I posted elsewhere again
The Made in America / pride thing has always seemed silly to me (as a Canadian). Plus, the worst frames I've had with regard to construction have been American made. The MacNeils and the Volume frames that I've had over the last five years or so have been the best (and were made in Taiwan).
You know what is better than a rider welding your frame? A welder.
Still, I like this topic. It seems to me that there are many different arguments / priorities / criteria when choosing parts / brands. As discussed before, rider-owned companies could take precedence. Then, perhaps, companies run by riders (but owned by non-riders). Maybe companies that sponsor a rider that you like (this seems sillier to me all the time). Maybe a company that was started by a rider, but is now run by non-riders. Or, perhaps, the companies that are supposedly owned by a rider but are actually financially backed by others (a BUNCH of these). Or maybe you don't care about ownership / political support.
Smart parts? Originality? Stylish parts? Cheap parts? Expensive parts (bling)? How long a brand has been in business? National pride?
No one really thinks about this stuff, but how many of us have these things organized in a hierarchy? Russ is boldly calling for some American company loyalty. OK. Should Canadians all be running MacNeil stuff? The British United? Spaniards Fly? Seems reasonable. works for rider-owned, too.
OK. Pick a part and see what fits with the arguments. I'll use something I run: a MacNeil Cell stem.
Supports a Canadian, rider-owned company. Smart? Well, it's light, front-load, hollowed out, Oryg tabs. Not original in that it could be said that Solid did hollow first (Front-load Redneck, GT Mallet, etc). GFR Redneck was first. So maybe loses points there. Plus, I think that the Elementary stem is the smartest. Stylish? Well, it's brown, which is nice. Cheap? For me it is. Expensive? The titanium bolts in it are, so pose / bling points there. Longevity of brand? Longest running Canadian brand other than Norco. Made in Taiwan by machinists rather than in North America by riders.
So, I'm pretty content with my stem. Conversely, I run Profile hubs, which work for some criteria and conflict with others.
Again, most people don't think about this stuff. It's hard to think, that's why people have such an adverse reaction to it.
You know what is better than a rider welding your frame? A welder.
Still, I like this topic. It seems to me that there are many different arguments / priorities / criteria when choosing parts / brands. As discussed before, rider-owned companies could take precedence. Then, perhaps, companies run by riders (but owned by non-riders). Maybe companies that sponsor a rider that you like (this seems sillier to me all the time). Maybe a company that was started by a rider, but is now run by non-riders. Or, perhaps, the companies that are supposedly owned by a rider but are actually financially backed by others (a BUNCH of these). Or maybe you don't care about ownership / political support.
Smart parts? Originality? Stylish parts? Cheap parts? Expensive parts (bling)? How long a brand has been in business? National pride?
No one really thinks about this stuff, but how many of us have these things organized in a hierarchy? Russ is boldly calling for some American company loyalty. OK. Should Canadians all be running MacNeil stuff? The British United? Spaniards Fly? Seems reasonable. works for rider-owned, too.
OK. Pick a part and see what fits with the arguments. I'll use something I run: a MacNeil Cell stem.
Supports a Canadian, rider-owned company. Smart? Well, it's light, front-load, hollowed out, Oryg tabs. Not original in that it could be said that Solid did hollow first (Front-load Redneck, GT Mallet, etc). GFR Redneck was first. So maybe loses points there. Plus, I think that the Elementary stem is the smartest. Stylish? Well, it's brown, which is nice. Cheap? For me it is. Expensive? The titanium bolts in it are, so pose / bling points there. Longevity of brand? Longest running Canadian brand other than Norco. Made in Taiwan by machinists rather than in North America by riders.
So, I'm pretty content with my stem. Conversely, I run Profile hubs, which work for some criteria and conflict with others.
Again, most people don't think about this stuff. It's hard to think, that's why people have such an adverse reaction to it.
posted by wade at 7:15 PM
