Does it matter whether your bike comes from Germany?

When the designation of origin "Made in Germany" was invented at the end of the 19th century, German products were considered cheap and bad. In England, the motherland of industrialisation, people wanted to protect themselves from junk goods and plagiarism from Germany. But the Germans caught up and developed into an export nation. Today, parts from Germany are almost automatically recognised as being of high quality.

However, the "Made in Germany" seal can also be used to decorate products that, according to Wikipedia over 90 per cent of which were manufactured abroad, but are largely only assembled in Germany. There are no clear rules, but companies can get into trouble in court if the production process does not achieve a significant increase in quality or a decisive proportion of the value added in Germany. This is rather difficult in the case of a bicycle, especially as the development of the frame design plays no role in this case. Accordingly, the "Made in Germany" seal is rarely affixed to a bike. Bad?

So almost a year ago, we posed the question: Does it matter to you where your bike or its parts come from? You voted in our online survey. With an interesting result.

589, or a good 49 per cent of survey participants, stated that their purchasing behaviour consciously supports companies that generate at least the majority of their added value in Germany with products "Made in Germany". Just under 28 per cent are interested in the topic, but do not attach great importance to bike products "Made in Germany". A good 23 per cent see their priorities elsewhere.