5 E-Bike Brands That Are Manufactured In America

Finding an item that's fully made in America can be like trying to find a needle in a haystack. If you look closely at most of the major e-bike brands in the U.S., you'll see that a lot of the companies assemble their e-bikes in the United States, but the parts used to assemble them are often manufactured in other countries.

E-bikes from these major retailers aren't necessarily bad bikes — many of them are among the best electric bikes you can buy right now. However, if you're looking to support the American economy by investing in an e-bike that's both manufactured and assembled in America, you should steer clear of most big-name brands.

Meanwhile, other brands have prioritized keeping the manufacturing process within the States. This doesn't mean that certain raw materials needed to craft an e-bike aren't imported from other countries — the U.S. simply doesn't have access to all the raw materials needed — but instead, it means that as much of the manufacturing and assembly process as possible is completed in America. Here are five e-bike brands you can shop that prioritize U.S.-based manufacturing.

According to Electric Bike Company, every e-bike is built to order in Southern California, from the frame to the fenders, to the coats of paint, and almost everything in between. In addition to making sure everything is customized just the way you want it, the company says it prioritizes building in America to ensure the e-bikes don't receive any unnecessary markups due to importation, and also to allow the team to "cherry-pick materials and accessories from suppliers around the world."

After the bike is assembled by Electric Bike Company in the U.S., it's then inspected and tested in America as well before finally being delivered to the customer's door. Electric Bike Company is an incredibly transparent e-bike company, with a whole video outlining exactly how each bike is crafted and detailing the behind-the-scenes action.

The fenders and chain guards used in Electric Bike Company's e-bikes are made with real walnut and maple wood. Each rim is hand-spoked and then run through a machine to ensure each individual spoke is at the perfect tension, allowing for even wear on the tires. Even the e-bike batteries are assembled in America, too.

Bike Friday has manufactured its e-bikes in America for over 33 years, and the company doesn't have any plans to change this strategy in the future. According to Bike Friday, "over 95% of the bike industry has moved production overseas," making its commitment to stay in the U.S. even more impressive.

The company is required to source some parts from other countries because there's no manufacturer or raw materials available in America right now. This includes parts like tires, chains, and shifters, but nearly everything else is made or assembled in the U.S., specifically in Eugene, Oregon.

American-made e-bikes like these may never earn the title of best budget e-bike, as materials and wages tend to be higher in the U.S. compared to many of the Asian countries that other big e-bike brands use to outsource manufacturing. But if you're looking to support the American economy and help fund living wages for local jobs, Bike Friday is certainly worth that premium.

Hi Power Cycles is another fantastic e-bike brand to look into if you're prioritizing goods from America. The company was founded in 2008 by two brothers, Chris and Derek Hunt, and despite adding multiple new team members since its founding, Hi Power Cycles has always crafted each bike from scratch in a Los Angeles warehouse. The company writes, "We take great pride in our company, our commitment to customer service, [and] our commitment to manufacturing in the USA, and it shows in the products we sell."

In a Reddit comment from Chris with Hi Power Cycles, he specifies that as much as possible is done in the U.S., which includes mitering, welding, heat treating, powder coating, and otherwise creating the aluminum frames. He goes on to explain that the battery systems are welded and packaged in America, and the wheel spokes are hand-cut and cold-rolled to size here, too.

Unfortunately, not all components can be sourced in America, but Hi Power Cycles doesn't try to hide this. Chris explains that the e-bike motors come from China, only because "no one makes any bike motors we have access to in the USA." That said, Hi Power Cycles is currently "looking for a potential grant ... to manufacture [its] own motors," so this could be another component to add to the American-made list in the future.

There are many things you should know before buying an e-bike, but perhaps one that's not mentioned as frequently as it should be is knowing where your e-bike is made. Of course, the holy grail for supporting your local economy is finding a company that manufactures and assembles its e-bikes in America.

While this is a positive choice in its own right, there's an added perk to American-made bikes: They're often easier to source replacement parts for. When you take the time to find an e-bike manufactured in America, like Co-Motion Cycles e-bikes, you're making life easier on your future self when you potentially need to fix or replace parts to extend the life of your e-bike.

Co-Motion Cycles has been making e-bikes in America for the last 30 years, with a factory nestled in Eugene, Oregon. The company prides itself on hand-crafting high-quality results, saying, "Every bike we make is for an important person who has cast their vote for quality. For American manufacturing. ... For a real human touch from start to finish." That said, an e-bike from Co-Motion Cycles will cost you a pretty penny. For example, the Metolius e-tandem bike starts at $18,495.

Another company with a proud "Made in the USA" title is Detroit Bikes. The company makes both traditional bikes and e-bikes, and the entire U.S. Chromoly line of bikes is crafted in America. Detroit Bikes does sell a few entry-level bikes that are largely manufactured in China, and then assembled in the company's factory. However, frames in the U.S. Chromoly line utilize a high-end steel material called chromoly and are all made in America.

In a large 50,000-square-foot factory in Detroit, the company does "complete assembly and wheel building on [its] US Assembly bikes," ultimately producing up to 150 frames and assembling up to 400 bikes every single day. At the factory, bikes made with chromoly are "cut, coped, bent, welded, painted, assembled, and packaged." If you're ever in Detroit, you can even visit the factory to see how bikes are made and potentially view all the production stages for yourself.