Does anybody know where I can find a mountain bike made in the US or Europe for around $500 or less?

Question

I can't find any cheap ones not made in Taiwan or China.

Answer 1

you need a cannondale.. one of the only true US bikes.. yes I know there are others.. but they are small co.'s that are even more money.. now price.. 500 dollars you could prob. find a hardtail.. maybe one year late but still new!   I would 100% say CANNONDALE !! Made in PA .. I have done the factory tour.. and sold Cannondales for many years.. oh and  I own one! link below .. this is 2008 bike list .. and beware of ebay.. many people scam big on bike sales there.. horror stories I have many of !!

Answer 2

WW hit the nail on the head, great link! I have a copy of that in our bike shop.

$500 or less will be from Asia, unless you buy a used bike.

The big picture is pretty clear: around 95% of the bikes sold in the U.S. are made in China or Taiwan by a handful of manufacturers of which Giant is the largest.

Generally speaking, low to mid level bikes are made in China and mid to high level bikes are made in Taiwan. The exception is carbon; many manufacturers use Chinese manufacturers to make their carbon frames – even their high-end racing frames.

When it comes to knowing where your bike is made, shouldn’t it be as easy as looking at the sticker on your bike or what is printed on the box in which your bike came? After all, how confusing can a label that says “Made in the USA” or “Made in France” or “Made in Italy” be?

Well – in a word – very. It is very confusing because your definition of “made in” is different from the bike industry’s definition.

A typical rule of thumb is that the country claiming origin has to add 60% or more of the value of the final product.

For example, you and I can import an unpainted carbon fiber racing frame from China to Spain which will ultimately retail for $4,000 with Shimano components in the United States.

The frame and fork may only cost $200 from the Chinese manufacturer. In Spain, we will paint, decal, assemble, and box the bike for shipping to the U.S.

Our cost to paint, decal, assemble, and box might be $300 and the cost of the components might be another $800.

So is this bike “Made in China” or “Made in Spain?” According to the bike industry's definition, the bike is made in Spain. The sticker will say “Made in Spain” as will the shipping box to the United States because over 60% of the value will be added in Spain.

Let’s say we take the same frame and have the Chinese manufacturer paint it, decal it, assemble it into a bicycle, and ship it to Spain. When we ship it to the United States, the label will have to say “Made in China.”

Answer 3

You can also get a (Canadian!) Kona or Rocky Mountain on Ebay....but *new* non-Taiwanese bikes carry a premium.

Some smaller US and UK manufacturers are On-One, Dialled Bikes, Merlin,  Ellsworth, Gary Fisher, DeKerf, Turner etc...

Answer 4

yeah,contact me

Answer 5

HA! here's a link worth checking out. the only bikes built in the US are going to be custom built. you might find a steel hardtail, frame only, for $500, but not a fully outfitted one. for the record, both of my racing bikes are hand built in Taiwan, and they among the top bikes as far as quality and value (Specialized Stumjumper and Giant TCR)..

Kona bikes are built in Asia. Fishers, Asia (with exception of high-end full suspension). C-dale, Asia (with exception of high-end aluminum). Merlin is Ti, so you won't get that for anywhere close to $500..

sorry, if you're budget is $500 or less, your bike will be made in Asia. but don't feel bad, the Asians build good bikes!

http://allanti.com/page.cfm?PageID=328