When we heard that Dorel/Pacific bought Cannondale, we at the shop started an informal betting pool as to how much longer Cannondale would manufacture any bikes, carbon or aluminum, in the U.S.

Dorel is run by "bean counters" and only the bottom line counts.

Trek U.S. production is now pretty much restricted to 5 series and above Madones.

Never been a "Cannonwhale" fan, but it's a shame regardless.

 

i think we all saw this coming once cannondale was aquired.

i was in a bike shop last fall and the guy said he had heard some shatter about cdale not making any AL-only frames after the CAAD9. i doubted that would happen, but now i can see them moving all the american AL work overseas.

arent cdales the only mass market AL frames built in the US? maybe the CAADX will be the last fully AL frame manufactured in the US.

 

Bunch of Idiots at Dorel/Pacific

Although the bottom line may be reduced by transferring production overseas, that is assuming that sales volume will remain near historical levels. But I for one would not buy a C-Dale Al frame once they switch production overseas because for me the allure of their Al frames was the fact they are the last high-end AL frames produced in the US. Granted, the quantifiable traits of the frame- stiff, fast, durable nature of the CAAD 9 will still be the same. So for some, it won't matter where the CAAD 9 is made but for me that matters. Part of why I like the Colnagos and DeRosas- most frames still made in Italy!

 

this is exactly the reason the last frame i chose was a CAAD frame.

...the allure of their Al frames was the fact they are the last high-end AL frames produced in the US.

 

Another American Icon Falls to the Big Box.

 

I bought the 2009 CAAD9 specifically because it was US built.
Wonder if it will be one of the last to be made in the US.
Hellllooooo resale value!

 

Goodbye

Goodbye

 

Time to forget about Cannondale and move on. They sucked, then they where good and now they're becoming there own cheap knock offs.

Don't hold on to tradition (501's, stratocasters, cannondales etc) cuz the companies themselves dont even give a #$%t. If only ikea sold bikes, lol. Nothing makes sense anymore!

 

Don't hold on to tradition (501's, ....

Until I find other button fly jeans, I'll stick with 501s.

 

Until I find other button fly jeans, I'll stick with 501s.

Man, I luv my 501's, the other day I went to get another 2 pair. They're up 30 bucks and I cant find the same basic dark blue ones I've been buying for 18 yrs, the guy workin was like "I havent seen those for months, i think theyre discontinued".

And strats, well u can get the real usa ones brand new if you want but here in Canada the one you want is well over $4000 with taxes. Remember a strat is 2 pieces of wood bolted together, one of which is shaped a little. They're built because there easy to build. sorry i'm ranting cuz i dont make enuff $

 

Another HUGE thing the folks at Dorel/Pacific fail to consider...

Cannondales are HUGE in Europe! Reason?? Because they are made in the USA. Just as many here in the US love all things (especially bikes) European, those folks love some things American- and Cannondale/Trek (US Made) are the epitomy of the best of the US. I can almost guarantee that all, if not, most of those sales will be gone like the wind. When companies lose the pulse of what makes it successful and only focus on the bottom line that bean counters advise to the C-suite level folks, they eventually fail.

 

OT - 501s

Man, I luv my 501's, the other day I went to get another 2 pair. They're up 30 bucks and I cant find the same basic dark blue ones I've been buying for 18 yrs, the guy workin was like "I havent seen those for months, i think theyre discontinued".

I buy jeans from "Western Wear" retailers. Classic example of market-based pricing. You can buy 501s from from a boutique where they represent retro-hipness and pay $50-$60. At a Western store they are just pants and they are $30-$40.

http://www.sheplers.com/mens/classic_fit_jeans/010022.html
http://www.sheplers.com/mens/classic_fit_jeans/010390.html

 

Cannondales are HUGE in Europe! Reason?? Because they are made in the USA. Just as many here in the US love all things (especially bikes) European, those folks love some things American- and Cannondale/Trek (US Made) are the epitomy of the best of the US. I can almost guarantee that all, if not, most of those sales will be gone like the wind. When companies lose the pulse of what makes it successful and only focus on the bottom line that bean counters advise to the C-suite level folks, they eventually fail.

Amen!

 

Amen!

Thank you my brutha. now if you please add your offerings to my coffer!

 

This was inevitable long before Dorel bought Cannondale. Why do you think Cannondale was for sale to begin with? They had a business model that couldn't be sustained in today's world. Are high end Italian manufacturers going out of business and losing customers because their frames are built in east Asia? Hardly. This had to be done if Cannondale was to stay in business at all. Every manufacturer has done or is doing the same (going to east Asia). They have to to survive.

 

They're coming to my neighborhood, so I get to treat them as local.

 

If you care about USA made alu... there is always Spooky. I don't mind if they are made in Taiwan personally but I am not really convinced that this will help them out in the long run.

 

I bought the 2009 CAAD9 specifically because it was US built.
Wonder if it will be one of the last to be made in the US.
Hellllooooo resale value!

I'm still holding out some hope... we'll see what happens MY2010.... btw, the cannondale ultra forks are chinese IIRC.

 

schwinn went under, and now there is waterford.

 

I like 'dales BUT it is the same argument in any number of industries faced with decreasing profitability and/or reduced market share because the expensive first world labour cost can not compete with the much lower labour cost in other parts of the world such as Taiwan and China. If people buy a bike because they want a US (or French or Italian) frame then that is there choice - an emotional decision. If they buy a bike because its frame is better because it was manufactured in the US (or France or Italy) then you would have to be satisfied that the skillset of the workers who construct the frame is better and that the better skillset translates in to a meaningful difference in the product.

I have ridden quite a few 'Dales, incl mTBs, and quite a few Giants and other Asian stuff. The differences were more to do with design than quaility of construction or materials. In some ways this "US is better" (and we have the same views expressed in Australia) is inherrently racist.

Reminds me of the nonesnse when Japanese cars started to make inroads in to the Australian market. They were said to be rubbish and people would argue Australian made cars are better. This continues to a degree. The simple fact remains that Australian made cars are cr@p compared with Japanese made cars, and I'd put the build quality of Australian cars slightly ahead of most things I have seen come out of the US.

If you want a truly high quality Us made frame, go custom. If you want a truly high quality Al frame, make an informed choice, not one based on a marketing driven sense of patriotism. If people keep buying cr@p, they will keep turning out cr@p - the current state of US and Australian motor vehicle manufacturing is a sad demonstration of that.

 

No more made in the USA. I guess I better hold on to my extra System six frame. This has made my choise to keep this frame easy. Time to find a nice caad 9 bike.

 

I like 'dales BUT it is the same argument in any number of industries faced with decreasing profitability and/or reduced market share because the expensive first world labour cost can not compete with the much lower labour cost in other parts of the world such as Taiwan and China. If people buy a bike because they want a US (or French or Italian) frame then that is there choice - an emotional decision. If they buy a bike because its frame is better because it was manufactured in the US (or France or Italy) then you would have to be satisfied that the skillset of the workers who construct the frame is better and that the better skillset translates in to a meaningful difference in the product.

I have ridden quite a few 'Dales, incl mTBs, and quite a few Giants and other Asian stuff. The differences were more to do with design than quaility of construction or materials. In some ways this "US is better" (and we have the same views expressed in Australia) is inherrently racist.

Reminds me of the nonesnse when Japanese cars started to make inroads in to the Australian market. They were said to be rubbish and people would argue Australian made cars are better. This continues to a degree. The simple fact remains that Australian made cars are cr@p compared with Japanese made cars, and I'd put the build quality of Australian cars slightly ahead of most things I have seen come out of the US.

If you want a truly high quality Us made frame, go custom. If you want a truly high quality Al frame, make an informed choice, not one based on a marketing driven sense of patriotism. If people keep buying cr@p, they will keep turning out cr@p - the current state of US and Australian motor vehicle manufacturing is a sad demonstration of that.

I don't think that Asiamade frames are bad...I have a couple, because they inexpensive and accually pretty nice frames. I do own 4 US made frames that are Very nice frames.

The thing that is disconcerting I'm tired of Suit and ties sending our labor (JOBS) overseas. I don't know what the unemployement rate is in Australia but the middle class is losing jobs while the Upper Class Suits & Ties make more money. Yes it's patriotism.
Buts its also nice to have jobs to.

 

Come again? Racist???

" In some ways this "US is better" (and we have the same views expressed in Australia) is inherrently racist. "

Let me get this straight...you're saying that folks who prefer to purchase domestically produced products are racist?

I gotta say that that's one of the dumbest, most inflamatory statements I've seen on here in a very long time.

 

I have been riding a Trek for nearly three years. The lure of a Cannondale for me has always been the ability to support in nearly every way our domestic economy. My goal was to find my next bike where my money would hopefully go somewhere nearby, say Bedford, Pennsylvania.

That being said, the quality of the Asian-made frames are not bad. However, is it still possible given this news about Cannondale, without going completely custom, to find a bike (specifically the frame) that is made in the US?

 

If it makes anyone feel any better about buying a Taiwanese manufactured bike... On my ride today I went through rural Taiwan and noticed that Taiwanese are the kind of people to individually wrap each pear in an orchard in paper to keep the bugs and weather off. Each stalk of corn grows up through its own hole in a lattice to that they are evenly spaced to gain ideal space between them and maximize the area of use. My point is, there is plenty of attention to detail her, so don't brush off the craftsmanship before you know.