Tariffs

FAIRFIELD, N.J. (BRAIN) — Kent International would likely suspend production at its South Carolina bike factory later this year if the Trump administration does not reduce tariffs on Chinese imports, Kent Chairman Arnold Kamler said.

MONTEREY, Calif. (BRAIN) — Retyre claims its blackwalled tires are at least as durable as regular tires, offer the same traction and are considerably lighter. And they can be easily manufactured close to bike factories — even in the U.S.

PHOENIX (BRAIN) — State Bicycle Co. announced on its website that an 8% "tariff recovery fee" is being applied to its products at checkout while warning it expects bike and component shortages for high-demand models similar to early pandemic levels.

MADISON, Wis. (BRAIN) — Trek and Electra retailers were informed Thursday by email that bike prices for most models will rise immediately because of the 10% tariff surcharge announced April 2, increasing costs "to a level that needs to be addressed."

MORGAN HILL, Calif. (BRAIN) — Specialized Bicycles informed retailers that it will list a 10% additional tariff surcharge on a separate line item on B2B invoices for the new Turbo Levo 4 e-MTBs ordered after May 1. Orders shipped before that date will not include the surcharge.
SEYMOUR, Ind. (BRAIN) — Guardian Bikes announced a $19 million financing with JPMorganChase, which the company said will power what it calls "the first large-scale bicycle frame manufacturing operation in the United States."

PORTLAND, Ore. (BRAIN) — A2 Bikes founder AJ Alley heard the concerns from triathletes over rising bike prices last weekend at the Ironman 70.3 in Oceanside, California, after tariff increases were announced a few days before.
SAN LUIS POTOSÍ, Mexico (BRAIN) — Mercurio Sports Group, a bike manufacturer and distributor in Mexico, opened a $25 million, 1.4 million square-foot facility-square-foot factory here in 2019, with plans to assemble bikes for the U.S. and the domestic market, and to eventually add frame manufacturing.

STAVANGER, Norway (BRAIN) — Tracking device company BikeFinder said Tuesday it is pausing all new imports of its trackers into the U.S. because of the increased tariffs announced last week, "a decision made not out of necessity but strategy."

BENTONVILLE, Ark. (BRAIN) — Best known for its U.S. manufacturing, Allied went to Asia for the layup of its new gravel bike. Its CEO said multiple factors led to that decision.

If Tern’s shipments don’t arrive from Vietnam before Wednesday, or get diverted, the cargo bike brand will be on the hook for about $1 million — cash — in tariff fees. Until this week, the company had planned on zero.

BEVERLY, Mass. (BRAIN) — Parlee Cycles CEO John Harrison told BRAIN on Friday the brand has halted inventory purchases, the second bike manufacturer to do so since the Trump administration announced new tariffs on Tuesday.
(BRAIN) — Cardinal Cycling Group, the owner of the Time bicycle brand, is partnered with Unibike, a Portugal assembly factory, to open a painting and bike assembly factory in the Spartanburg, South Carolina, area this year.