BIKEPGH MESSAGE BOARD ARCHIVE

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Wow, never thought I'd see a Magna branded fixed/singlespeed, in 3 different "colorways" no less.

http://www.target.com/p/magna-white-silver-lime-fixie-28/-/A-14211338#prodSlot=medium_1_29&term=bike

Includes: kickstand, spokes.

Just more Chinese sweatshop stuff that you find in Target and Walmart. What else is new?

Includes spokes? Excellent!

Someone will be selling it next week on Craigslist for $200

you gotta love a bike with vinyl seats and Pneumatic Tires.

#BigBallingLikeaBoss

anyone want to take bets as to whether its actually fixed or just single speed freewheel?

There's a review. It has both options. It actually seems like a decent way to get into fixie at low cost if you have enough mechanical skills to disassemble/reassemble it correctly, true the wheels, etc.

@gg Well, even Cannondale aanufactures most of it bikes in China and Taiwan (Cervelo, Specilized, Willier, Look, you name it). GT is doing most of brand bikes.

manufacturing in taiwan != mainland chinese sweatshops

Mikhail, I cannot support any of those named manufacturers. I tend to buy old bikes, but if I bought new, it would be more local. I think Cannondale used to be made in US? Guess everyone is an importer. It goes against my style and I would feel like a hypocrite if I bought some Chinese thing and rode it. Everything I own is old and recycled.

Thanks for the heads up.

Dorel owns the Cannondale brand:

"Dorel markets its Recreational/Leisure products under the Cannondale, Schwinn, GT, Mongoose, IronHorse, SUGOI, Pacific, Dyno, RoadMaster, PowerLite and InSTEP brand names."

Giant manufactures the vast majority of bicycles sold in the world in both its mainland and taiwan facilities. You simply won't find a US manufacturer outside of boutique brands and custom frame builders. Even high end carbon road frames with a "Made in Spain/Italy" labels most likely started their lives out in a chinese facility, before being shipped to europe for final assembly and finishing/painting.

it gets even harrier when you get into components. there are a few big names (eg cane creek) that manufacture domestically, but even then its their higher end stuff, not the bargain parts.

cburch,

It sure is an odd thing. We are riding our bikes and I feel I am giving back to the earth as well as a host of other benefits, but if I was riding a bike made as you state, I wouldn't have the same feel. There are a TON of old well made bikes out there. Why not buy an old bike instead of feeding the so-called "trickle down" people that are all about cheap labor, short term thinking and a host of other issues, like shipping a zillion miles and whatnot? Ah well, the old saying, you can't change the world. You just have to be able to sleep at night yourself.

and again taiwanese skilled labor != chinese sweatshops.

all in all i still say its a net win when you ride a bike, even a brand new made in taiwan/china one.

Interesting. Since chain stores have caught up does this change the trend of SS/fixxies?

@orionz06

There is a fixie/ss trend? Makes sense that you can get them at WallyWorld, that is where most kids' toys come from.

Tricycle = Fixie. They have been around a long time.

Also unicycles. My first wheel came from JCPenneys.

@cburch, not sure if I ever thanked you for setting me straight on the country of origin stuff and taiwan quality. I appreciate it!

On a side note, I'm amused that my 2002 Trek 520 has "America" pasted all over it... of course it is "made in america... from foreign and domestic components." The tubes are US (truetemper) and I guess the paint... everything else, who eff'n knows.

Welcome to the world economy, right?

Personally, I'm happy that Target is offering such a bike. At that price, who can't afford to jump on one (assuming physical fit, of course). I'll still support the LBS and I could buy a half dozen of these for family!

Schwinn was famous for the Schwinn Chicago head badge and a lot of the bikes were made by Giant in Japan. Then when the Schwinn dealers would assemble the bikes a lot of the "made in Japan" stickers fell off.