more concerned with a low price instead of quality, they'll do that too.



You nailed it Scott.


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## Floyd (Nov 17, 2016)

Well it's true..... you get what you pay for. China can and does produce good things., but they ship us second rate crap


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## rustjunkie (Nov 17, 2016)

Here's an interesting write up I read recently:

http://www.bicycle.net/2010/where-is-your-bike-made

and another:

http://aushiker.com/where-was-my-bicycle-made/


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## fattyre (Nov 17, 2016)

It's not that no one makes bikes in the US, it's that very few people are willing to pay for one made in the US.  Try to find a US made frame of any kind for less than a grand. 

    How many people actually buy cruiser bikes anyways?  It has to be one of the smallest percentages of total bike sales.  I'd bet the majority of current cruiser bike sales happen at department stores.  Most local bike shops don't have very many if any on the sales floor by me.  There are alot of people here including myself that are into them, but in reality its pretty much the wrong bike for so many people. 


  I'd bet we'll never see another affordable US made cruiser style bike*.  There are just not enough people that will actually step up and buy one.  The cycling industry is global and I doubt that will change.  I'd rather see more people riding cheap bikes than less people riding nice bikes.

* ...so the frame is made in the US, what about the rest of the bike?


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## partsguy (Nov 17, 2016)

A fine example are late-model American-made Huffy's. The frames, forks, bars, and wheels were U.S.-built, tough as nails. The components on the frames were second rate garbage.

My Specialized has been rode hard and put away wet, but it's made in China (or Taiwan). The Micargi-brand muscle bike I had as a teenager was rode hard, but well maintained. The only things that ever broke were the rear tires , handlegrip trim, and kickstand. Nothing major. Well, I take that back, I neglected to replace the rear fender hardware and it fell off one and got ran over; factory replaced it under warranty.

The Schwinn Ranger I had though, was garbage. It was good for a few months but quickly fell out of favor with me. I finally sold it, and the deraileur took a crap again while I had a severe migraine and I tried to repair it. I got rid of it for $20. Worst bike I ever owned.

Moral of the story? I don't like it when I see things made in China or anywhere outside of the U.S of A. However, China can make great products IF you'e willing to invest the time and money into it.

All of the patriotic Americans crying out for U.S.-based production for commodity items are the same people who will got to Wal-Mart, buy the cheapest piece of rubbish imaginable, without checking to see where it's made, and complain because the rubbish they bought didn't hold up to their abuse. Here's something else, two similar products, one with an American flag that says "Made in the USA!" on the package, the other with "Made in China" in fine print, placed side-by-side, with the American version costing a couple dollars more, the would-be shopper will chose the China-made product.

American consumers rarely put their money where their mouth is.


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## SHO2010 (Nov 18, 2016)

I wish they could make the bikes here also but when you figure paying employees an average of $20 per hour and benefits those $195 bikes would be more like $395 and how many people are going to pay that much for a cruiser the market just wont support that. I am not going to buy one because I would rather spend my money on the vintage bikes but there arent too many of the under 40 crowd that want the old school look and those are the ones that are the target demographic to sell to.


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## Brian R. (Nov 19, 2016)

I've read with interest all the postings in this thread. It inspired me to read up on the City of Westfield, Mass. and use Google Maps to compare images of the Columbia factory then and now. My overall feeling is not one of doom and gloom. I have a few things to say:

First, Mr. Columbia (Ken) helped me out with information on my 1914/15 Viking several years ago, long before I discovered The CABE, and it was really great to put a face to the name. It was a privilege and a delight to catch a glimpse into the life of Mr. Columbia. Ken, you have a beautiful home and a fantastic collection - thank you for contributing to the video.

Secondly, I think it's amazing that the Columbia company still exists AND still manufactures goods and employs workers at its original site, with a portion of the original factory still standing. They make school furniture instead of bicycles, but the first Pope bicycles were made in a sewing machine factory. Successful companies do what they need to do to stay in business while others fail (see _No Hands, the Rise and Fall of the Schwinn Bicycle Company, _and _Canada Cycle & Motor, The CCM Story). _To me, Columbia looks to be a success story. Like Columbia, the Sunshine Waterloo Company in Waterloo, Ontario Canada made office furniture as well as bikes, and continued to make steel desks, library shelving and school lockers after they stopped bicycle production (in 1953). The company went bankrupt in the 1990s, the factory was demolished and the site is now home to a retirement community. The CCM factory in Toronto was demolished in the 1980s and the site now has a fire station, a Tim Horton's coffee shop, a Wendy's and some light commercial buildings. It's nice that at least a couple of Columbia buildings are still there.

The third bit I'd like to contribute comes from a Market Watch article. The title is _Think Nothing is Made in America? Output has doubled in Three Decades. _It goes on to say the following:
_Manufacturing is the largest and most dynamic sector of the U.S. economy...  The output of durable goods was at an all-time high in 2015, more than triple what it was in 1980 and double what it was 20 years earlier. The production of electronics, aerospace goods, motor vehicles and machinery are at or close to all-time highs...  ...The value added by U.S. factories is more than $2 trillion a year, equal to the next three countries (Japan, Germany and South Korea) combined. U.S. manufacturing is still the envy of the world... Last year, the leading exported manufactured good was civilian airplanes worth $63 billion, followed by auto parts ($58 billion), pharmaceuticals ($55 billion), autos ($55 billion), and gasoline, diesel and other refined oil distillates ($46 billion). Other top exports include semiconductors, telecommunications equipment, medical equipment, plastics and airplane engines._

This is not doom-and-gloom. Getting back to bicycles!, it's been pointed out here by several people that, sadly, it's not profitable to make bicycles in the U.S. The article goes on to say: U.S. factories produce twice as much stuff as they did in 1984 but with one-third fewer workers. Therefore, I think the reality is that if bicycles were mass-produced again in the United States, they would be made mostly by robots, not workers. I'm not sure a made-in-America-by-robots bicycle would have the same allure that our classic bikes do.


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## BASHER76 (Nov 19, 2016)

I know it wont be the "original Columbia bike" but they are definitely trying to get back to their roots like so many other companies, with their new bikes... Cool thing is, i have a blue 1952 %star Superb like the one in the video, and it is my prized and most favorite bike in my whole collection.
This video shows me that there is hope for the future of bicycles...


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