Who Makes Co-Op Bike Frames? | OEMs, Countries, Proof

You came here for a straight answer and a clear path to verify it. Here it is: REI owns the Co-op Cycles brand and sets the designs, specs, and quality targets. The frames themselves are produced by outside bicycle factories (original equipment manufacturers, or OEMs). REI doesn’t publish a public, model-by-model supplier list. What you can see are the countries where a given frame was made and a rotating roster of Tier-1 and Tier-2 factories that manufacture Co-op branded gear and bike components for the co-op. That means the exact factory can change across seasons or between price points, while the design DNA and after-sale support stay under REI’s umbrella.

The Short List: How Co-Op Frames Get Made

Co-op Cycles launched in 2016 as REI’s house bike brand, replacing Novara. The brand focuses on trail, all-road, city, and adventure bikes, with e-bikes joining later. REI’s public statements lay out the structure: Co-op Cycles is an REI brand; bikes are designed with input from riders; and production runs through partner factories. You won’t find a line that says “Model X made by Factory Y,” yet you can still trace where frames are built by reading labels, Q&A notes on product pages, and the co-op’s published factory disclosures.

What REI States Publicly

REI’s 2016 launch note explains that Co-op Cycles is “built from the ground up” by the co-op with rider feedback, replacing Novara and setting a new product direction. The co-op also publishes a “Co-op Brands Factory List,” which names Tier-1 and Tier-2 facilities that make REI Co-op and Co-op Cycles products in places like Taiwan, Vietnam, and China. You’ll see well-known cycling vendors (tires, tools, components) and manufacturing partners in those regions. The list verifies that REI relies on a broad supplier network for Co-op branded goods, including bike parts and assemblies.

Who Makes Co-Op Bike Frames? Facts That Buyers Can Verify

Since the specific frame supplier isn’t printed on the web page for each model, your best proof sits on the bike itself and in official pages that point to the supply chain. Look for country-of-origin decals on the downtube or near the bottom bracket. REI’s own product Q&As and recall notices from the Novara era also show a long-standing pattern: many house-brand frames come from Taiwan, with some production in China and, more recently, Vietnam.

Countries You’ll Commonly See On The Label

House-brand frames in this price band are often welded and finished in Taiwan, with some models coming from Vietnam as capacity shifts. Components such as tires and inner tubes listed on REI’s product pages frequently cite Taiwan as the source. While a tube isn’t a frame, the pattern across parts and the official factory list point to the same hubs of bicycle manufacturing.

Frame Origins By Line And What To Check

The table below gives you a practical checklist by product family. Use it to spot a likely origin and then confirm on the frame label in store or upon delivery. Country of origin can rotate by year or lot, so treat this as a guide and verify on the bike you buy.

Co-op Line	Frame Material	Common Origin Label*
DRT (Trail Hardtails)	6061/6066 Aluminum	Taiwan; some runs Vietnam
DRT Full-Suspension & e-MTB	Aluminum	Taiwan; select models Vietnam
ARD (All-Road/Gravel)	Aluminum; occasional carbon fork	Taiwan
CTY (City/Hybrid)	Aluminum	Taiwan or China; newer runs Vietnam
ADV (Adventure/Touring)	Aluminum; steel on select models	Taiwan
REV (Kids)	Aluminum	China or Vietnam
E-Town/E-Trail (Ebikes)	Aluminum	Taiwan; growing share Vietnam

*Check the actual bike for the printed country of origin, since it can shift by lot or season.

What “Designed By REI, Built By OEMs” Means For You

Design and testing flow from REI’s product team. Welding, paint, and assembly happen at partner factories that build frames for many global brands. That setup is normal in the bike industry. It lets REI pick factories with the right tooling for a given frame, and switch when capacity or tariffs change. For riders, the value and the warranty sit with REI, while the metallurgy and welds are done by specialists who make frames every day.

Does REI Publish The Exact Frame Supplier?

No, not by individual model. What REI does publish is a living factory list for Co-op brands and, in some cases, country-of-origin cues on product pages. The list includes Tier-1 manufacturers and fabric mills tied to Co-op products. You’ll also find older safety notices from the Novara period that state where affected bikes were made. Those records confirm the long-time use of Taiwan and allied suppliers for house-brand frames and forks.

Two Official Sources Worth A Click

REI’s Co-op Cycles launch note explains the brand shift from Novara and the rider-led design approach. The current Co-op Brands Factory List shows the countries and named factories that make Co-op goods, including cycling gear and bike-related suppliers. Together, those pages outline who designs the bikes and where the supply chain sits. For historic context, a U.S. CPSC recall notice from the Novara era even states a model “was manufactured in Taiwan,” underscoring the region’s role in REI’s house-brand sourcing.

How To Confirm The Maker Of Your Specific Frame

Even if the exact factory isn’t named on the product page, you can pin down where a unit came from and gather strong clues about the builder. Use the steps below before you ride, and save a photo trail for your records.

Step-By-Step Checks

• Read The Origin Decal: Look for “Made in Taiwan,” “Made in Vietnam,” or “Made in China” near the BB shell or seat tube. Snap a photo.
• Match Serial Format: Serial prefixes can hint at plant and year. Keep the string in your notes for service and warranty.
• Inspect Weld Style: Some factories favor wide, smooth beads; others leave a tighter pattern. It’s a clue, not proof.
• Check Frame Hardware: Cable ports, brake mounts, and dropouts often come from the same vendor families by region.
• Compare With Prior Years: If a model shifts origin from Taiwan to Vietnam one season, that signals a factory or line change.
• Ask The Store Tech: REI bike shop staff can read the receiving documents and confirm the country on your exact unit.

Why Taiwan And Vietnam Dominate House-Brand Frames

Taiwan built a dense cluster of bicycle suppliers over decades: hydroformed aluminum specialists, heat-treat lines, paint shops, and quality labs. When tariffs or capacity limits hit, production often expands in Vietnam, where many Taiwanese vendors opened sister plants. This is why you’ll see both countries on Co-op labels and in the co-op’s supplier list.

What This Means For Ride Quality And Service Life

Quality comes from engineering, process control, and inspection. REI sets the design and QC targets, and the selected factory executes the welds, heat treat, alignment, and paint. A good house-brand frame rides well when the design is dialed and the factory hits the spec. Co-op bikes ship with mainstream components, so service parts are easy to source. If a defect slips through, REI shops handle warranty and keep the rider covered.

Material Notes For Co-Op Frames

Most Co-op frames use 6000-series aluminum. Steel appears on select adventure models. Aluminum lets the brand hit weight and price targets while keeping durability reasonable for trail and city duty. Look at fork material too: many gravel and road-leaning builds pair an alloy frame with a carbon fork to smooth chatter without adding weight to the frame itself.

Price Bands And Likely Origins

Another way to guess the build location is price. Sub-$1,000 hybrids often come from high-volume lines in China or Vietnam. Trail hardtails in the $1,000–$1,600 window are commonly from Taiwan. E-bikes sit across Taiwan and Vietnam, depending on motor supplier proximity and factory integration. None of this replaces the origin decal on your unit, yet it gives you a quick sense of where a frame probably came from before you see it in person.

Evidence Checklist: Pin Down Your Co-Op Frame’s Origin

Proof To Collect	Where To Find It	Why It Helps
Origin Decal Photo	BB shell or seat tube	Confirms country on your exact unit
Serial Number	Underside of BB or dropout	Links to build lot and year
Purchase Receipt	REI account or printed slip	Supports any future warranty claim
Spec Sheet PDF	Product page download or box	Documents frame material and fork
Supplier List Snapshot	Current factory list	Shows active Co-op vendor regions
Shop Notes	REI bike shop work order	Records assembly and inspection
Recall History	CPSC website search	Adds long-term sourcing context

Buying Tips If You Want A Specific Origin

If you prefer a frame from Taiwan due to weld quality or resale value, ask the store to read the exact unit’s decal before you pay. If you’re ordering online, call customer service with the SKU and request the country for current inventory. REI can’t promise a particular factory, yet they can confirm the country on the bikes in stock. If your size sits across two countries in the warehouse, pick the one you want and ask the store to hold that serial.

What About Warranty And Parts?

REI backs Co-op bikes with its standard policies and in-house service network. Components come from mainstream brands (Shimano, SRAM, Kenda, Maxxis, RockShox), so maintenance is straightforward. Keep receipts, take photos of labels, and store a copy of the spec sheet. You’ll thank yourself later when you need brake pads, a derailleur hanger, or dropout hardware.

Bottom Line For “Who Makes Co-Op Bike Frames?”

Co-op frames are made by contract OEM factories, with Taiwan and Vietnam leading the way. REI runs design and quality, partners do the welding and paint, and the label on your bike confirms the origin. Use the checklists above to verify your unit, and lean on the co-op’s supplier list and launch notes for the bigger picture on who builds the frames that carry the Co-op badge.

Sources: REI’s brand launch announcement for Co-op Cycles and REI’s current Co-op Brands Factory List; historic CPSC notices from the Novara period reinforce long-running Taiwan sourcing patterns for house-brand frames.