Have you ever given a thought to fair trade?

[alpinerabbit]

Have you ever given this a thought?

Have you ever looked at the tag of your shiny lycra? Where was it made? How much did the garment worker get for your piece vs. how much you paid for it?

Please point me towards a "fair trade" or "no sweatshop" Manufacturer of sporting goods if there is one.

Another thought: What's gonna happen to lycra when there's no more oil? I guess Sportswool is the answer...

oh no.... no more carbon either.

[Eden]

Have you ever given this a thought?

Have you ever looked at the tag of your shiny lycra? Where was it made? How much did the garment worker get for your piece vs. how much you paid for it?

Please point me towards a "fair trade" or "no sweatshop" Manufacturer of sporting goods if there is one.

Another thought: What's gonna happen to lycra when there's no more oil? I guess Sportswool is the answer...

oh no.... no more carbon either.

Our Hincapie stuff from last year was all made in Italy - not exactly a sweatshop country, though I hear they are moving manufactuing to South America, but from what I understand the move is for several reasons, quality, promptness and the opportunity to have their own manufacturing facility rather than having to contract out. Plus the family is from the country they are moving the manufacturing to, so I am going to be trusting that they will be doing the right thing. I believe some of the Nike things are made in Italy as well - though they have separate issues with their shoe factories...

Interestingly enough every other pair of shorts that I just looked at right now say made in the USA on them - they are REI, Cannondale and Bellewether.

I'm not so sure that Carbon Fiber is a petroleum product....?? anyone know After reading a bit I'm not so sure Spandex is a petroleum product either? Any chemists out there?

[mimitabby]

i just got two pairs of shoes from Nike, (non-bike wear) one says made in Viet Nam, the other was made in Thailand.

[Duck on Wheels]

Well, there's MUSA (made in USA), but I don't think they do lycra.

[mimitabby]

Oil will not run out in our lifetime. Perhaps our ability to afford it will decrease to the point that we have to seek alternatives.

But I am certain there will be oil for SOMEONE for a long time, maybe not us?

[Bikingmomof3]

I'm not so sure that Carbon Fiber is a petroleum product....??

Yes and no? The materials used to make it originate from petroleum products.


anyone know After reading a bit I'm not so sure Spandex is a petroleum product either? Any chemists out there?

It is a polymer, so yes it is also petroleum based.

A lot of things are petroleum based, starting with medication....

[Eden]

Yes and no? The materials used to make it originate from petroleum products.


One of the pages that I was reading said something about petroleum by-product based CF being weak in one direction, so only about 10% of CF uses it - the other 90% is based on graphite I think - though that is only one part of the finished product - there are lots of other things that go into making a bicycle frame including adhesives so there is a good possibility that there are plenty of petroleum products in there.

[Grog]

Not sure how bikes and bike products made in [insert faraway place of your choice] would make it to us in a no-oil era.

Unlike Mimi I'm sure enough that, during my lifetime, I will see serious oil shortages and profound changes due to them.

It's one of the reasons why I'm careful with what I own. I shudder when I hear people say something is not worth repairing, or that they don't care about the quality of X, they'll just discard it and get another. That might have something to do with being raised by parents who had been quite poor in their own childhood.

I check the labels of everything I buy - and I try to buy less in general - but I admit that the cycling area is one where it's harder to know what is "fair" and what isn't. Buying local helps, as well as buying from MEC (Canada's REI equivalent). But some progress could be made, for sure.

Thanks for bringing this up.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Another good reason to learn how to fix and repair your own bike. Maybe years from now when the whole economic system has shut down, we will be able to take old bikes gathering dust in garages, switch parts back and forth and make them ridable again... as leg powered transportation. :)

[Grog]

Another good reason to learn how to fix and repair your own bike. Maybe years from now when the whole economic system has shut down, we will be able to take old bikes gathering dust in garages, switch parts back and forth and make them ridable again... as leg powered transportation. :)

I'd also suggest making sure your bike frame can handle big tires. Because when there's less oil the paved roads won't be very good for very long!!! Watch those craters!

[KnottedYet]

I check labels, worry about fair trade/sweatshop/child labor/"criminal" slave labor, fret over loss of local jobs.

For bike clothing I like to get made in USA if I can: Bellwether, Ibex, Rivendell's MUSA, Terry. My next (or parity) choice is other union-strong countries. Really get a kick out of buying stuff made in Canada, as I grew up on the border and sometimes feel more Canadian than US.

Both CampMor and Sierra Trading Post list the country of origin of all their stuff.