Import From China – Bicycles
Despite various bicycle shops proclaiming one bicycle brand over another, it appears that not one of the brands of bikes mentioned is made in Britain. This surprised me when I went looking for a new bicycle. Since I ride a great deal and having done so for over twenty-five years, I am fed up with what I call the, “cheap bikes” – the ones where I constantly have to get new parts fitted. I have had a good number of bikes over the years – none of them expensive, but all imports – the last one from Tunisia. That isn’t to say that bicycles aren’t made in the UK today, high-street bicycle shops and independents alike can identify some manufacturers, but they are not what you would call, ‘off-the-shelf’. They are nearly all made-to-order. By contrast China manufactured over sixty-three million bikes complete in 2008.