Where are Canyon and Focus made?

brucebanner

Hi, where are these bikes made? In particular the frames.

gupta-patel

Rhyl and Portsmouth respectively.

GP

mr_poll

I think Focus bikes are German designed and manufactured.

Buckled_Rims

Both are fully German made.

Canyon are mail order only I think. Focus have Wiggle as the dealer in the UK.

Both are great value for money.

spooky1980

Both are designed and assembled in germany the frames are built in asia like 95% of all other frames

brucebanner

Buckled_Rims wrote:

Both are fully German made.

Canyon are mail order only I think. Focus have Wiggle as the dealer in the UK.

Both are great value for money.

Do any stores stock the Focus? I'd like to try it out.

incog24

I was told by Giant that they make Canyon. Think that was in the summer of 2008, so of course might have changed since.

dru

brucebanner wrote:

Buckled_Rims wrote:

Both are fully German made.

Canyon are mail order only I think. Focus have Wiggle as the dealer in the UK.

Both are great value for money.

Do any stores stock the Focus? I'd like to try it out.

Focus are EXCLUSIVE to wiggle I'm afraid.... however just buy the bike from them, they have a 30 day test.

Buckled_Rims

Dru wrote:

Focus are EXCLUSIVE to wiggle I'm afraid.... however just buy the bike from them, they have a 30 day test.

But you've missed the bargains by 1 month....although they may be some left. They should be getting the 2011 models very soon, but probably at a higher price then the 2010 ones.

petemadoc

I have a focus bike and it has the words

"made in Germany"

Printed on the frame. I don't think they are simply assembled in Germany, I think the frames are actually made in Germany which makes them even better value.

Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong

Monty Dog

No, Focus frames like almost everyone else's are made in the far east - these days the rarity is the frame actually made outside of the Far East

petemadoc

I feel cheated

petemadoc

Quote from wiggles website

"Each Focus bike is handbuilt in their factory near Hamburg in Germany"

It then goes on to say they are fitted with market leading components and then set up by Wiggle's team in the UK. I'd find this very misleading if they are in fact made in the far east. Especially since it says made in Germany on the frame. I've noticed many products now say things like "engineered in Germany" or "designed in the UK" which usually means they are made in China or nearby. To state "made in Germany" on the frame would be a bit cr*p

Can anyone clear this up . . . Where are Focus frames made?

Monty Dog

For 'handbuilt' read assembled - there is no one in Europe making composite frames that are cheap enough for £1000 bikes: the key words are 'selected partners produce raw frames':
http://www.focus-bikes.com/gb/en/techno ... ction.html

Monty Dog

There's probably some obscure European directive that decrees you can put 'made in EU' on the product provided you can show that you add the highest value by adding some paint and screwing together a pile of parts sourced exclusively from the Far East and then putting it a big cardboard box?

petemadoc

Thanks for the info Monty. I do think this is a little underhand, if the frame is made in the far east they should just bl**dy say instead of trying to cover it up. Most bikes are made in the far east anyway. Not a transparent manufacturing process if they are indeed made in the far East.

I have to say I'm still confused

http://www.focus-bikes.com/gb/en/techno ... rmany.html

Are they saying that the frame material is bought in from the far East and then welded together in Germany or is the frame made then shipped to Germany for a paint job?

silverpigeon

I have been around the factory where Focus (and other brands) frames are made and it is not in Germany.

However don't let that put you off. The plant and equipment is state of the art and the quality control amazingly strict and robust...supervised by a German if that helps.

brucebanner

What's the issue with the frames being made in the far east? Honda, if i'm not mistaken, was classed as the most reliable car recently. Of course bikes aren't cars, but the principle still applies. What's the problem? Are frames made in Asia far worse than those made elsewhere?

petemadoc

Errr I though Honda had a factory in Swindon.

Anyway the issue is the bike says on the frame "made in Germany" so it should be made in Germany.

There are some very good factories in the far east but there are also a lot of very bad ones. Quality nearly always drops when production is moved to the far east but . . it's not always the case. Some companies just contract out their manufacturing to the lowest bidder and others take a different approach. I doubt any of the big names in cycling have quality issues as they need to justify their high prices compared to cheap supermarket rip offs made in . . . erm.. the far east.

The Focus website clearly describes a manufacturing process that takes place in Germany and the only clue to anything else is this line about "selected partners"

father_jack

Snobbery? I couldn't care less about the brand or where it's made, as long as the components and frame are ok high quality.

nicklouse

PeteMadoc
just like the bikes made in the US of A are only assembled there.

Focus frames are not made in Germany, just like 99% of all mass produced bikes. But they are created from bare frame up in Germany.
the carbon frames come from the same place as most top end carbon frames come from.
Panasonic.

my recent trip to where Focus are produced
http://www.bikeradar.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12722860

EKIMIKE

PeteMadoc wrote:

There are some very good factories in the far east but there are also a lot of very bad ones.

Equally applicable to factories anywhere in the world including the UK.

Bikes being made in the far east isn't a new thing nowadays. They've been at it for a long time and they're very very good at it. Also the majority of frames from the majority of brands probably come from only a few factories/manufacturers. So the quality is pretty much standard across the board.

I don't see what you're losing by your frame being made in China as opposed to Germany. Other than possibly a strange perception that it would be better if it was made in Germany.... whichis of course a load of rubbish.

silverpigeon

Errr I though Honda had a factory in Swindon

Yes they do but not all Hondas are made in Swindon..and if you were to tour the factory you would notice a high proportion of Japanese management, especially around quality control

Quality nearly always drops when production is moved to the far east

For example?

Fact is frame manufacturers in countries like China (Taiwan) have invested heavily in plant and equipment and have a much deeper, skill based based workforce. A walk around the Giant or Merida factory is a sight to behold.

Any concerns about build quality from established brands such as Focus are entirely without foundation.

Quality of design is another matter entirely

petemadoc

silverpigeon wrote:

Errr I though Honda had a factory in Swindon

Yes they do but not all Hondas are made in Swindon..and if you were to tour the factory you would notice a high proportion of Japanese management, especially around quality control

Quality nearly always drops when production is moved to the far east

For example?

Fact is frame manufacturers in countries like China (Taiwan) have invested heavily in plant and equipment and have a much deeper, skill based based workforce. A walk around the Giant or Merida factory is a sight to behold.

Any concerns about build quality from established brands such as Focus are entirely without foundation.

Quality of design is another matter entirely

I completely agree with you. Taiwan in particular has a tremendous reputation for quality manufacturing of high end goods these days.

But still . . .why are focus putting "Made in Germany" print on their bikes when it should actually say "put together in Germany" and why are they being underhand about the way their bikes are made. They should just say something like, our frames are built to the highest standards in the best factory in Taiwan (or wherever it is) and then finished in Germany bla bla bla.

What's this selected partner sh*t all about. Just be honest about it.

father_jack

Specilised had made in Taiwan sticker too. ;-)

cal_stewart

Think canyons are made in mainland china

sturmey

How come no-one seems to get upset about Mr Kipling then with his legendary cake-making claims?
We know he can't possibly make all those cakes himself. Reckon he's a lying b*stard. I'm sure he must get some help from other people from time to time.
Yet no-one kicks up a stink about him...

silverpigeon

I think Focus are honest about it, their website doesn't claim that their frames are made in Germany it says they are designed in Germany. It even talks about selected partners and not all of Focus's frames are necessarily made in the same factory anyway. Restricting yourself to one supplier is just bad business sense.

Oh and underneath the BB shell of my Cayo is a 'Made in China' sticker

How much value of the overall bike does a frame constitute? Lets say it's 20-25%.
Is it right to say it was made in China in that case? If a bike has Shimano components it doesn't have to say it's made in Japan, yet arguably the components are of equal importance to the frame. Same could be said for wheels.

BTW that thing about Kipling not making his own cakes. Is that really true?

Buckled_Rims

I must admit I always thought Focus and canyon made the frames in Germany.

Next you'll probably tell me that Aunt Bessie doesn't make her Yorkshire puds in Yorkshire!

Berk Bonebonce

Some high end carbon frames are made in Europe. At a guess BMC, Colnago, Time, Look. Any others?

nicklouse

Buckled_Rims wrote:

I must admit I always thought Focus and canyon made the frames in Germany.

Next you'll probably tell me that Aunt Bessie doesn't make her Yorkshire puds in Yorkshire!

depends on where you class Kingston upon Hull.



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