Assertion certainty 4/5 debate potential 1/5

Quality European bikes were scarce in the US in the early 1970s

Mike Sinyard · Specialized Bicycle Components: Mike Sinyard · Jul 29, 2024 · at 8:40

Specialized founder Mike Sinyard explains what motivated him to start importing bicycle components before founding Specialized in the 1970s.

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“What I discovered as I started getting into bikes, there was like the basic bikes that were made in America, you know, swim bikes and other things that were not very inspirational. And then there were bikes from Europe that were to dream about. And there weren't very many of those bikes in the USA.”

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