Can you put together a completely Australian made bike?
- bigfriendlyvegan
- Posts: 3977
- Joined: Tue Apr 01, 2008 2:18 pm
- Location: Denistone, NSW
- Contact:
Can you put together a completely Australian made bike?
Postby bigfriendlyvegan » Wed Apr 29, 2009 9:36 pm
What about everything else? Could I put together a completely Aussie made bike? (Not one off custom pieces, production pieces only).
Cheers,
David
(P.S. I figured the retro section would be the best for this question. I doubt it would be possible these days. Completely Taiwanese, yes.)
- sogood
- Posts: 17168
- Joined: Thu Aug 31, 2006 7:31 am
- Location: Sydney AU
Re: Can you put together a completely Australian made bike?
Postby sogood » Wed Apr 29, 2009 10:33 pm
RK wrote:And that is Wikipedia - I can write my own definition.
- mikesbytes
- Super Mod
- Posts: 22183
- Joined: Thu Dec 01, 2005 11:42 pm
- Location: Tempe, Sydney
- Contact:
Re: Can you put together a completely Australian made bike?
Postby mikesbytes » Wed Apr 29, 2009 11:26 pm
Could go for solid rubber tyres, like on a penny farthingsogood wrote:Are there Aussie made bike tyres these days? I'd be surprised if it was a yes. And it's an item that can't be easily machined together.
- il padrone
- Posts: 22931
- Joined: Mon Apr 07, 2008 11:57 pm
- Location: Heading for home.
Re: Can you put together a completely Australian made bike?
Postby il padrone » Wed Apr 29, 2009 11:28 pm
"An unjustified and unethical imposition on a healthy activity."
- bigfriendlyvegan
- Posts: 3977
- Joined: Tue Apr 01, 2008 2:18 pm
- Location: Denistone, NSW
- Contact:
Re: Can you put together a completely Australian made bike?
Postby bigfriendlyvegan » Wed Apr 29, 2009 11:39 pm
David
- hartleymartin
- Posts: 5153
- Joined: Thu Feb 19, 2009 6:56 pm
- Location: Fairfield, NSW
Re: Can you put together a completely Australian made bike?
Postby hartleymartin » Wed Apr 29, 2009 11:53 pm
http://raleightwenty.webs.com - the top web resource for the Raleigh Twenty
-
- Posts: 331
- Joined: Tue Dec 04, 2007 2:46 am
Re: Can you put together a completely Australian made bike?
Postby LittleWheelsandBig » Thu Apr 30, 2009 6:36 am
- bigfriendlyvegan
- Posts: 3977
- Joined: Tue Apr 01, 2008 2:18 pm
- Location: Denistone, NSW
- Contact:
Re: Can you put together a completely Australian made bike?
Postby bigfriendlyvegan » Thu Apr 30, 2009 10:32 pm
Thanks anyway,
David
- il padrone
- Posts: 22931
- Joined: Mon Apr 07, 2008 11:57 pm
- Location: Heading for home.
Re: Can you put together a completely Australian made bike?
Postby il padrone » Thu Apr 30, 2009 10:38 pm
The problem is all down to small population (market size) and the unfavourable relative production costs in Australia compsred to China and Taiwan
"An unjustified and unethical imposition on a healthy activity."
- hartleymartin
- Posts: 5153
- Joined: Thu Feb 19, 2009 6:56 pm
- Location: Fairfield, NSW
Re: Can you put together a completely Australian made bike?
Postby hartleymartin » Fri May 01, 2009 1:48 am
http://raleightwenty.webs.com - the top web resource for the Raleigh Twenty
- sogood
- Posts: 17168
- Joined: Thu Aug 31, 2006 7:31 am
- Location: Sydney AU
Re: Can you put together a completely Australian made bike?
Postby sogood » Fri May 01, 2009 6:58 am
Well, I wouldn't say that the market size is the key issue. Look at Taiwan, similar population as Australia but is the centre of bike manufacturing of the world, even before China opened its manufacturing base, but were able to sustain their manufacturing through volume export. So the key isn't domestic market size but labour and associated costs and willingness to develop that industry. Further, government supported that industry from a low tech base and now, it has mastered the high end technology and is even pulling the manufacturing of "Italian bikes" to that island.il padrone wrote:The problem is all down to small population (market size) and the unfavourable relative production costs in Australia compsred to China and Taiwan
We have simply priced ourself out of this sector of the global economy. And lets hope we don't go the American route and depend on foreign debts to sustain and over-inflate our standard of living.
RK wrote:And that is Wikipedia - I can write my own definition.
- AUbicycles
- Site Admin
- Posts: 15592
- Joined: Tue Aug 23, 2005 2:14 am
- Location: Sydney & Frankfurt
- Contact:
Re: Can you put together a completely Australian made bike?
Postby AUbicycles » Fri May 01, 2009 7:46 am
hartleymartin I would love to see how you go, wonder if you end up with a bmx frame and CF road racing rims.
You might have to settle for a "designed in Australia" solution" as I would be guessing that even for classic or vintage bikes from Australia that some parts/components were only imported and never manufactured locally (especially if we are excluding custom) though don't hold back to prove me wrong.
Cheers
Christopher
- sogood
- Posts: 17168
- Joined: Thu Aug 31, 2006 7:31 am
- Location: Sydney AU
Re: Can you put together a completely Australian made bike?
Postby sogood » Fri May 01, 2009 8:32 am
True. But if it's cheap enough, then there's never been a shortage of buyers. In any case, I think that we all know that manufacturing is not an area we can compete on internationally. After China, there'll be India, Africa amongst other countries and regions where we won't stand a chance with.AUbicycles wrote:It is not only a cost of production issue - factor in the location - Australia relatively far away not right next to any other large markets.
RK wrote:And that is Wikipedia - I can write my own definition.
- lemmiwinks
- Posts: 1249
- Joined: Wed Oct 29, 2008 9:34 am
- Location: Northern Tablelands NSW
Re: Can you put together a completely Australian made bike?
Postby lemmiwinks » Fri May 01, 2009 9:09 am
That's as close as my Shogun Samurai gets.AUbicycles wrote:You might have to settle for a "designed in Australia"
-
- Posts: 981
- Joined: Mon Nov 20, 2006 7:25 pm
- Location: Riding a real steel bike - somewhere!
Re: Can you put together a completely Australian made bike?
Postby 531db » Fri May 01, 2009 9:37 am
- sogood
- Posts: 17168
- Joined: Thu Aug 31, 2006 7:31 am
- Location: Sydney AU
Re: Can you put together a completely Australian made bike?
Postby sogood » Fri May 01, 2009 9:52 am
Which countries have a sufficiently broad bike industry that can complete a bike build with only local components?
RK wrote:And that is Wikipedia - I can write my own definition.
- lemmiwinks
- Posts: 1249
- Joined: Wed Oct 29, 2008 9:34 am
- Location: Northern Tablelands NSW
Re: Can you put together a completely Australian made bike?
Postby lemmiwinks » Fri May 01, 2009 9:55 am
China, Taiwan and maybe the USA many years ago (Schwinn from the '50s).sogood wrote:Here is a related question.
Which countries have a sufficiently broad bike industry that can complete a bike build with only local components?
- drubie
- Posts: 4714
- Joined: Wed Oct 22, 2008 11:12 am
- Location: New England
- Contact:
Re: Can you put together a completely Australian made bike?
Postby drubie » Fri May 01, 2009 10:11 am
Also Italy and perhaps the UK. I'm pretty sure you can still build a fully US manufactured bicycle as well, but it would be expensive and probably a mountain bike.sogood wrote:Here is a related question.
Which countries have a sufficiently broad bike industry that can complete a bike build with only local components?
but really, that's rubbish. We get none of it because the choices are illusory.
- hartleymartin
- Posts: 5153
- Joined: Thu Feb 19, 2009 6:56 pm
- Location: Fairfield, NSW
Re: Can you put together a completely Australian made bike?
Postby hartleymartin » Fri May 01, 2009 10:18 am
Well, I had also briefly looked into the possibility of "Made in Australia from local and imported parts". The obvious place to start would be the frame tubes and lugs, followed by wheels. I had even wondered if it would be possible to make leather saddles under license from Brooks and resurrect the Bell Saddle label. What patriotic Aussie wouldn't want to have one of these of their bicycle?AUbicycles wrote:It is not only a cost of production issue - factor in the location - Australia relatively far away not right next to any other large markets.
hartleymartin I would love to see how you go, wonder if you end up with a bmx frame and CF road racing rims.
You might have to settle for a "designed in Australia" solution" as I would be guessing that even for classic or vintage bikes from Australia that some parts/components were only imported and never manufactured locally (especially if we are excluding custom) though don't hold back to prove me wrong.
Cheers
Christopher
http://raleightwenty.webs.com - the top web resource for the Raleigh Twenty
- lemmiwinks
- Posts: 1249
- Joined: Wed Oct 29, 2008 9:34 am
- Location: Northern Tablelands NSW
Re: Can you put together a completely Australian made bike?
Postby lemmiwinks » Fri May 01, 2009 10:37 am
Martin, I fear you may have been reading the Rivendell Reader too much! Don't get me wrong, I commute on a lugged bike with downtube shifters, have another one as a flat bar, and a few lugged frames lying around the place but I am a niche market. In fact I prefer to be given my bikes or pick them up for no more than $15 from the tip shop.hartleymartin wrote:The obvious place to start would be the frame tubes and lugs,
- sogood
- Posts: 17168
- Joined: Thu Aug 31, 2006 7:31 am
- Location: Sydney AU
Re: Can you put together a completely Australian made bike?
Postby sogood » Fri May 01, 2009 10:41 am
What tyre?drubie wrote:I'm pretty sure you can still build a fully US manufactured bicycle as well, but it would be expensive and probably a mountain bike.
RK wrote:And that is Wikipedia - I can write my own definition.
- drubie
- Posts: 4714
- Joined: Wed Oct 22, 2008 11:12 am
- Location: New England
- Contact:
Re: Can you put together a completely Australian made bike?
Postby drubie » Fri May 01, 2009 10:43 am
Aren't Bontrager tyres still made in the US?sogood wrote:What tyre?drubie wrote:I'm pretty sure you can still build a fully US manufactured bicycle as well, but it would be expensive and probably a mountain bike.
but really, that's rubbish. We get none of it because the choices are illusory.
- lemmiwinks
- Posts: 1249
- Joined: Wed Oct 29, 2008 9:34 am
- Location: Northern Tablelands NSW
Re: Can you put together a completely Australian made bike?
Postby lemmiwinks » Fri May 01, 2009 10:44 am
Hoosier, Cooper, Firestonesogood wrote:What tyre?drubie wrote:I'm pretty sure you can still build a fully US manufactured bicycle as well, but it would be expensive and probably a mountain bike.
- drubie
- Posts: 4714
- Joined: Wed Oct 22, 2008 11:12 am
- Location: New England
- Contact:
Re: Can you put together a completely Australian made bike?
Postby drubie » Fri May 01, 2009 10:57 am
Actually, scratch that. It looks like they're made in Thailand. Kenda http://www.kendausa.com/bicycle/bicycle.html still make stuff in the US though.drubie wrote:Aren't Bontrager tyres still made in the US?sogood wrote:What tyre?drubie wrote:I'm pretty sure you can still build a fully US manufactured bicycle as well, but it would be expensive and probably a mountain bike.
but really, that's rubbish. We get none of it because the choices are illusory.
- bigfriendlyvegan
- Posts: 3977
- Joined: Tue Apr 01, 2008 2:18 pm
- Location: Denistone, NSW
- Contact:
Re: Can you put together a completely Australian made bike?
Postby bigfriendlyvegan » Fri May 01, 2009 11:02 am
Japan, I think. All of the parts on my Miyata, Centurion and Nishiki seem to be made in Japan. They don't have original tyres, however, so I'm not sure about that.sogood wrote:Here is a related question.
Which countries have a sufficiently broad bike industry that can complete a bike build with only local components?
David
- General Australian Cycling Topics
- Info / announcements
- Buying a bike / parts
- General Cycling Discussion
- The Bike Shed
- Cycling Health
- Cycling Safety and Advocacy
- Women's Cycling
- Bike & Gear Reviews
- Cycling Trade
- Stolen Bikes
- Bicycle FAQs
- The Market Place
- Member to Member Bike and Gear Sales
- Want to Buy, Group Buy, Swap
- My Bikes or Gear Elsewhere
- Serious Biking
- Audax / Randonneuring
- Retro biking
- Commuting
- MTB
- Recumbents
- Fixed Gear/ Single Speed
- Track
- Electric Bicycles
- Cyclocross and Gravel Grinding
- Dragsters / Lowriders / Cruisers
- Children's Bikes
- Cargo Bikes and Utility Cycling
- Road Racing
- Road Biking
- Training
- Time Trial
- Triathlon
- International and National Tours and Events
- Cycle Touring
- Touring Australia
- Touring Overseas
- Touring Bikes and Equipment
- Australia
- Western Australia
- New South Wales
- Queensland
- South Australia
- Victoria
- ACT
- Tasmania
- Northern Territory
- Country & Regional
Who is online
Users browsing this forum: No registered users
- All times are UTC+10:00
- Top
- Delete cookies
About the Australian Cycling Forums
The Australian Cycling Forums is a welcoming community where you can ask questions and talk about the type of bikes and cycling topics you like.
Bicycles Network Australia
Forum Information
Connect with BNA
This website uses affiliate links to retail platforms including ebay, amazon, proviz and ribble.