A proposal by a US domestic bike manufacturer to add imported steel and aluminum bikes to the list of products subject to a 50% materials tariff was denied last week, according to Bicycle Retailer and Industry News.
The Trump administration last Thursday announced the modified list of products subject to the tariffs and bicycles were not included. The administration also dropped some steel bike products, including e-bikes and e-bike parts, from a similar steel tariff. The aluminum and steel tariff proposal would have applied to the value of steel and aluminum frames, but there was confusion over whether that would be assessed on the material content alone or the imported value of the finished frame.
The proposal was submitted last year by Guardian Bikes, an American manufacturer, and the Aluminum Extruders Council, a consortium US aluminum providers. It prompted strong pushback from PeopleforBikes, the primary US bicycle industry advocacy organization.