Thanks. I enjoyed my daily exploitation of an asian factory worker. My egg and muffin toaster rocked.sanjuro said:
A Sweatshop-Free Bike
- Thread starter sanjuro
- Start date
sweatshop free build:
Sinister R9 Frame with Avy shock
Avalanche DHF 8 fork
Industry nine wheelset laced to arrow rims
Profile cranks & bb, and chainring
Gamut usa guide
Wipperman connex chain
Nyc Freeride pedals
nokian tires
Rohloff speed hub
Nokon cable housing
Nyc freeride halos headset
Brooklyn bars and stem
Hope M4 brakes w/ dangerboy levers
odi grips w/ dangerboy endcaps
Selle Italia seat
Hurricane seatpost
Sinister R9 Frame with Avy shock
Avalanche DHF 8 fork
Industry nine wheelset laced to arrow rims
Profile cranks & bb, and chainring
Gamut usa guide
Wipperman connex chain
Nyc Freeride pedals
nokian tires
Rohloff speed hub
Nokon cable housing
Nyc freeride halos headset
Brooklyn bars and stem
Hope M4 brakes w/ dangerboy levers
odi grips w/ dangerboy endcaps
Selle Italia seat
Hurricane seatpost
and low end marzocchi forks are made in taiwan, think only their top level stuff is produced in italy
Cameleon frame is TaiwanH8R said:
Avid levers are SRAM
Avid brakes are SRAM
Bontager bar is terk ewwwww
Agreed. I've heard all sorts of things on npr and on tv as well talking about how high-tech the overseas factories are (or at least a lot of them) with all the fancypancy technology as well as air conditioned factories and what not. I mean think about it, you'd have to be skilled enough at what you do to beat out all the other people that are looking for a job. I'm sure those welders out there are pretty damn good to produce up-to-par products, and they have the incentive of keeping their job to do well.Jabuttri said:
I mean...I own an Intense M3 made out here, but... it's not to say that like an Ironhorse or Specialized frame would be trash since they're obviously nice with very nice welds on them and what not...
yeah dude **** it haha its cheaper and all I care about is how the bike rides forget the whole fair traide thing
Just cos it's from Taiwan doesn't make it from a sweat shop.maxyedor said:
Not every item from the Pacific Rim was handled by a 10 year old factory worker:COmtbiker12 said:Agreed. I've heard all sorts of things on npr and on tv as well talking about how high-tech the overseas factories are (or at least a lot of them) with all the fancypancy technology as well as air conditioned factories and what not. I mean think about it, you'd have to be skilled enough at what you do to beat out all the other people that are looking for a job. I'm sure those welders out there are pretty damn good to produce up-to-par products, and they have the incentive of keeping their job to do well.
I mean...I own an Intense M3 made out here, but... it's not to say that like an Ironhorse or Specialized frame would be trash since they're obviously nice with very nice welds on them and what not...
Every piece of carbon manufactured is probably from a better worksite than Litespeed's factory. And I know that Specialized has better welders than many American builders.
What ive come to learn from working on trucks is that anything to come out of an asian "sweatshop" is better than the stuff being made by the hillbillies in detroit, and the worst when it comes to quality control are those drunken brits 
Good point and thus you have negated this whole thread.DaveW said:
Also the standard of living relative to the rest of the country of the guy in Taiwan welding high end frames is damn good. The guy in America welding a good frame makes squat
Jeez. There was an article about Taiwan in Bike a while back, their factories are not sweatshops. China has sweatshops that make Nike shoes and shirts and stuff. Taiwan has very skilled workers in very nice factories. People think this same way of Japan too, though Japan is on par with Europe and the US in terms of wealth and factories there are as well-regulated as here.
Look at the welds on a Specialized. A 12 year-old sweatshop slave did not weld it.
Look at the welds on a Specialized. A 12 year-old sweatshop slave did not weld it.
It is really, really hard to make a liveable wage building frames in the US. Do you know what the weldors at SAPA/Kenisis make? Squat.
Compared to the prevailing wage, a weldor in Tawain is doing much better.
It takes a sophistcated factory to build highend complex bike parts like derailleurs and hydro disc brakes. You know the shimano XTR stuff is made in a very nice shop.
Compared to the prevailing wage, a weldor in Tawain is doing much better.
It takes a sophistcated factory to build highend complex bike parts like derailleurs and hydro disc brakes. You know the shimano XTR stuff is made in a very nice shop.
Taiwan doesn't have sweatshops, sillynipple. Their labour laws/economic status is on par with S. Korea and Japan.
Now China, on the other hand....
Now China, on the other hand....
Btw:
This is the trendiest thread in recent memory.
This is the trendiest thread in recent memory.
blue said:
Bugger.
Now I'll have to unsubscribe.:mumble:sanjuro said:
I have no problem exploiting you family, they make such a good product for SO CHEEP. The only thing that would make it sweeter would be exploiting you.
O and how did you get a costom title not involving a T-bag comment???
O and how did you get a costom title not involving a T-bag comment???
Most bikes are "sweatshop-free"...Very few high end bike parts are made in China, most in Taiwan, Japan, the US, and Europe. I'd dare bet 90% of the bike parts all of us own are "sweatshop-free".sanjuro said:
Fair trade coffee, anyone? What is with this latest yuppie phenomenon of sweatshop free crap? Sure, it was a punk thing for awhile, and then they lost their precious Converse to market trends and complacency laws...
About 10 years ago, I heard Nike exploited their workers in Taiwan. I switched to Converse, until I realized it was the same thing. I finally switched to New Balance, which only makes 75% of their sneakers outside the US (but the ones I own are made in Malaysia).blue said:
One might say why bother? I should point out that 30 years recycling was considered to be idiotic, but the communities today which don't are considered idiotic. Opinions do change over time.
Most Taiwanese sweatshops shuttered about 20 years ago, after economic development was such that they were no longer warranted. It seems that Taiwan and S. Korea (as well as Japan far earlier) accepted the sweatshop as part of their economic development, as have nearly all First World countries (US, Britain, etc). Converse All-Stars were made in the US up until I believe 2001, when they were bought out by the same company that makes/made Fila and production was moved to China. Before then, most non-Chuck Converses were made in Korea (I had a pair of non-Chucks from the seventies a few years ago that were Korean). Then the parent company sold the Converse subsidiary to Nike a couple years later. With most shoes/clothing, you're going to have a really tough time buying stuff that didn't come from a sweatshop. I read an article a few months ago about a woman and her family that tried to live "Chinese-free" for a year and had a really tough time with it.sanjuro said:
I think the globalization effects on the American economy have caused the foreign sweatshop to permeate and become a permanent part of our economy (at least in most major consumer sectors). I'm not saying it's a good thing, but it's relatively unavoidable unless you're rather wealthy.
As I said before, "major" consumer sectors, and high end bike crap isn't considered major...I doubt much of your bike stuff is or will ever be made in sweatshops.
Not my problem.
Can we deport you to China? Please? McD's needs some more happy meal toys...BurlyShirley said:
Lemme guess, "find another job", eh?
THIS IS WHY THE REST OF THE WORLD HATES YOU.
GOOD! Why is it that Im supposed to care?blue said:Can we deport you to China? Please? McD's needs some more happy meal toys...
Lemme guess, "find another job", eh?
THIS IS WHY THE REST OF THE WORLD HATES YOU.
Ok, I'll weigh in here.
I work for a company that does alot of imports, I manage a number of purchasing accounts we have w/ overseas vendors.
Our corporate parent has a small army of people that do nothing but Standards of Manufacturing audits on each and every factory we deal with. They document EVERYTHING. Working conditions, wages, overtime compensation, factory safety, logs, cooperation, etc. They do random audits on a regular basis. A factory get a couple chances to correct problems, then they're dropped. They need to meet minimum standards to get the business, and there is stiff competition.
There are many companies that don't do this. However, pressures from the US public has many bigger companies watching the Asia factories w/ a microscope.
I think it's an exception at the moment, but the bigger China gets in the world market, (and they will be HUGE) the more this will be the norm.
The labor is cheap, no doubt, but to most of the rural transplants in those factories, it's a world away from what they make in their hometown. Think: USA compared to Mexico.
I've worked in some REALLY lame factory jobs. The only diffeence is that I made more money. The conditions I worked in in my youth right here in California were much worse than I see in the China audit reports.
My $.02
I work for a company that does alot of imports, I manage a number of purchasing accounts we have w/ overseas vendors.
Our corporate parent has a small army of people that do nothing but Standards of Manufacturing audits on each and every factory we deal with. They document EVERYTHING. Working conditions, wages, overtime compensation, factory safety, logs, cooperation, etc. They do random audits on a regular basis. A factory get a couple chances to correct problems, then they're dropped. They need to meet minimum standards to get the business, and there is stiff competition.
There are many companies that don't do this. However, pressures from the US public has many bigger companies watching the Asia factories w/ a microscope.
I think it's an exception at the moment, but the bigger China gets in the world market, (and they will be HUGE) the more this will be the norm.
The labor is cheap, no doubt, but to most of the rural transplants in those factories, it's a world away from what they make in their hometown. Think: USA compared to Mexico.
I've worked in some REALLY lame factory jobs. The only diffeence is that I made more money. The conditions I worked in in my youth right here in California were much worse than I see in the China audit reports.
My $.02