Rans - American or Taiwan?

Bob Hill said:

Are Rans bikes American-made or imported from Taiwan, or both? Their Web
site says Kansas but I've seen their bikes in "Made in Taiwan" boxes. Is the
quality the same on both products? If it is, then shouldn't the Taiwanese
bikes be substantially cheaper?

I am not aware of this company named "Rans".

The prices on RANS bikes dropped substantially when they moved
production of certain models to Taiwan. If I recall correctly, the Hays,
Kansas built 1998 RANS Rocket was $1150 and the Taiwan built 1999 RANS
Rocket was $1000. Having seen both side by side, the paint and welds on
the Taiwan built models were better looking. [1] In general, the
Taiwanese bicycle factories lower costs through extensive automation and
economies of scale.

Another factor is that Hays, Kansas is in the middle of nowhere, so it
is hard for RANS to find enough skilled labor. When the demand for
recumbents greatly increased from 1997 to 1998, there was a waiting list
of several months to get a new RANS bike from the time it was ordered to
the time it was shipped. Taiwanese production allowed the Hays worker to
concentrate on aircraft/aircraft parts production.

[1] The Hays Rockets were MIG welded [2] by hand, while the Taiwanese
Rockets are likely TIG welded by robots.
[2] Except for the Saturn V, which was TIG welded.

--
Tom Sherman – Quad City Area
1999 RANS "Wavewind"
2000 RANS Rocket

Having seen both side by side, the paint and welds on

Quoted message said:

the Taiwan built models were better looking.

Not a screaming endorsement for a company whose other half makes lightweight
aircraft.

John Halliburton said:

Having seen both side by side, the paint and welds on

Quoted message said:

the Taiwan built models were better looking.

Not a screaming endorsement for a company whose other half makes lightweight
aircraft.

That the TIG welded joints on the Taiwanese made frames are cosmetically
better looking does not mean that they are any stronger or more fatigue
resistant than the hand welded MIG joints.

--
Tom Sherman – Quad City Area

Bob: I don't know what RANS' current policy is (I have been told they
have pulled their frames from Taiwan and are going to produce them in
this country, but that hasn't been verified) but before this year it
was my understanding that all bike frames were made in Taiwan with the
exception of the Screamer. All parts and frames were then shipped to
RANS and then the bikes (in parts, with the exception of the Screamer)
were shipped to the dealers with assembly being done at the LBS. The
only bike assembled at RANS was the Screamer. And I don't thnk Tom
Sherman is correct about the ability to find workers in Hays, Kansas
to do the fabrication. While they can't draw on a huge pool of help
like a large city can, we met a lot of dedicated and conscientous
workers when we toured their facility. One thing about those
mid-Kansas people, they aren't afraid of hardwork and are dedicated to
the task.

Mike S.
St. Louis, Mo.

mike s said:

Bob: I don't know what RANS' current policy is (I have been told they
have pulled their frames from Taiwan and are going to produce them in
this country, but that hasn't been verified) but before this year it
was my understanding that all bike frames were made in Taiwan with the
exception of the Screamer. All parts and frames were then shipped to
RANS and then the bikes (in parts, with the exception of the Screamer)
were shipped to the dealers with assembly being done at the LBS. The
only bike assembled at RANS was the Screamer. And I don't thnk Tom
Sherman is correct about the ability to find workers in Hays, Kansas
to do the fabrication. While they can't draw on a huge pool of help
like a large city can, we met a lot of dedicated and conscientous
workers when we toured their facility. One thing about those
mid-Kansas people, they aren't afraid of hardwork and are dedicated to
the task.

Mike,

It is not my error if it is indeed a mistake, but Bob Bryant's. I will
quote from RCN #49 (January/February 1999), pp. 17. Writing about why US
based recumbent manufacturers were moving production to Taiwan, Bob
Bryant wrote, "Rans has a different problem in that they have a tough
time finding qualified craftsmen to build bikes in Hays, Kansas."

Bob Bryant did make the error of not capitalizing all the letters in
RANS, however. 😉

--
Tom Sherman – Quad City Area