Opinions on re-pop parts and imported bikes?

[two spot]

I guess this is an informal poll. I am just curious. I don't want to start any wars-- I just want to get a sense of peoples opinions. I have been watching these forums for a few months now. I see a lot of really amazing historic iron here: rusty rats, original patina beauties and restored finishes. I also see many new bikes-- usually Electras or Felts. I myself have two imported bikes in my stable, my Electra Rockabilly Boogy and my first cruiser, a 2003 single speed Schwinn. (As far as I know all Electra frames are made in Taiwan.) I have seen a bit of opinion fly around occasionally that the newer Pacific Cycles Schwinns are generally trash. And I have heard of re-pop parts (forks, wheels, etc.) being mentioned in a similar light. I guess I am wondering if anybody has any insight on how pervasive this opinion is?

For me it was simply a matter of what became available at a given time. I really admire the vintage iron. I actually have done a bit of research and spent some time looking for old bikes myself, but here in San Francisco they seem a slight bit scarce. So I thought, "screw it, I already have this dang 03' Schwinn-- I am going to rat this baby and I don't have the energy to scour ebay for vintage forks and wheels so I am going to buy these new parts from Choppers US!" At least that was my thinking at the time. I don't see myself buying another bike anytime soon but if I do, I think I will put on a full scale search for an American built bike. In the mean time I am riding the heck out of my two bike regardless of their heritage-- and the fact is my bikes get a lot of attention when I go for a ride down to the local coffee house. The nostalgic look really grabs the general public it seems.

I guess I am asking about folks opinion on this matter because Occasionally I do feel like a Honda in a sea of Harleys if you know what I mean. So if anybody has any thoughts I would love to hear them.

Best regards,
Two Spot

 

[user 135]

As long as you are having fun, it doesnt matter. And the cheaper, the better.

 

[gashuffy63]

It doesn't really matter to me where and by who a bike was manufactured by. I just take the bits and pieces that I find to be good for my build and toss or give away the rest. It's more the asthetic of the ride than if it is vintage or not. Both of your bikes capture the feel and look of a style that is has one foot firmly planted in the past with an eye for what the hobby will become for many of the enthusiasts that have trouble finding early iron. Cool stuff. Cheers

 

[Lightfoot]

Ride what you like and like what you ride

 

[Triggerfish]

...Occasionally I do feel like a Honda in a sea of Harleys if you know what I mean.
Two Spot

Your bikes are unique - they are what YOU want them to be and that's what counts! They're a couple of sharp looking rides and regardless of heritage you can take some real pride in riding them.

It's a different animal/situation (because your bikes are sweet) , but your line above made me remember taking my mutt Suzuki SP600 Dual-sport on rides with my Dad and all his Harley/Big Cruiser friends... That bike was ugleee, rusted, dented, and leaned dangerously because the kickstand was badly welded back on... Looked like an Armageddon survivor - but, it was different - and it got a lot of attention and some good natured kidding ... :lol: and everyone remembered it years later...

 

[CCR]

ive got nothing against Pacific built bikes. ive had 4 of em and liked them all, as far as fit and finish, the older Chicago schwinns were made better IMO but the Pacific built stuff isnt bad at all. now there is a difference between the bikes at my local bike shop and the ones hanging on the racks at wal-mart.

 

[StephenH]

I'm all in favor of using classic old frames and parts, but those things don't grow on trees, either. Either you're lucky or you shell out some good money to get them. So I sure wouldn't be afraid to use whatever was convenient. If you're buying expensive modern bicycles, they're likely to all be imported anyway, so it's not any worse than buying the latest carbon fiber parts.

As to quality- that's hard to say. It's not like every bike ever made in the USA was top notch quality. They always had some companies churning them out just as cheap as they could make them, so that's nothing new. Some of the finest bikes made are imported, and some of the crappiest are, too.

 

[KOTA]

Personally, I like FREE!.......Imported, American, vintage, used, junked, rotted, bad workmanship, good wormanship, I don't care. Parts is parts! 8)

 

[Buck Masterson]

A bike is only as good as the person taking care of it. My first bike a K-Mart huffy has lasted 25 years with the original tires and tubes, and let me tell you I put that thing through hell! Whenever something needed fixed, I fixed it. My buddy the Mountain biker has gone through many high end Bike shop bikes in that same time frame and has gotten to the point of getting irate with me because my k-mart bike has held up so long. Anyway not to get too long winded here, what I'm saying is the bike is only as good as its owner and as long as you take good care of it, it does not matter if you have a 100.00 wal-mart bike (wich is all some of us can afford) or a 2500.00 bike shop bike. If it gets you riding, that is all that matters! In the automobile world when rat-rods got started I can tell you that they were not ratting out Jaguars and any other high end cars, they were ratting out junk yard bottom of the line Fords and Chevy's. If they were bikes they would have been sold at Wal-Mart!

 

[OUTLAW]

dude you can buy a honda an ride with me an my harly anytime. i remember when harly was a piece of junk. what was i ridin at the time. hondas, yamahas,bultacos, you name it i rode it. it don't matter if ya ride a new schwinn or an early one. fix it the way ya like em an ride the wheels off it.lol

Outlaw 8)

 

[bring.doom]

I have a taiwan pacific framed bike and love it. something like a bmx or mountainbike I would only buy top end but these bikes dont see much stress being ridden, although I cracked a plastic pedal in half. I would love an old schwinn but dont wanna pay for one right now. I figure my bike will be my first time cutting and welding, so I might as well ruin a cheapy.

I see it as much hacking a modding these bikes will see, it wont matter. Most stock parts are not used. the only advantage I see in an older bike is the story behind the old rust bucket rotting away in a barn that you transformed.

 

[schwinnmesa]

As long as you are having fun, it doesnt matter. And the cheaper, the better.

Exactly my thoughts, right on brother. 8)

 

[blsm]

A well built hot rod Deuce isn't any less cool just because it as a Brookville body instead of an original FoMoCo

 

[MadMick]

When I worked in cycle retail my customers would often ask where the bikes were made and often disappointed to find out that they were all built in Taiwan. The fact is that the little island of Taiwan makes 90% of the bikes you see in bike shops and no-one comes close on quality and value for money. All the Trek, Specialized, GT, Univega, Jamis, Giant Electra etc bikes are made there and (sorry to burst any bubbles) Schwinn bikes have been sourced from Taiwan for many years before Pacific took over. Sub bike shop bikes, (Walmart etc) are now being sourced from countries with even lower labour rates than Taiwan like Indonesia, India and Singapore. This is simply the way all manufacturing industry has gone, the good ol' US of A is no different from the UK or the rest of Europe and the cycle industry is no different from the auto industry. It has been many years since a Raleigh was made on English soil. Would I rather see my hard earned pounds or dollars line the pockets of a Taiwanese factory worker or a European or US factory worker? Actually I don't care, the world has changed a lot in the last few decades and anyway Its a moot point, if I want to buy a reasonable quality new bike I have no choice.

There are a finite number of old bikes and the more popular our little corner of the cycling world gets the scarcer they will become, so although we all love the old iron I feel it would be wrong of any of us to think less of a bike because it wasn't made in Chicago. Or Nottingham. By rights we Rat Rodders should be the least snobby group of cyclists. And it's obvious to anyone looking through the gallery that being old or original is not a prerequisite for a great bike.

 

[Buck Masterson]

When I worked in cycle retail my customers would often ask where the bikes were made and often disappointed to find out that they were all built in Taiwan. The fact is that the little island of Taiwan makes 90% of the bikes you see in bike shops and no-one comes close on quality and value for money. All the Trek, Specialized, GT, Univega, Jamis, Giant Electra etc bikes are made there and (sorry to burst any bubbles) Schwinn bikes have been sourced from Taiwan for many years before Pacific took over. Sub bike shop bikes, (Walmart etc) are now being sourced from countries with even lower labour rates than Taiwan like Indonesia, India and Singapore. This is simply the way all manufacturing industry has gone, the good ol' US of A is no different from the UK or the rest of Europe and the cycle industry is no different from the auto industry. It has been many years since a Raleigh was made on English soil. Would I rather see my hard earned pounds or dollars line the pockets of a Taiwanese factory worker or a European or US factory worker? Actually I don't care, the world has changed a lot in the last few decades and anyway Its a moot point, if I want to buy a reasonable quality new bike I have no choice.

There are a finite number of old bikes and the more popular our little corner of the cycling world gets the scarcer they will become, so although we all love the old iron I feel it would be wrong of any of us to think less of a bike because it wasn't made in Chicago. Or Nottingham. By rights we Rat Rodders should be the least snobby group of cyclists. And it's obvious to anyone looking through the gallery that being old or original is not a prerequisite for a great bike.

Standing Ovation!!! VERY well said!

 

[Rustinkerer]

Well, a cool bike is a cool bike! A vintage ride gets some extra points for surviving, but other than that... I do own one Walmart Schwinn, a red Point Beach. It was just so shiny and cool looking, I had to have it! I already had a Jaguar from target, which was a decent riding bike, but that red was just too sweet. Of course, I immediately added whitewalls, a crashrail repop seat, and OG bow pedals, looks much gooder! Actually, I've never ridden it! It still has the bag with the manual hanging on the bars! I've thought of keeping it ala Spinal Tap's Nigel Tufnel, and his guitar collection.. "That one's never been played, still has the tagger on it"...."You've looked at it too long already!" :lol: ~Adam

 

[bring.doom]

When I worked in cycle retail my customers would often ask where the bikes were made and often disappointed to find out that they were all built in Taiwan. The fact is that the little island of Taiwan makes 90% of the bikes you see in bike shops and no-one comes close on quality and value for money. All the Trek, Specialized, GT, Univega, Jamis, Giant Electra etc bikes are made there and (sorry to burst any bubbles) Schwinn bikes have been sourced from Taiwan for many years before Pacific took over. Sub bike shop bikes, (Walmart etc) are now being sourced from countries with even lower labour rates than Taiwan like Indonesia, India and Singapore. This is simply the way all manufacturing industry has gone, the good ol' US of A is no different from the UK or the rest of Europe and the cycle industry is no different from the auto industry. It has been many years since a Raleigh was made on English soil. Would I rather see my hard earned pounds or dollars line the pockets of a Taiwanese factory worker or a European or US factory worker? Actually I don't care, the world has changed a lot in the last few decades and anyway Its a moot point, if I want to buy a reasonable quality new bike I have no choice.

There are a finite number of old bikes and the more popular our little corner of the cycling world gets the scarcer they will become, so although we all love the old iron I feel it would be wrong of any of us to think less of a bike because it wasn't made in Chicago. Or Nottingham. By rights we Rat Rodders should be the least snobby group of cyclists. And it's obvious to anyone looking through the gallery that being old or original is not a prerequisite for a great bike.

When I was into bmx there was a whole issue of your bike sucks because it uses japanese sanko steel and is welded in taiwan, mine is made with us steel and in the states. Alot of bike companys like volume came to say that the sanko steel is fluted so its stronger and lighter and the taiwan welding is right up there with an american welder and way better then a robot welded frame. All these are true but people were close minded.

I think you hit the nail on the head.

 

[sensor]

dude you can buy a honda an ride with me an my harly anytime. i remember when harly was a piece of junk. what was i ridin at the time. hondas, yamahas,bultacos, you name it i rode it. it don't matter if ya ride a new schwinn or an early one. fix it the way ya like em an ride the wheels off it.lol

Outlaw 8)

ahhhhhhhhhhh.............
the amf years :roll:

 

[Mr. Farrell]

hey... im rattin out a 91 murray, an 89 murray, an 82 huffy, and a 200? physical rehab/disabled rider trike.

this is what rat rods are all about. makin the best of what ya got. if we were all rich we would be ridin around on brand new felts/electras and this site wouldnt exist.

you cant customize a bike that was alreadt perfected. you gotta start with something that needs improvement.

by the way... your bikes look great as is.

 

[Uncle Stretch]

One thing to remember is America makes the best steel . It is exported as scrap to every country. All our old really strong cars were scrapped and the steel was packed up and shipped to Japan and other countries. Try living without buying anything from China and you will find there are very few products you can come up with or afford. Times change and its a way of life. You can see a differance in quality of rims made in mexico,china or indonesia ,but the ones made in tiawan and japan are as good as anything around. I'm afraid if you could get an American Schwinn or any of the other cool bikes made with the 30's 40' quality now you wouldn't be able to afford one,and you sure wouldnt be ratting it. :wink: