[aaron_s]

Hey everyone, the made in canada decal on my elevation
http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=577878
got me thinking, are the frames and other components built overseas, and then assembled in Canada?

what exactly does that decal mean?

 

[Haydos]

use the search button - you will find everything you need to know.

AFAIK they tend to be painted / assembled in Canada, but welded in Asia.

 

[rockyuphill]

Yep, there's many many threads on this subject. There's a few bikes that are still all made in Canada, like the Flatline Pro/World Cups and scandium Element Team which are welded and painted here, but most of the frames are imported raw and unfinished, and painted in Quebec.

But the really critical part, the new frame design and prototyping are all still done by hand by a couple of frame builders in Delta BC.

 

[anthonyinhove]

But the really critical part, the new frame design and prototyping are all still done by hand by a couple of frame builders in Delta BC.

Surely all the frames are made by hand, it's just a question of whether they are made by hand by foreigners!

How do they handle the prototype building for the carbon frames?

 

[rockyuphill]

Yes, with welding and fabbing, it seems to mostly be an issue about where the welders pay their taxes.

The carbon frame geometry is proto'd in aluminium and then some magic happens with 3D solid modeling and FEA software and then a CNC 5 axis mill somewhere on the planet spits out a mold, then a bunch of unemployed frame welders smoosh carbon fibre into the mold and stick it in an oven heated by unused welding torches, and then a frame pops out.

But more to the point, the new frame designs aren't just picked out of a catalog, or sketched up and sent to production, they do lots of proto frames to tweak and adjust geometry and tubing, adjusting stiffness, let the test riders go out and abuse them to see if they can break them or make them wiggle and wobble riding on trails around Vancouver like the one below. If you see a rider on a raw aluminium frame on North Shore trails, there's a good chance it is a proto Rocky (unless it might be a proto Knolly).

When they get carbon test shot frames in to check over, they do the same thing with lots of test riding (which is how I was able to test ride a carbon Vertex test shot in 2008 back when one of the guys at my LBS had one to abuse in secret and I was able to spend a weekend with it shhhh, don't tell anyone :nono: ).

 

[ryan12210]

Rockyuphill that trail looks super nice. Is that in BC? Really reminds me of some of our better trails around here.

 

[rockyuphill]

Yep, the Bridle Path on Mt.Seymour, that's the XC trail that links the exits to a bunch of freeride trails. (It's always shown as Bridal on maps but it's Bridle as in a horse steering apparatus)

 

[aaron_s]

very cool pic!

thanks for the info, and sorry i didnt search this before!

i was just peeling the decals off my elevation, and noticed the "made in canada" bit

 

[anthonyinhove]

Yep, the Bridle Path on Mt.Seymour, that's the XC trail that links the exits to a bunch of freeride trails. (It's always shown as Bridal on maps but it's Bridle as in a horse steering apparatus)

I guess you guys have more wilderness trails than you could shake a stick at, but over here we have rights of way and they are divided into foot paths and bridle paths. Cycling is allowed only on bridle paths. That be the law, that be, and as you know, no cyclist would ever break the law. If it wasn't for equestrians and their ancient rights, it's likely there would be no mountain biking in the UK.

 

[rockyuphill]

Definitely there's more of Canada unpopulated by people than populated. Especially true in BC where there are just a few spots settled in between the mountain ranges. BC's overall population density is only 4.7 people per km2 for 4.4M people. Of course about 2.5 million of those live within the Lower Mainland area so we have a density of 700+ people per km2.