Brands built on marketing ‘will just evaporate’: Industry experts weigh in on what US tariffs mean for the bike industry, and, the cost of your next machine

It’s too early to judge the winners and losers from last week’s tariff announcements, so we asked the experts and those affected most for their views.

President Trump holds up document outlining tariffs announced in the Rose Garden of the Whitehouse.
US President Donald Trump delivers remarks on reciprocal tariffs during an event in the Rose Garden entitled "Make America Wealthy Again" at the White House in Washington, DC, on April 2, 2025.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

It is no secret that the world’s bicycle industry runs on skills and products developed in the factories of China and Taiwan, two countries faced with heavy new US trade tariffs as of 5 April.

All countries faced a 10% baseline tariff, an import tax payable on all goods shipped into the U.S., but China and Taiwan – already subject to heavy tariffs set by Trump’s administration during his first term - are set to pay 34% and 32% respectively in additional import taxes. That brings the total tariff for goods imported to the U.S. from China to 54%. China has already clapped back, with heavy new tariffs of their own, and the fluid situation is changing daily.

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Andy Carr
Cycling Weekly Tech Editor

Andy Carr is the tech editor at Cycling Weekly. He was founder of Spoon Customs, where for ten years, him and his team designed and built some of the world's most coveted custom bikes. The company also created Gun Control Custom Paint. Together the brands championed the highest standards in fit, fabrication and finishing.

Nowadays, Andy is based in Norfolk, where he loves riding almost anything with two-wheels. He was an alpine ride guide for a time, and gets back to the Southern Alps as often as possible.

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