PeopleForBikes, the national trade association representing the U.S. bicycle industry, is preparing to send a formal letter to President Donald J. Trump requesting targeted tariff relief or a reinstated exclusion process for bicycles, components, apparel, helmets, and related accessories. Before the letter is submitted, PeopleForBikes is calling on brands and industry leaders to add their names, uniting the bicycle industry in a powerful show of support for meaningful tariff relief.
As the industry faces mounting financial strain and uncertainty — despite good-faith efforts to reduce dependence on Chinese manufacturing and rebuild domestic production capacity — PeopleForBikes is rallying bike businesses across the U.S. to support this critical request.
Read the Industry’s Letter to the President
If your brand is interested in signing on in support of the letter, please contact PeopleForBikes Vice President of Government Relations Dr. Ash Lovell at [email protected].
The PeopleForBikes Coalition, representing more than 340 U.S. manufacturers, suppliers, and distributors of bicycles and related products, emphasized the industry’s longstanding commitment to reshoring supply chains, diversifying production, and investing in American jobs. However, the group warns that current and proposed tariffs, along with high input costs and soft consumer demand, are jeopardizing this progress.
“We are working every day to shift our supply chains, restore domestic manufacturing, and protect American jobs,” said Matt Moore, general and policy counsel for PeopleForBikes. “But without relief from current tariffs, companies across our industry are facing impossible choices, from layoffs and restructuring to closure.”
The letter to President Trump highlights the unique pressures faced by small- and mid-sized bicycle companies, especially those already assembling bicycles in the U.S., who rely on imported components and are now contending with higher steel and aluminum prices. The letter also raises specific concerns over tariffs on bicycle helmets, calling them counterproductive for consumer safety, and warns that apparel brands without viable domestic textile options are being pushed toward insolvency.
“We appreciate your focus on China’s competitive threat and are especially thankful for your leadership in closing the de minimis loophole,” the letter states. “To protect this quintessentially American industry, we need tariff relief for bicycles, bicycle components, apparel, and related accessories to help safeguard this important business sector.”
Despite the challenges, the bicycle industry remains committed to creating a more resilient and domestically rooted supply chain. However, with the average bicycle made up of more than 200 individual parts sourced from multiple countries, developing a viable U.S. supply chain will require time, capital, and supportive trade policy.
“The bicycle industry has enriched American lives for more than a century,” said PeopleForBikes President and CEO Jenn Dice. “We urge the administration to give our businesses the runway they need to compete globally, invest domestically, and keep biking safe, affordable, and accessible for everyone.”
