IN BRIEF
Trade association PeopleForBikes launched the America Builds Bikes initiative on 17 July 2026, to support companies that want to manufacture or assemble bicycles in the United States. Its centrepiece is a bipartisan bill, the U.S. Bicycle Production and Assembly Act (H.R. 3904), sponsored by lawmakers Vern Buchanan (R-FL) and Mike Thompson (D-CA). The text provides for a ten-year window of tariff exemption on the bicycle components used by companies that assemble their bikes on American soil. The stated goal: to reach 2 million bicycles produced each year in the United States within five years, and 5 million within ten years, against more than 97% of bicycles imported today.
PeopleForBikes, the leading cycling trade association in the United States, wants to reverse a three-decade-old trend: the near-disappearance of bicycle manufacturing on American soil. Its initiative, named America Builds Bikes, is built around a bill introduced in Congress in June 2025.
One American bike in a hundred today
The figures compiled by the organisation show the scale of the decline: more than 97% of the bicycles sold in the United States are imported today. In 1997, domestic production still accounted for around 9 million bicycles a year, or 75% of the American market. The shift played out in a single generation.
America Builds Bikes: a ten-year tariff-free window
At the heart of the initiative is a bill, the U.S. Bicycle Production and Assembly Act (H.R. 3904), introduced by representatives Vern Buchanan (a Republican from Florida) and Mike Thompson (a Democrat from California). The text proposes a ten-year window of tariff exemption on imported bicycle components, reserved for companies that manufacture or assemble their bikes in the United States. For now, this is a bill that has been introduced, not a law that has been passed.
PeopleForBikes is working to make sure that companies that want to manufacture or assemble bicycles in the United States have a realistic path to doing so.
Jenn Dice, President and CEO of PeopleForBikes
Two million bikes a year, the five-year target
PeopleForBikes puts a figure on its ambition: reaching 2 million bicycles assembled annually in the United States within five years, then 5 million within ten years. A dedicated website, AmericaBuildsBikes.org, provides the text of the bill, a detailed case for it, company testimonials and a tool for contacting local lawmakers. More details on the initiative’s official website.
