WASHINGTON (BRAIN) — The latest import figures show the U.S. imported 8.54 million bikes last year, 21% fewer than in 2024 and the lowest number in at least a decade. The imposition of import tariffs, combined with years of over supply following the COVID sales boom, caused the industry to curtail imports sharply.
Adult bicycle sales are down to just 1/3 of what they were before the covid boom, and new bike sales are still declining.
Knowing what I know about manufacturing and R&D, do you know what kind of expenditures that Honda has for Labour, R&D and manufacturing costs, versus Trek? Even if you scale it for size, vehicle production is on an entirely different planet cost wise vs a bicycle company. It’s obviously not zero cost either, but there’s some margin bloat there, boy howdy.
You are comparing apples to oranges. Apples and oranges don’t even grow in the same climate dude. They are two entirely different fruits with entirely different production environments and concerns.
Just like all the ‘my car is $2000’ crap. Yeah. there are bicycle equivalents of those cars too. You can go find a 20 year old bike for $20 at a yardsale too.
When you go to the bike stop and see an 10K bike, that’s the equivalent of a Lambo or a Ferrari. Not a Mazda.
Or do you think Honda makes 1% margin on it’s 50K race motocycles because they are so wonderful or something? Jesus
bikes and motor bikes are an order of magnitude of difference in scale of production.
Honda sells over 20 million motorcycles a year, Trek sells less than 2million bicycles.
of those 2 million, probably less than 10% are high end mountain bikes. so let’s say 200,000.
this is globally by the way.
Knowing what I know about manufacturing and R&D, do you know what kind of expenditures that Honda has for Labour, R&D and manufacturing costs, versus Trek? Even if you scale it for size, vehicle production is on an entirely different planet cost wise vs a bicycle company. It’s obviously not zero cost either, but there’s some margin bloat there, boy howdy.
Honda makes way more money than Trek.
You are comparing apples to oranges. Apples and oranges don’t even grow in the same climate dude. They are two entirely different fruits with entirely different production environments and concerns.
Just like all the ‘my car is $2000’ crap. Yeah. there are bicycle equivalents of those cars too. You can go find a 20 year old bike for $20 at a yardsale too.
When you go to the bike stop and see an 10K bike, that’s the equivalent of a Lambo or a Ferrari. Not a Mazda.
Or do you think Honda makes 1% margin on it’s 50K race motocycles because they are so wonderful or something? Jesus