Higher tariffs on components built in China will make the cost of U.S. bike production much higher, likely slowing the growth of the industry.
New import tariffs proposed by President-Elect Trump could have a disastrous effect on the bike industry, according to George Kevin Jordan. Writing in Streetsblog USA, Jordan explains that “Currently, about 97 percent of bike parts come from overseas, mostly from Trump’s least-favored nation, China.”
Raising the cost of components will force producers to raise prices likely have a chilling effect and slow the adoption of more sustainable transportation modes, a key step in reducing carbon emissions. “If just half of the car trips under one mile were replaced by bikes or walking, the US could save about $575 million in fuel costs and about 2 million metric tons of CO2 emissions per year, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.”
A bill introduced by Oregon Representative Earl Blumenauer, a staunch supporter of bike infrastructure, would suspend tariffs on bike parts for a decade and incentivize companies to manufacture bikes domestically.
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