Chris wrote:
There's something that I have been thinking about for quite sometime
now.

I've been working in the bicycle industry for just over ten years
now, and like everything else I see the shift of US produced bicycle
goods to places like China, Taiwan and Mexico.

We all understand why production is moving away from here, lower
wages, lack of environmental restrictions, etc. It all comes down to
cheaper production.

Ok, but at what costs? Do or should cyclists and other outdoor
enthusiasts care more about where and how there goods are produced?
Especially the effects the production cycle and extra transportation
required to get the goods here has on the environment? Should that be
a concern?


I'm not trying to spark some kind of anti or pro global market debate
or anything along those lines. I'm more curious if faced with a
choice would "enthusiasts" pay 15%-20% more for a US produced product
made with environmentally safe methods. I look at a company like
Chris King and say yes, but then I think has a king headset become
more of a status symbol? How many people purchase a king headset or
hubs based on their manufacturing process? I'm personally a big fan
of King components for several reasons including performance,
durability, manufacturing process and their continued support of
trail building efforts.


Well, unless you are talking specifically about products that are
*significantly* better than their foreign-made competition, (e.g. King
headsets), I don't think that you're likely to get enough sales at a 15-20%
premium to survive in today's market for very long.

Time and time again American consumers have proven their undying loyalty to
the lowest price, regardless of any implications outside of the impact on
their wallet. A prime example of that would be Wal Mart.