Part of the reason we ride bikes is because we seek to keep our environmental impact to a minimum. And a reason we SELL bikes is to help others do the same. At OlyBikes, we try to do some basic smart things to reduce waste of all types. That probably brings to mind recycling, which, yes, we do a lot of. Thanks to the friendly folks at a nearby welding shop and auto tire store who let us throw our recycling in with theirs, we are able to cut our waste stream in half. We recycle our paper and cardboard boxes, of course, and have even found artists like Ruby Reusable and businesses such as buyolympia.com that will reuse bubble pack and "packing pillows" that come in shipments of bike parts we order. What garbage we still produce is mostly in the form of ridiculous packaging of some bike products (see below).But working to minimize impact is greater than that. It's also about "best product selection" because we want folks should use durable stuff to ensure that they have good experiences on their bikes. Sure, bikes are fun, but they are way more than toys; they are serious transportation. We see tons of bad product design which drives us up a wall, and we are concerned that the bike industry rationalizes that it is being more innovative and is greener than it really is. We're also not the "sit idly by" types when we see things that bug us. With that in mind, we recently sent this letter to Bicycle Retailer & Industry News (aka "BRAIN"), an industry trade publication.
The November Editorial page of your paper was a welcome mix of the various ways the bike industry could and should work on environmental issues: reduce impact and enable smart transportation choices.
We are glad that more commute bike models are becoming available from manufacturers. We just hope that bike makers avoid the dreaded "cutesification" that reduces function for the sake of gee-whiz aesthetics. Commute bikes can be plenty of fun, but they are far from toys. Just like for cars, "city miles" beat up bikes more than "highway miles". Proper design and spec is needed to cope with the high demands of urban riding - lots of starts, stops and shifts, in all kinds of weather.
Often, folks who are trying out bike commuting for the first time are not avid cyclists. They may not understand what makes a high quality bike, let alone why one is desirable for riding to and from work, school and on errands. A shop might have only one opportunity to get someone to try bike commuting. If the customer gets an ill-suited, cheap bike that doesn't last, they may give up on bike commuting altogether. It can be challenging to get people to pony up for a bike that's up to the task, but we aren't serving them well if we don't make a real effort. That’s "we" in the big sense, starting with bike manufacturers, but not ending there. All the accessories that allow for safe, secure, practical and comfortable bike commuting need to be up to the task. So, how about it, manufacturers? How about making quality stuff? How about actually using your stuff and seeing how it holds up over time? I bet it would be an eye-opener for many industry folks. We are very picky about what we carry at our shop because it reflects our reputation. Also, as we explain to customers, "we don't sell landfill." Carrying cheap stuff that breaks only wastes resources and money. If bad experiences with inferior products discourage people from bike commuting, then nobody wins. Well, maybe Exxon….
While we're helping folks reduce the environmental impact of their travel, why don't we as an industry also commit to reducing excessive packaging on our products, and make sure that whatever packaging is used, is either recycled, recyclable or both. It's just ridiculous that in this day and age, that any marketing department can't figure out how to communicate everything they need to on recyclable packaging. It’s just a crying shame to generate so much solid waste. What’s it to be folks? The “same old, same old”? Maybe some half-hearted "green-washing"? Or can our industry make a real commitment here to reduce our impact while helping folks to reduce theirs?
We'll save our comments about how 99% of the industry’s products are shipped half-way around the world for a future letter.
So, yeah, we have a long way to go before we can really say we're green. Ironically, it is back where we USED to be, before economic globalization had such a stranglehold on everything. I guess it's easy to buy locally-made stuff in China, though, huh?
We're looking for opportunities to carry products made in the USA, particul
arly in the Northwest, where we're located. We'd love to hear suggestions from you, beloved reader. We need lots of eyes searching for those few needles in the industrial haystack. Please leave a comment suggesting your fave bike products that you think we should carry that would meet the somewhat vague description of eco-friendly.
2 comments:
I wonder about the potential for developing a local "from-scratch" bicycle industry.
Would it be possible to fabricate frame tubing and assemble frames? What about components? Tires? Wheels? Chains?
There is a lot that goes into making finished bicycles.
But it is definitely within the means of the Puget Sound Region to produce finished bicycles, and bicycle products, from the ground up.
How to get there from here...
The Bioregion Bike, huh? Man, that's turning the clock back oh, what, 50 years, before globalization of production.
It could be done (i.e. it's not rocket science), but what worries me as much as bikes and bike products that are shipped half-way around the world, are bikes that are beyond the means of your average person. Even a quality Chinese-made bike properly outfitted for everyday use in Cascadia comes to about $1500 all told. Being that American-made framesets alone cost about $1200 (and ~$2200 built up), I'm guessing that a fully-domestic bike like you describe would cost about $4000, and that's just for a TIG frameset with decent components -- nothing fancy.
Of course if all the externalized costs of our current means of production were internalized, the Chinese-made bike wouldn't be as cheap as it is now.
On that note, I recently read that several companies (don't get excited -- they're not bike companies) are looking to move their manufacturing from China to Mexico, and some even to the USA. Why? Quality control, intellectual property risks, and probably to some degree transportation costs. A drop in the bucket to be sure, but interesting nonetheless.
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