National pride and prejudice

I want the best bike I can buy, not the best one a local can make, says Matthew Loveridge

- Matthew Loveridge

Western consumers have grown used to the idea that few of the products we use are manufactured at home. Indeed, 'we don't make things anymore' is a refrain (or a lament) often heard in discussions of where we are politically. Purportedly, Italian bikes such as the Colnago V5Rs and Pinarello Dogma F are designed in Italy, but their frames are made in Taiwan or China. It's a similar story with major North American brands including Specialized, Trek, Cannondale and Cervélo.

The designs are unique to their brands, and I'm not looking to denigrate the efforts that go into developing them. But, in many cases, the manufacturing techniques barely differ. It's valid to interrogate the value proposition when you're paying significantly more for something with a 'prestige' name on the down tube. But what even gives a bike its national identity?

There's more bike choice than ever before, but because of how the industry operates, the differences between brands sometimes feel more emotional than tangible. 'That guy' on your group ride will insist all carbon bikes are made in the same factory and that looky-likey AliExpress frames are as good as the branded bikes.