The US market is \u201clooking a bit messy\u201d due to American foreign policy and the perception of the country worldwide, a bike industry insider has warned.<\/p>\n
In an interview about market conditions, Maxe Faschina, head of product at Standert Bicycles in Germany told Cycling Weekly that \u201cit\u2019s going to be a struggle\u201d.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n While inventory levels and discounting remain top of mind across the industry, he was clear that geopolitics, particularly the global perception of Trump-era foreign policy, is compounding the pressure.<\/p>\n You may like<\/p>\n \u201cThe appeal for American brands in China is slowing rapidly, so people in China are not buying American brands anymore,\u201d Faschina stated.<\/p>\n Part of this is due to increased price sensitivity as local brands grow in popularity over imported ones.<\/p>\n However, this extends beyond Europe. \u201cGerman brands will ditch SRAM as a spec for their bikes, because of politics,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Oversupply meets a cooling China<\/p>\n Faschina said the impact on the Chinese market is being underestimated.<\/p>\n \u201cChinese people of our generation listen to rock music, pop culture and have the same influences we had… Their kids are skateboarding, some snowboarding,\u201d he said. \u201cI don\u2019t think you can brush off what\u2019s happening in the US at the moment and I think it won\u2019t have a huge impact on US brands. Nike or Apple, maybe not so much, but Specialized or Trek?\u201d<\/p>\n For US bike companies, that presents a unique vulnerability. Cycling has long traded on lifestyle, aspiration, and cultural cachet. American brands, in particular, have sold a vision of freedom, adventure, and West Coast cool. The dynamic shift we\u2019re witnessing is meaningful.<\/p>\n Speaking about the recent launch of Team USA\u2019s cycling kit<\/a>, he said, \u201cI read the responses (on social media) and they were like \u2018Rapha, read the room.\u2019 What can you do about that (as a brand)?\u201d<\/p>\n You may like<\/p>\n The double whammy for US giants<\/p>\n The biggest American bike brands, like Specialized and Trek, are struggling with the negative global perception and the after-effects of high inventory levels<\/a> since the pandemic at the same time. Other bike brands, like Surly, have made a pointed move to criticise the situation in the US under Trump<\/a>, putting clear water between them and the negative vibe.<\/p>\n