Michael wrote:
> Dale's CR site says "Falcon bikes were popular in the USA during the 1970s
> bike boom and most examples in this country date from that period."
>
> Could I suspect Canada too?
You would be surprised how different the Canadian market was from the US in the 60's and beyond. Not having to deal with a local powerhouse like Schwinn (CCM was already on the decline), the Canadian market was much more open to imports in the 60's and early 70's. It was therefore in many respects more competitive and advanced. Falcons were imported but probably had less of a market share in Canada than the US. CCM, transplants like Sekine and licensed manufacturers like Raleigh and Peugeot then lobbied for protection against the imports and received vigorous support from the government in the mid 70's. This helped bring about a healthy production business in Canada of reasonable quality. CCM, Sekine (early 70's Japanese transplant), Velosport (mid 70's onward), Mikado (late 70's onward), Peugeot (licensed production from 70's onward), Raleigh (from 70's onward)and others. This compares to the US which was then dominated by Schwinn, Ross, Murray and Huffy, prior to Trek and Cannondale becoming players.
Under the protective legislation, there were a number of interpretations as to what made a bike a local bike, exempt from duties. The most widely accepted definition was when the builder contributed a significant part of the 'value' of the bike in Canada, either through labor or parts. Some other earlier interpretations were more laughable, such as the one that determined that a bike could not be a bike if it did not have a saddle. It has been rumored in Canada that a few people imported some bikes that were fully-built except for the missing saddle which was then added in Canada. If the rumor and interpretation were correct, the bikes would thereby be exempted from import duties.
Steven Maasland Moorestown, NJ
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