bicycle closeouts

In article said:

Who makes Fastrax, or Tsunami, or Wheeler bicycle frames. I found a website of extremely cheap bike
frames and am very curious/suspicious

I thought Tsunami was a "house brand" of Chuck's Bikes - in other words something made in one of the
big China/Taiwan factories and then decals added for a retailer to create a brand. This is not
really a bad thing as long as the price is right, and the prices are usually very low. Often other
large bike companies in the West buy the same (or similar) frames from the same factory and put
different labels on them. The main difference in that case is warranty and support, dealer network,
etc. You can't assume the company will still exist by the time a warranty claim is contemplated.

Of course you don't get a guarantee of that with Schwinn, GT, Bridgestone, etc. as big companies can
go bankrupt or leave the market as well.

--Paul

Does anyone have a list of popular American brands which are made in Asia, and which bikes come from
which factories?

Paul Southworth said:

In article said:

Who makes Fastrax, or Tsunami, or Wheeler bicycle frames. I found a website of extremely cheap
bike frames and am very curious/suspicious

I thought Tsunami was a "house brand" of Chuck's Bikes - in other words something made in one of
the big China/Taiwan factories and then decals added for a retailer to create a brand. This is not
really a bad thing as long as the price is right, and the prices are usually very low. Often other
large bike companies in the West buy the same (or similar) frames from the same factory and put
different labels on them. The main difference in that case is warranty and support, dealer
network, etc. You can't assume the company will still exist by the time a warranty claim is
contemplated.

Of course you don't get a guarantee of that with Schwinn, GT, Bridgestone, etc. as big companies
can go bankrupt or leave the market as well.

--Paul

Quoted message said:

Who makes Fastrax, or Tsunami, or Wheeler bicycle frames. I found a website of extremely cheap bike
frames and am very curious/suspicious

When wheeler first hit the market in '93 or so, they were a Taiwan based contract builder trying to
emulate Giant (Branding with their own name). Surprisingly good bikes at that time ( we sold them
and I rode an 8800 for a couple years). Can't say for sure what became of their quality however.

Does anyone know it the TBG (Taiwan Bicycle Guide) is still available? I used to receive it every
year, and I miss seeing
it...