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Ellsworth and Cannondale Taiwan Frames

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bikesair

Chimp
Jun 30, 2009
67
0
San Luis Obispo CA
Any insight on this? Why would Ellsworth do this to their fallowing? It seems like its gonna piss a lot of people off.

If you didn't know Ellsworth and Cannondale are making all of their frames in Taiwan now. Seems like a sketch move imo.

I know Taiwan does work but it just seemed like the whole business model behind these bikes was to target the US supporting customers.
 
jonKranked

jonKranked

Detective Dookie
Nov 10, 2005
86,088
24,620
media blackout
bikesair said:
Any insight on this? Why would Ellsworth do this to their fallowing? It seems like its gonna piss a lot of people off.
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Ellsworth? Pissing people off? Say it ain't so!

IH8Rice said:
C'dale hasnt made bikes in the US for a while. i think their high end road frames were the last to move overseas
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their high end road stuff (carbon) was actually the FIRST to move overseas, IIRC. Something about one of their epoxy compounds not being able to be used stateside in the quantities they needed for production.
 
FCLinder

FCLinder

Turbo Monkey
Mar 6, 2002
4,402
0
Greenville, South Carolina
I will not point fingers, but there are a few other companies in the US that people think are made in the US, but are made overseas too...... Let’s just say I get E-Mails from all the overseas guys on all their catalog frames. It's so funny to see some of the very same frames people are drooling over and don't know that it is a catalog frame. When I started racing most everything was made in the US. To me, I see it as each company has to make $$ and if this is the way to do it then let it be so. Good for them to be able to live the American Dream and owner your own company in the Bike industry..... It's not like the product is all crap coming from over there..... The companies that have done it right have a lot of quality control over their product and bring in good designs for you guys to pick from.

Yes the below is a road bike company, just giving an example. Only because he will openly admit he does.

http://www.boydbikes.com/

This guy is in Greenville SC and gets all his frames and parts from over Seas. Doesn't design a thing. I have to say seeing and riding them in person has made me want one. I could care less as long as there is support and a warranty. Yes I am training for a Tri!!!!

Cecil
 
jonKranked

jonKranked

Detective Dookie
Nov 10, 2005
86,088
24,620
media blackout
“Did you know that Tony Ellsworth makes guys sit down to pee when they are at his house? He doesn’t want his wife to have to clean the urine of another man…Hey Tony, you can clean a toilet too. In fact it wouldn’t be much different than working on one of your ****can bikes. Where to start?? Did you know that when Shaums rode for him in 1997 or 8 (I forget) Tony promised Shaums a spare dh bike for the entire season and never delivered. It was all good even through a neck breaking accident caused by a cut Tioga fat 66 in Snoqualmie Pass (he was the top qualifier that day in WA. Even faster than NICO). He won 2 weeks later in Breckinridge with a broken neck, then went to Vermont were his frame crack was noticed just before DH qualifying. He raced, I think but it was on some girls slalom bike or some **** so he lost the race and title. Just as well as I would not want Ellsworth to have a national DH title. It may perpetuate the growth of the Mormon religion (via mandatory tithings) and who knows what then. All I know is that Shaums may have been a bit of a mess at the time, but he got Mormon screwed on that deal.”
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http://www.site.hbcutthecoursein1990.com/Team.html
 
BikeFan84

BikeFan84

Monkey
Oct 27, 2004
302
0
D-Ville
wasn't that thread a few years back maybe 04-05? He really was out of line for that...

But I mean the OP of the thread, really you didn't know? Maybe now the frame won't crack, complete garbage all of them except for the specialist circa 02 ~ had some ok luck with those, lets see if I can break an Ellsworth at the Dirt Demo this year.
 
Kanye West

Kanye West

220# bag of hacktastic
Aug 31, 2006
3,742
475
bikesair said:
Any insight on this? Why would Ellsworth do this to their fallowing? It seems like its gonna piss a lot of people off.

If you didn't know Ellsworth and Cannondale are making all of their frames in Taiwan now. Seems like a sketch move imo.

I know Taiwan does work but it just seemed like the whole business model behind these bikes was to target the US supporting customers.
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It's not like they can make them any worse than Ellsworth can..
 
R

roel_koel

Monkey
Mar 26, 2003
278
1
London,England
If you didn't know Ellsworth and Cannondale are making all of their frames in Taiwan now. Seems like a sketch move imo.

sorry, your information is incorrect

Ellsworth currently have 1 aluminium-alloy suspension frame made off-shore for assembly as their complete bike "The Glimpse" which is a price-competitive version of their Epiphany trail frame; however its not a true "ICT" design by Elllsworth but a "horst pivot / 4-bar"

Ellsworth also source their carbon-fibre road and mountain frames off-shore, where the best C.F. is actually made!

all their aluminium-alloy ICT frames are still made in Vancouver, Washington
 
E

epic

Turbo Monkey
Sep 15, 2008
1,041
21
Didn't Ellsworth used to have a manufacturing deal with Ventana? Like late '90's? They had that other brand they both shared, can't remember the name now. Anyway, funny thing is I'm looking at an Ellsworth ad as I type this.
 
R

roel_koel

Monkey
Mar 26, 2003
278
1
London,England
whatever people think about tony EW??

they do make very capable suspension frames for the trail (5") and all-mountain (6") markets

they might not have fancy hydroforming or new fangled suspension system, but their ICT in my humble opinion is the best "4-bar / horst pivot" style suspension on the market, having ridden everything Horst pivot related since the first AMP research bikes in 1993!

we (Freeborn bikes) have been importing EW into the UK for 10 years+ and we were instrumental in 'persuading', alongside Steve Worland from What Mtb? / MBUK (future publishing), for Tony EW to make the first Moment all-mountain frame

my riding partner John rides a Mk3 Moment and its a seriously good frame



if I was not representing Devinci in the UK, I would take a Moment without hesitation (we also import Mythic a.ka. Banshee UK, and Specialized so I have the Banshee Rune and Specialized Enduro as my other all-mtn options)

my friend Phil S. rides the Mk2 Epiphany and its a very good trail bike



the Epiphany just won a big boutique grouptest here in the UK with What Mtb? magazine, and the Moment always wins huge respect when its tested by magazines in the UK

whatever you think of the company itself, their trail and all-mtn bikes are class leading, if you have actually had the pleasure of riding or owning them ;)
 
skatetokil

skatetokil

Turbo Monkey
Jan 2, 2005
2,383
-1
DC/Bluemont VA
So I have looked for these alleged catalog frames and all I've ever seen was junk. Anybody got a link to the "good" Taiwanese catalog? I'd like to see what's available just for my own curiosity if nothing else. Or do I have to buy a ticket to Taiwan?
 
norbar

norbar

KESSLER PROBLEM. Just cause
Jun 7, 2007
11,376
1,612
Warsaw :/
Thundrbucket said:
http://www.astroeng.com.tw/products.asp
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Ppl drool over khs and azonic bikes? Really. I though it was common knowledge who sells astro and other. I thought the big suprise was that some big company with a wc team uses catalog. Im dissapointed ;)


btw. I still own an elsworth joker xc from around 03-04 and strangely enough it has no cracks and it is a good bike. Though Tony has realised his mistake and produced it only for a year, than went for tweaks ;) Still I think he would get 10times less flack withouth the douche background because some of their frames are not that bad now.
 
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