Stephen Paskey
Sep 1, 2018 · 1 min read

After reading the post and skimming Pure’s web site, here’s what strikes me. The author justifies Pure’s decision to produce bikes in China entirely on infrastructure, on the ability of Chinese factories to produce quality bikes at an “affordable” cost. But what’s the true “cost” of manufacturing? Nowhere in this piece or on the company’s web site is there ANY discussion of wages and working conditions for the workers who make Pure bikes, or the environmental impact of the factory. Are workers treated well? Do managers try to reduce the environmental footprint of their operations? We have no idea, but those things are no less a part of the “cost” of a bicycle than the price Pure charges customers. I don’t know the bike industry, but I’ve been researching travel bags. Some companies — like Cotopaxi, Patagonia, & Tom Bihn — have a genuine commitment to social and environmental responsibility in their operations. They have verifiable standards, and use sections of their web site to detail the standards and show how they’re implemented. Any bike company that won’t do the same won’t get my business — and that’s especially true if the bikes are built outside the U.S. in a country where industry is rife with abuses.