If you're a fan of Cannondale bicycles, as I am, and that "handmade
in USA" label means something to you, you'll be interested in this
press release:
http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5hksFCz8vzIj5CoM7kt58r8gb
cG6A

Only time will tell whether or not this is good for Cannondale
afficionados or the bike industry as a whole. For sure it's good for
the bike industry in Canada, as Cannondale is the #3 player behind
Trek and Specialized in N.A.

Dorel is the manufacturer of the Schwinn and Mongoose brands that are
aimed at the big-box retailers.

This is a simmilar move to Pro Cycles acquisition of Rocky Mountain
Bicycles a while back. Since then, Procycle has really gotten behind
the Rocky label and continued investment and development through the
IBD channel, at the same time lessening their emphasis on production
for big-box retailers.

Perhaps this is all symptomatic of the cycling industry being seen as
an environmentally friendly growth industry in the face of peak oil,
the push for sustainable communities, and increasing recognition that
cycling is a viable mode of transit.
...alan