Bicycles still thriving in China Jul 8, 2008
Bike makers clean up. Meanwhile, bike companies have been retooling. (AZCentral -- Business)
Cyclists favor handmade frames Jul 6, 2008
A steel bike never dies," said Mikkelsen, showing off a complicated repair to the dropouts of another maker's frame. (A dropout is the notch in the bike fork that allows the rear wheel to be removed, or "dropped out," without removing the chain.) He said a customer recently brought in a 30-year-old Mikkelsen frame, and the only repair it required was to a small crack around the water-bottle holder. Mikkelsen has a workshop full of one-of-a-kind tools he's made. He tacks tubes together for... (San Francisco Chronicle)
* Giant and Merida shares surging as oil prices skyrocket Jun 10, 2008
As oil prices rise, bike makers continue to benefit, said Lily Huang, who counts Merida among the NT$900 million in equities she helps to manage at National Investment Trust Co in Taipei. Theres been a direct correlation between the two prices, she said. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
Finding profit in the practical Oct 1, 2007
Pedro's USA, a Wilmington company best known for chain lubricants, this year was one of many bike makers linking riding to environmentalism in its catalog. Manager Christopher Zigmont also showed off the company's new $20 reusable grocery store-size shopping bag made from traditional No. 2 plastic, the same grade as milk bottles. (Boston Globe)
The call of the cruiser Sep 6, 2007
It s only in recent years that bike riders, and bike makers, have started to change their attitude toward cruisers ... Soon other bike makers, including cruiser-only companies, had a retro model. (Montana Standard, MT)
China pact a mixed blessing for Pakistan Jul 3, 2007
Today most of the Pakistani bicycle manufacturers have shut down because of increased production costs, and some former bike makers have become bulk importers of Chinese two-wheelers. Some independent economists say an FTA is beneficial for both signatories because a weaker country is always given some advantages to protect its industries from adverse impacts. (Asia Times Online)
Aircraft orders put carbon fiber prices in steep climb Jun 6, 2007
Bike makers use carbon fiber for lightweight frames. "Without a doubt, they've seen increased prices, but that's been going on for some time," says Megan Tompkins of Bicycle Retailer and Industry News. (USA Today -- Money)
Free Flow: Electric bikes are taking off Mar 14, 2007
Taiwan's top two bike makers, Giant and Merida Manufacturing, are public and growing their e-bike businesses. (Giant plans about one million e-bikes a year by 2011). (International Herald Tribune -- Business)
Outdoor gift guide Dec 12, 2006
Bike makers have been busy coming up with some dandy models for 2007 that feature the creative use of carbon fiber technology. The bottom line is a bike that's stiff enough to win a sprint to the next stop sign while also being comfortably compliant. (USA Today -- Sports)
R&E Cycles is a leader in custom bikes Sep 21, 2006
His main reason for the expansion: Most bike makers manufactured only a limited number of frame sizes, and many riders found themselves forced onto frames that were uncomfortable because they didn't fit. "It was getting harder and harder to get people to fit bikes that we weren't making," Towle said. (Puget Sound Business Journal, WA)
Reinventing the wheels May 29, 2006
But even that small company was still too large, so in 2002 he moved on to his present operation, where he has the freedom to experiment on things like a wood bike (not for sale, he says) and the ``Frontaloadontome," a cargo carrier that is used most notably as a delivery vehicle by Redbones Barbecue in Somerville, a longtime favorite of Boston bike industry people.While there are other custom bike makers who cater to racers or mountain bikers who are pushing their bikes to extremes, Flanigan... (Boston Globe -- Local)
Would you spend $14,000 for this bike? Apr 23, 2006
Lighter, stronger aerospace materials available to bike makers get better -- and more expensive -- every year. The Lance effect -- Lance Armstrong's seven consecutive Tour de France victories -- pushed cycling into the mainstream and gave it a whole new status. (Boston Globe -- Local)
Bikers go after extreme-sports crowd Mar 29, 2006
Elliot thought there was substance behind the idea of making a lightweight bike that can be assembled and custom-painted in a short time for less than many current top-end bike makers. Four years and between $20,000 to $50,000 later, YBS (Johnson and Elliot wouldn't talk about the meaning of those letters, but inferences are likely correct) started selling the "Lipstick," a road bike that includes a pin-up girl decal on its frame and a beer-coaster-like YBS faceplate. (Dallas Business Journal, TX)
