lilbuj
Active Member
This article is an interesting read. https://www.outsideonline.com/2261721/dirty-secret-hiding-your-high-end-mountain-bike Interesting how large the environmental impact is without being able to recycle carbon fiber.
Carbon Footprint
- Thread starter lilbuj
- Start date
bergsnj
Well-Known Member
I think its mostly a marketing point for pole and not so much an environmental-social justice warrior thing. I'm sure its cheaper for them to build out of aluminum in Finland than to build out of carbon in Asia. But I really like pole bikes and I kinda hate carbon frames. I've cracked 2 in the past year. Aluminum is way tougher and resilient to damage from hitting rocks and such.
serviceguy
Well-Known Member
I am sure that Pole, like anybody else, is leveraging on whatever works best for them to promote their business.
That said, I think it's quite clear how convenient it is to outsource to the far east and decide to ignore how the process is carried out and claim a clean environmental conscience to go along with a clean labor rights conscience and so on, you get the gist. The added profit help to cope with the guilt, if capable of any, associate to it.
It works for all industries, not only the bicycles manufacturers, even though it maybe particularly hypocrite of this supposedly 'green' industry.
I've heard that while 1st world country officially make an effort to recycle and clean up their act, the collected materials are then bundled together and shipped to China, where they proceed to dump it in the Ocean for 'Us'. I have no way to verify this rumor, and it sickens me to my stomach to think it could be true, but it shouldn't be too hard for a government to verify if this is true or just another mith. And act accordingly.
My bike is Taiwan made aluminum and I don't plan on carbon any time soon, but I'm sure that some corners were cut in order to produce it at a cheaper price than it would have cost to make it in Canada at Knolly. It would just be nice if the whole story behind the products that we use daily were to be clear, even though I think it would be likely that in many cases you wouldn't have a choice to make the 'right' choice.
That said, I think it's quite clear how convenient it is to outsource to the far east and decide to ignore how the process is carried out and claim a clean environmental conscience to go along with a clean labor rights conscience and so on, you get the gist. The added profit help to cope with the guilt, if capable of any, associate to it.
It works for all industries, not only the bicycles manufacturers, even though it maybe particularly hypocrite of this supposedly 'green' industry.
I've heard that while 1st world country officially make an effort to recycle and clean up their act, the collected materials are then bundled together and shipped to China, where they proceed to dump it in the Ocean for 'Us'. I have no way to verify this rumor, and it sickens me to my stomach to think it could be true, but it shouldn't be too hard for a government to verify if this is true or just another mith. And act accordingly.
My bike is Taiwan made aluminum and I don't plan on carbon any time soon, but I'm sure that some corners were cut in order to produce it at a cheaper price than it would have cost to make it in Canada at Knolly. It would just be nice if the whole story behind the products that we use daily were to be clear, even though I think it would be likely that in many cases you wouldn't have a choice to make the 'right' choice.
serviceguy
Well-Known Member
True, but I think that it's part of the bigger problem.
serviceguy
Well-Known Member
For full disclosure, I just happened to realize that some parts on my bike are in fact carbon. I am an hypocrite.
