seeing the "MADE IN CHINA" on the bottom of my bike made me think about the different bike mfg's quality. What exactly separates a china made electra from an 89 dollar cranbrook cruiser from wally world? This may sound stupid, but I was curious how it works. Does my base model electra really have THAT much different than that 89 dollar huffy? Don't get me wrong, I Love my bike and all that. Not bashing or anything.
question about bike quality.
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Something like 85-90% of the bikes in the world are made by Giant Bicycle Company.
Many of the nicer bikes are made in the same factories as the crappy Wal-Mart bikes.
The difference is materials, the machine/framebuilder, and the quality that the purchaser pays for.
The welds will be different, the way the wheels are laced will be different, the quality of the bearings will be different and most of the materials in general will be higher quality.
With the Electra you get a good warranty, a qualified bike shop to build it, better quality parts and customer service.
Electra's have TERRIBLE paint and it chips really bad. They provide touch up paint with the bike when you buy it new. So they obviously know which pisses me off. But they are REALLY good people to work with.
Electra's are not really aimed at the type of people we are though. They are made for people to buy and ride. If you are looking to customize a cruiser bike for cheap, buy the Wal-Mart special, toss 90% of the parts and start over.
So basically, yes, your Electra is a much better quality bike. It will last longer and you have a dealer that will support you when something goes wrong.
Many of the nicer bikes are made in the same factories as the crappy Wal-Mart bikes.
The difference is materials, the machine/framebuilder, and the quality that the purchaser pays for.
The welds will be different, the way the wheels are laced will be different, the quality of the bearings will be different and most of the materials in general will be higher quality.
With the Electra you get a good warranty, a qualified bike shop to build it, better quality parts and customer service.
Electra's have TERRIBLE paint and it chips really bad. They provide touch up paint with the bike when you buy it new. So they obviously know which pisses me off. But they are REALLY good people to work with.
Electra's are not really aimed at the type of people we are though. They are made for people to buy and ride. If you are looking to customize a cruiser bike for cheap, buy the Wal-Mart special, toss 90% of the parts and start over.
So basically, yes, your Electra is a much better quality bike. It will last longer and you have a dealer that will support you when something goes wrong.
Interesting...my Electra Rat Rod was made in Taiwan and my Electra Cruiser 1 was made in China. Both great bikes...no trouble with the paint either. :mrgreen:
From what I heard, it was just certain colors that were more susceptible to chipping ( something to do with the pigments and binder chemicals :roll: ) but the black seems to hold up pretty well.cruisehard said:
What Beau said is correct. China has the ability to churn out first rate stuff, but it all depends on the wholesale purchaser and the profit he stands to gain by choosing lesser quality part and material... or profits he stands to lose by choosing better quality parts and materials. $$$ :shock: $$$
It is common for people buying anything to say that "China stuff is junk" but that is not entirely the whole fact.
China factories have production machinery as good as USA, Germany, Japan or anywhere else, and they build the stuff to the contract that the buyer draws up. The buyer is the one who sets the materials and specs for the product.
And anyway, most all bicycle parts are made in China now, even many of the better ones.
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China factories have production machinery as good as USA, Germany, Japan or anywhere else, and they build the stuff to the contract that the buyer draws up. The buyer is the one who sets the materials and specs for the product.
And anyway, most all bicycle parts are made in China now, even many of the better ones.
~
China is a country driven by the biking industry. Most of the citizens ride daily as transportation. I have a newer Schwinn Delmar from China that I made into a cool Klunker with mini apes. It is pretty light and rides nice. I did not buy it though it was given to me but, I would not have a problem with paying for a chinese bike. There are some really cool modern made Chinese bikes out there that have great quality componets and have great paint schemes to boot but, my old rusty barn finds and garage sale specials are still priceless to me. I love all kinds of bicycles though and to see a country that is passionate and seems to try to put out a good product, I am fine with the masses of bikes made there nowadays. I have come to grips as of late that the old days are gone and bikes that were once built like tanks are no longer available but, we can still have fun and ride what we like and rat what we want. Peace and rat rod grease! 8)
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One of the BIG reasons China's cheap stuff gets a bad rap is they are assembled by idiots.
Think of these few examples:
WAL-MART BIKES:
Assembled by Wal-mart techs, and by Wal-mart techs I mean smartypants high school kids with bad attitudes that only half do their job and have never assembled a bike in their life, The same ones that put the forks on backward, don't grease bearings, only put 5 psi in the tires, don't bother to adjust the brakes, and generally only work hard enough not to get fired.
CHINESE MOPEDS:
I hear people complain about the Chinese 4 stroke mopeds and I would always say if you trust a used car salesman to assemble it you're asking to get a bad one.
Think of these few examples:
WAL-MART BIKES:
Assembled by Wal-mart techs, and by Wal-mart techs I mean smartypants high school kids with bad attitudes that only half do their job and have never assembled a bike in their life, The same ones that put the forks on backward, don't grease bearings, only put 5 psi in the tires, don't bother to adjust the brakes, and generally only work hard enough not to get fired.
CHINESE MOPEDS:
I hear people complain about the Chinese 4 stroke mopeds and I would always say if you trust a used car salesman to assemble it you're asking to get a bad one.
Right on Skirts! I remember working at Big R back in the day and seeing the guys back in the lawn and garden center, assembling bikes with Crescent wrenches and pliers. Not tightening the seats or wheels or anything for that matter. I used to have to volunteer to test ride them and would walk them around the building and come into the auto center and use their tools to tighten everything. I didn't want kids to get hurt on them once they were home with them. The manager saw me doing this and asked me to do assembly from then on. I was a measly paint saleman but, accepted, brought in my own tools and often worked overtime just to be around bicycles. But, to get back to your topic, I have seen some of those idiots in the Wal mart in Kokomo. I think they use the same kids to bring in shopping carts and water flowers in the summer. :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
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ckdesigns69 said:
Yeah that's about all they are qualified for. People get mad when you get their order wrong when all you ask for is a big mac, fries, and a coke. :roll:
Some of the high-end bikes are still made in the US. And there's quite a few custom bike makers in the US that will build a first class bike.
On the other hand, you could go out to your garage and weld together a bike out of electrical conduit. They'd all be "Made in America". That doesn't mean it's good.
I think it's the same story in China. There has been a lot of manufacturing done by American or Japanese companies in China, and the manufacturing company will be responsible for whatever quality does or doesn't get built in, not the nation of China. China may lag behind in some high-tech industries, but most of the bicycles of interest to a rat-rod forum aren't high tech. They'll build them to whatever standard they elect to build them to, or are paid to build them to.
For what it's worth, my Raleigh Sojourn bike was made in China.
On the other hand, you could go out to your garage and weld together a bike out of electrical conduit. They'd all be "Made in America". That doesn't mean it's good.
I think it's the same story in China. There has been a lot of manufacturing done by American or Japanese companies in China, and the manufacturing company will be responsible for whatever quality does or doesn't get built in, not the nation of China. China may lag behind in some high-tech industries, but most of the bicycles of interest to a rat-rod forum aren't high tech. They'll build them to whatever standard they elect to build them to, or are paid to build them to.
For what it's worth, my Raleigh Sojourn bike was made in China.
You are not alone. :lol:X-RAY said:
Yea, I do that to mine too. :lol: It's like " Made in China ?" " No it isn't ! " I remove that sticker that says, " Never ride at night and always wear helmet " too. I am like those biker build-off guys on Discovery Channel, I test bikes late at night when the mock up is done. Just me, street lights, and a potiential rat rod mock up. No reflectors either. 8) :shock:
one of my bikes has a sticker with the american flag and says designed in usa, made in china. so i removed half the sticker and left ole' glory on. 8) i dont ride at night much anyhow, but i also remove that sticker. i dont wear a helmet, i know im a bad example, but im afraid if i crash, i'll scratch the helmet. :mrgreen:
