Bulgaria competes with China for bike manufacturing

The Bulgarian bicycle industry is expecting a 40% increase in production after receiving official permission to import parts without paying an anti-dumping tax. As long as Chinese elements do not exceed 60 per cent of the bicycle price, Bulgarian makers would not have to pay the 48.5 per cent anti-dumping tariff.

Last year, the Bulgarian bicycle industry produced over 450,000 bicycles, of which 100,000 were sold locally. Bulgaria has six manufacturers, Cross, Leader-96, Maxcom, Robifir Bike, Velomania and Balkanvelo, and it expects rising sales due to the increasing focus on health and environment in Bulgaria and Europe. Bulgaria has a competitive advantage over China due to its location in Europe, which reduces shipping times. Below, the Bulgarian Prime Minister riding a bicycle through Bourgas.

Bikewire goes live!

Bikewire, a new website dedicated to cycling, is now live. It is a social networking, stat tracking & graphing, honor code leaderboard, blogging, photo, and mapping and classifieds website strictly for cyclists. This should give us a chance to compare times with other cyclists across the country and around the world! Plus, we get the scoop on the latest routes in different areas contributed by other riders. Go Bikewire!