Rans - American or Taiwan?

[Bob Hill]

Are Rans bikes American-made or imported from Taiwan, or
both? Their Web site says Kansas but I've seen their bikes
in "Made in Taiwan" boxes. Is the quality the same on both
products? If it is, then shouldn't the Taiwanese bikes be
substantially cheaper?

 

[Tom Sherman]

Bob Hill wrote:

> Are Rans bikes American-made or imported from Taiwan, or
> both? Their Web site says Kansas but I've seen their bikes
> in "Made in Taiwan" boxes. Is the quality the same on both
> products? If it is, then shouldn't the Taiwanese bikes be
> substantially cheaper?
I am not aware of this company named "Rans".

The prices on RANS bikes dropped substantially when they
moved production of certain models to Taiwan. If I recall
correctly, the Hays, Kansas built 1998 RANS Rocket was $1150
and the Taiwan built 1999 RANS Rocket was $1000. Having seen
both side by side, the paint and welds on the Taiwan built
models were better looking. [1] In general, the Taiwanese
bicycle factories lower costs through extensive automation
and economies of scale.

Another factor is that Hays, Kansas is in the middle of
nowhere, so it is hard for RANS to find enough skilled
labor. When the demand for recumbents greatly increased from
1997 to 1998, there was a waiting list of several months to
get a new RANS bike from the time it was ordered to the time
it was shipped. Taiwanese production allowed the Hays worker
to concentrate on aircraft/aircraft parts production.

[1] The Hays Rockets were MIG welded [2] by hand, while the
Taiwanese Rockets are likely TIG welded by robots.
[2] Except for the Saturn V, which was TIG welded.

--
Tom Sherman – Quad City Area 1999 RANS "Wavewind" 2000
RANS Rocket

 

[John Halliburto]

Having seen both side by side, the paint and welds on
> the Taiwan built models were better looking.

Not a screaming endorsement for a company whose other half
makes lightweight aircraft.

 

[Tom Sherman]

John Halliburton wrote:

> Having seen both side by side, the paint and welds on
>
>>the Taiwan built models were better looking.
>
>
> Not a screaming endorsement for a company whose other half
> makes lightweight aircraft.

That the TIG welded joints on the Taiwanese made frames
are cosmetically better looking does not mean that they
are any stronger or more fatigue resistant than the hand
welded MIG joints.

--
Tom Sherman – Quad City Area

 

[Mike S]

Bob: I don't know what RANS' current policy is (I have been
told they have pulled their frames from Taiwan and are going
to produce them in this country, but that hasn't been
verified) but before this year it was my understanding that
all bike frames were made in Taiwan with the exception of
the Screamer. All parts and frames were then shipped to RANS
and then the bikes (in parts, with the exception of the
Screamer) were shipped to the dealers with assembly being
done at the LBS. The only bike assembled at RANS was the
Screamer. And I don't thnk Tom Sherman is correct about the
ability to find workers in Hays, Kansas to do the
fabrication. While they can't draw on a huge pool of help
like a large city can, we met a lot of dedicated and
conscientous workers when we toured their facility. One
thing about those mid-Kansas people, they aren't afraid of
hardwork and are dedicated to the task.

Mike S. St. Louis, Mo.

 

[Tom Sherman]

mike s wrote:

> Bob: I don't know what RANS' current policy is (I have
> been told they have pulled their frames from Taiwan and
> are going to produce them in this country, but that hasn't
> been verified) but before this year it was my
> understanding that all bike frames were made in Taiwan
> with the exception of the Screamer. All parts and frames
> were then shipped to RANS and then the bikes (in parts,
> with the exception of the Screamer) were shipped to the
> dealers with assembly being done at the LBS. The only bike
> assembled at RANS was the Screamer. And I don't thnk Tom
> Sherman is correct about the ability to find workers in
> Hays, Kansas to do the fabrication. While they can't draw
> on a huge pool of help like a large city can, we met a lot
> of dedicated and conscientous workers when we toured their
> facility. One thing about those mid-Kansas people, they
> aren't afraid of hardwork and are dedicated to the task.

Mike,

It is not my error if it is indeed a mistake, but Bob
Bryant's. I will quote from RCN #49 (January/February 1999),
pp. 17. Writing about why US based recumbent manufacturers
were moving production to Taiwan, Bob Bryant wrote, "Rans
has a different problem in that they have a tough time
finding qualified craftsmen to build bikes in Hays, Kansas."

Bob Bryant did make the error of not capitalizing all the
letters in RANS, however.

--
Tom Sherman – Quad City Area