Kink bikes made in CHINA?!

Soooooo you're basing this bike's structure degrading purely because of China? I've run a KINK Whip frame from late 2012 and I'm still running it today. Full ChroMoly. It's made in China as well. If you feel that your bike is solid and dialed, I don't see a need to complain.

The cost of the bike should reflect the quality more than its country of origin (although brands could just be making more money with a higher mark up, but let's assume in this case they don't).
Bike frames are made in pretty much every country in the east, the country it's made in doesn't effect the quality, the workmanship of the people in that particular factory does.

It won't be as good quality as any after market frame (probably), but will still be better than the cheaper made frames, no matter what country they're made in. If that sticker wasn't there, would you notice the difference in quality? Probably not. Don't worry about it.

what isnt made in china

"Nicer than 1200$ bikes" "huffy and what nots"

I giggled .

For real a local Adam Piatek just got sponsored by Kink and he's fucking insane so I wouldn't say Kink is cheap if you saw this guy ride , he is a gongshow

no compelete bike is make in the usa lol. gonna be honest here as much as I love my US made frame im gonna have to take team tiawan as far as parts go becuse they make some of the best stuff out there in terms of bikes.

Oh so good kwawity #1 for BMX 360

Should've got an American made bike. You done fucked up now boiiiiiii

The last sentence in the OP is the key one here. Really dialed, almost nicer than some $1200 bikes I've had...

Right, that's why they're doing it. They can get good quality and keep the price reasonable and (hopefully ) still make a profit.

It's surprising that it's not Taiwan, but I have read things about how companies there are being priced out now as they are too close to more expensive countries prod costs so contracts are moving out.

Just remember two things:
1. Nobody ever buys a current Apple product and goes "oh no, I wish my new iPad were made in Taiwan cause I think it would feel and work slightly better".
2. Until lower & middle class wages rise in this country (meaning companies decide to pay them more, quarterly share prices be damned) you're not getting stuff suddenly made here again. Cause consumers can NOT afford to pay more for products than they do now.

dk4eve wrote:

So i just recently bought the new 2017 Kink Liberty Sexton, The reason i bought this bike was because it was the only bike in ...more

dk4eve wrote:

So i just recently bought the new 2017 Kink Liberty Sexton, The reason i bought this bike was because it was the only bike in the range with 100% chromoly and sealed bearings, I really like the bike so far but when i was assembling it i noticed it had a made in CHINA sticker on the seat tube. Now, it was always my impression that the best bikes were made in USA then the best completes in Taiwan and the worst of the worst in China, huffy and what nots. I also know chromoly has to be welded specific ways and am not sure a mass factory churning out 10000 frames a day would fit this requirement.
Whats the verdict on modern BMX bikes being made in China? is this a wolf in sheeps clothing? The bike seems very very dialed and i love it so far, almost nicer then some $1200+ bikes ive had.

If there is one thing China IS good at, it's making bikes. They make them because they are still the most common mode of transportation. My in-laws (wife is from Shanghai) never had a car or drove, and neither did my wife. They had bikes though. Built like a tank to survive the daily commute. Most of what they sell now are e-bikes, but still the the knowledge of how to build is there. Most USA frames came from Taiwan due to trade restrictions - the domestic Chinese producers weren't allowed to export their good stuff....

You were made in a vaChina, so what's the diff..

Anyway, I buy American-made when I can. I don't like supporting communists, I like keeping USA dollars in the USA, and I like supporting local businesses.

I vape, and buying Chinese only makes sense. $50 for a 200w mod, vs $200 for an 80w mod.. The wages are higher in the United States. The rent is higher. The quality is usually better. But a lot of companies hike up the price because they can say "Made in USA". Everything would realistically cost more, but some companies take advantage. Sometimes, you have to put your money where your mouth is. Other times, your money is safer where your wallet is.

How'd you get my spring break photos..?

grumpySteve wrote:

grumpySteve wrote:

oh god i can't hahahaha

"Anyway, I buy American-made when I can. I don't like supporting communists, I like keeping USA dollars in the USA, and I like supporting local businesses."

This ^

Its very rare to find a complete thats made in the US unless its a custom build which can cost you a good amount of cash. The money you pay for is what you get when it comes to stock completes a 1000+ bike will always be a hell of alot better than a 300+ bike regardless of where it's built. Most of the stuff made in the US are afterparts, frames, and etc. Any bike you see that is 100% US built was probably made over time or custom ordered.

that wasnt really the question, I know US made bikes are expensive and unique. My question was the quality of modern Chinese bmx bikes.

Little update though; The bike has been great so far, threw some cult butter pegs on and it has been holding up well to everything ive thrown at it. My only complaint is the stem, im a bike mechanic so right off the bat i sanded the bars and stem and hit them with brake clean, greased the bolts, and star patterned the torque, Bars still slip. My buddy has the 2016 hamlin with the same stem and has the same issue. Ive scored the stem with a steel wire brush so well see how it holds but i may throw a profile on if it happens again.

They've got to cut costs somewhere, rather the stem or whatever than the frame or forks

Yeah just ride it, the frame should last as long as you'd hope any complete frame to--a good year of moderately hard riding. That is, if you're out there riding on a daily basis. I'm sure most who get a complete ride it for only a little while or not too rigorously. And the companies know this, so it makes sense to cut costs by getting a cheaper Chinese frame made