The Secret Factory The Bike Industry Doesn't Want You to Know About

Thanks for sharing Maxway Cycles, we are a 38-year-old OEM and ODM factory. We love to work with great designers such as Adam. What we are doing is translating customers' visions into tangible realities. 😀

That guy gave a fantastic interview. Extremely knowledgeable and yet seemingly so down to earth and humble. What a fascinating and likable guy.

Cool insights. Let’s hope everyone is ok there after today’s earthquake!

Randal gave one heck of an interview here! Very knowledgeable and with great inside insight

The description of the manufacturing process reminds me of a visit I made to the Philippines of a furniture manufacturing "facility." There wasn't any facility. Instead a truck would pull up to an extended family's compound of glorified huts and unload several dozen pieces of furniture, each one needing a particular operation in the manufacturing process to be performed next. Inside the huts family members expertly and quickly performed one single operation on those pieces in progress. A little while later another truck stopped by to unload another set and pick up the ones they had worked on. The truck traveled several hundred yards and unloaded at another extended family's compound of huts where they performed the next step in the manufacturing process.

My Author bike frame was made in Taiwan back in 1996 and I still admire its outstanding quality and craftsmanship. They know their thing.

Excellent. Have followed the ‘bike industry’,with various degrees of involvement since 1970’s. Since the huge transfer of wealth during 2020-24 the industry has,in my opinion become lost to ‘corporate interests’( profit for shareholders) prices through the roof. Love to see small business,craft,skilled,non bullshit content!

I had one job where I operated the destructive testing machines, a real blast for a 20-something to break stuff all day, then I had a job where I messed around with a 3d printer and I don't think they quite live up to the hype, yet. But they are good for one-offs. Thanks for taking the time to inform about the wonderful world of manufacturing.

Being in manufacturing over thirty five now with one involving metal fabrication this was right down my alley. Great interview👍

Great interview that offers a lot of comparative insight into production in Taiwan vs. artisan US framebuilding. Would love to see a few more interviews in this direction! As others have noted, Sklar was especially knowledgeable, humble, and friendly. Also wish the businesses in Taiwan that they survived the earthquake and are able to recover.

Really great chat, thanks for posting!

Insight into bike manufacturing is very interesting. Loved this,

nerdy conversation.... right down my alley! Thanks for this video

Other than the reason you gave, I watch your videos because I am sick and tired of the 'look at me riding my new bike, or touring on my bike type videos.'

I grew up in Taiwan and we are very proud of our bicycles. The economy is based tens of thousands of extremely hardworking family-owned small businesses that are all interconnected through decades and generations of networking. It is going to be very hard for most Americans to imagine industries based on mom and pop shops rather than giant corporations or monopolies. One time in a bike shop around Seattle, I heard a customer complained to a sales person "but it's made in Taiwan." I was quite saddened.

Great interview! Lively yet very informative.

Fantastic interview! Thanks to you both.

Great conversation! Learned a lot! Thanks

Enjoyed this insight a lot. Thanks to you both!

Glad to see artisans can still make a living from custom builds. My Grandfather eas one of only a few steel frame builders in England in the 70s. He was sad to see a lot of British bike manufacturers disappear to the Asian market