Cannondale Says FUCK USA

Tarckives Bikes
1

http://www.bikebiz.com/news/30420/Cannondale-to-cease-US-manufacturing

"Dorel to make Cannondale’s Bethel, CT, factory into an ‘Innovation Center’

From 2010, Cannondale frames will be sourced from Asia, there will be no manufacturing from the US.

Dorel stressed the move was part of a plan to create five Centers of Excellence around the world, with Cannondale’s Bethel, CT, factory made design-only.

Dorel’s other bike brands will also be part of the restructuring. Dorel’s five centres are to be: Bethel, CT ("global headquarters and innovation center for high-end and enthusiast bicycles); Basel, Switzerland (“for high-end and enthusiast bicycles sold/marketed in Europe”) Madison, WI (“for global mass market products”); Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (“for active lifestyle and urban apparel and footwear” ie Sugoi) Taichung, Taiwan (“for coordination of sourcing, testing and quality of Asian suppliers/partners”)

All North American product development, marketing and business management functions for Cannondale, Schwinn, GT and Mongoose will be centred in Bethel, CT within the newly named Cycling Sports Group (formerly the Cannondale Sports Group).

“Our vision is to create the most innovative and admired company in the recreation and leisure marketplace, and to become a global leader, which is why the Dorel segment was established in the first place,” said Robert Baird, President of Dorel’s Recreational/Leisure segment

"The strategy for transforming that vision into reality requires a unified, collaborative, and highly engaged workforce, relentlessly committed to innovation and supported by management in rapidly advancing the quality of the products and services we deliver.

"The Cannondale purchase led us to segment our bicycle business to provide best-in-class service to the distinct retailer categories. Mass market bikes are sold to consumers through Pacific Cycle, while high-end specialty retailers have been our channel of choice for premium and enthusiast bikes through CSG. Naturally, Cannondale and CSG are key components of our commitment to our independent bicycle dealers as we realize how critical IBDs are to the cycling community and to us. "

2

i just set my cannondale on fire and tossed it into the sea!!!

3

Well that was stupid. The water will put out the fire and it won’t rust because the frame it’s aluminum.

4

ahahaha

5

That was a really long, politically correct way to say, “Cheap azn labor! lol”

6

I was a pretty big C’dale fan - they’re from my home state after all - but their latest products have been pretty shitty. The Six series? Please. They haven’t done much since BB30. I think their best days are behind them.

7

When I interned at Dorel they were in the process of dismantling the department I was working in. This is why I want to be a craftsperson and make shit right here in the US.

8

you can get c’dales on bikesdirect now.

bikesdirect.com/cannondale

9

how much of their product line was still made in the USA this year? It is crazy they held out as long as they did. If only they didn’t go and invest into motorcycles, this company would look a lot different right now.

10

Cannondale motorcycles were so badass, though.

I wish this article were from April 1, so it was a joke. Cannondale QC on their Asian bikes is absolutely horrible, to the point where many shops no longer carrying any Asian-made Cannondales, other than the Synapse. We’ve had some many problems at my shop that we are currently toying with dropping Cannondale altogether, and apparently so are quite a few others. Moving off-shores will probably be the tipping point which we won’t see Cannondale return from.

I don’t think they have any idea how much value their Made in USA logos add. Dorel made a multi-hundred million dollar investment in what’s going to be a WalMart brand in ten years.

11

There is no longer any value in the name.

12

Sure it does, but this move does seem like the slide. They still make some of the better aluminum frames around. The CAAD series are great bikes. I had not heard about QC problem on the Asian models, however. What have the issue been, BC?

13

I heard they had some failures with their China made carbon frames. Maybe it was forks.

14

Lots and lots of clearcoat problems on the Synapse, problems with the braze-ons on all of their hybrids. Their SI carbon crank (made in Taiwan, while the Al Hollowgram was made in the US) sucked and was instantly recalled.

Also, on their step-through frames, they insist on putting their water-bottle bosses under the downtube (like a touring bike), and I’ve seen more than a handful of customers buy a Giant or Trek instead, due specifically to this. The paint is ugly, too.

Customers have been clamoring for a BB30 CAAD9 for two years now, and Cannondale just FINALLY made it available. This after the BB30 CAAD8 and 7 were rarer than hen’s teeth. They spend all this money extolling the virtues of their new system (which is admittedly very great), and then they bury it on ultra high-end bikes, and even half of those come with a BB30-to-English adapter and a typical outboard system rather than a fairly widely available and inexpensive BB30 crank like the one FSA makes.

To be honest, their US carbon manufacturing hasn’t been that great, either. Just about every System 6 that my shop sold has been replaced due to more clearcoating problems.

15

Now that you say it, I had heard about the clearcoating problems. They haven’t sorted that out?

I have always liked their aluminum bikes way better than the carbon models, and I have an inherent distrust of bonded frames. I know aluminum is passe among the uber-roadie set, but I still love the CAADs.

16

It has been sorted out insofar as most of the bikes have been returned to shops and replaced with their ugly Six-model carbon frames.

And yeah, the CAAD is really the heart of Cannondale. I would say that it’s a shame that they don’t push it harder, but I think they did push it for a long time, but the roadie market is just so carbon-crazy that Cannondale couldn’t compete.

17

I think that really is the issue. Cannondale isn’t good with carbon and their market has moved onto a material that can be batched out of forms in Taiwan cheaper than they can produce the CAADs (a far superior frame to most generic carbon). It is really a shame. I doubt aluminum is going to have a revival like lugged steel.

The CAAD9 is really an impressive piece of work. Before your shop ditches the line hook me up with one!

18

retaliation for the usa forcing a cannondale recall because some high end road bikes didnt come with pie plates?

19

I honestly don’t care where they are made. This is an international economy, if someone overseas offers more value for your money fuck the entitled american worker going “BUT WE WANT TO MAKE IT IN THE USA!!!”

Buck up and give people a reason to produce things over here.

20

I think that’s the point people are making. Cannondale made CAAD frames in the US, the CAAD frames were well-regarded, they failed to produce a similar quality product in Asia, and thus we’re all bummed they’re closing the US manufacturing.