High End Bike Store

Although I was raised in a suburb of Seattle, I spent my formative years in the city and I have lived in urban Taichung for the past 12 years, so my taste in lifestyle reflects the urban qualities over those of suburbia.

Yesterday I ventured out of the city for a little culture shock in the city of Bellevue. Bellevue is where I grew up and went to school. It is, to steal a phrase from Davy Jones and the Monkees, "status symbol land."I remember growing up with rich kids who would vacation in Mazatlan or Maui. Their dads fought the battles of the mid-life crisis in war machines with names like Alfa Romeo, Berlinetta, or Corvette. Dads were test pilots, CEOs, Boeing executives, and later Microsoft millionaires. A person's value was often measured by how much lakefront one's family had for their sailboat or where the summer "cabin" was located. Being the son of a Reagan era high school teacher, I lost a lot of friends when it was determined that I had nothing of any real "value" that classmates could use me for. Sad but true. This is the Bellevue I have always known.

We went to the mall to see all the white people and feel out of place. I couldn't believe how many children looked just as frumpy and middle aged as their parents. It is a good thing the weather is so cold or half the people might melt into puddles of botox and silicone... and the meat; the fleshiness of everyone... anyways...

So I noticed they had a bike store that is a branch from one of the Seattle chains. I walked in and looked around at Trek, Specialized and Cervelo. I knew pretty well where the bikes are coming from. Lots of bikes for sale and lots of guys in their 50's and 60's looking to purchase their first bikes-- Trek Madone or Cervelo S3... the perfect choice for the novice.

As I stood around waiting for my wife to buy a drink I thought I would chat up a guy who was testing bikes. Here's how the conversation went:

Salesman to customer:

Yeah, once you get into the $5000 range, you get into the danger zone. The bikes are so nice you don't want to come back down. That's where the big difference is.

(Salesman leaves)

Me: Eh, that guy's full of shit. Just get what feels right. The price isn't going to make much performance difference.

Customer: Yeah, but I want to go fast.

Me: Oh, do you race?

Customer: (surprised look) No, but I want to keep up with my friends.

Me: What's fast?

Customer: (Funny look unsure of what to say)

Me: The bike won't make you go much faster. Work on the fit and the engine.

Customer: Yeah, but the components...

Me: If you are not racing then the difference between SRAM Force and SRAM Red are minute. There are lots of good bikes at different prices, make sure you have good wheels. I can go pretty fast on an alloy CX bike and it doesn't make that much difference.

Customer: I was thinking about one of those too.

Me: Well... I am sure you know what you want to use it for, so just be sure you get the right bike for your intended use.

Customer: I tried the Roubaix, but it was too relaxed, the Tarmac was more aggressive.

Me: Ummm... yeah.. they're all good bikes here.

First off...yes, I am probably a dick.

Second, the salesman totally had this guy figured out and was playing him along. The customer sooooooo wanted to believe the sales pitch and marketing hype and was just as eager to be "had". The guy is going to get the bike he wants. He wants a bike he can show off to his friends to gain the acceptance and envy of others for the price of his purchase. He needs their affirmation and really isn't interested in the bike so much as his prestige of owning it. I should have talked to him about Crumpton or some other high zoot frame. This was the perfect picture of Bellevue. I hope the salesman made his sale and many more like it. These fools drive the industry and keep the manufacturers pushing technology along.

Early Impressions

I have been in Seattle for a couple of days, but not riding, and I have some early bike related observations.

The first is that Seattle is a very bike friendly city, with bike lanes and wider shoulders for cyclists. Riders use them and drivers don't.

There are lots of people on bikes. In the city I am seeing a lot of urban hybrid bikes, cyclocross bikes and... oh help us... the fixie. If there was ever a city that should discourage fixed gear bicycles it should be Seattle... ok... San Francisco and then Seattle. These hipsters seem to be doing more walking than riding up and down the hills. Lots of waterproof pannier bags.

People ride with a little more aggression, purpose and authority on the street as if they belong there. Predictable traffic gives riders confidence.

Lots of Kona, Masi, Jamis, Trek, Specialized... and oh so much Bianchi celeste colored paint. More alloy and steel over carbon fiber. I haven't seen a CF bike yet. Lots of places to lock a bike too.

Bikes are everywhere.

Gear Tables

For anyone interested in getting a handle on gearing and gear ratios, I found a wealth of great information: HERE

Chinese Students Conduct Ethnographic Bike Trip of Taiwan

A group of fifteen Chinese students from Beijing University just embarked on an exciting tour of Taiwan, where they will seek to learn more about this exotic and alien world. They will learn about strange Taiwanese customs, see Taiwanese culture in its native environment, and participate in some of the strange coming of age rituals:

"I've heard that in Taiwan you have to complete a 1,000 km cycling route as part of a coming-of-age ritual at 20, " he said. "Although the route on this tour is less than that, I will make up for it on my next trip to Taiwan."

This trip should provide the departments of the social sciences at Beijing University with a huge codex of ethnographic material on this mysterious island and its strange, exotic people.

Taiwan In Cycles Goes To SEATTLE (7/15-8/10)

The time has come for me to take a little vacation. We will be leaving for Seattle this Thursday to spend three weeks with friends and family. That means my posts regarding cycling in Taiwan will likely be less regular. That does not mean I have stopped blogging, so don't write me off just yet. Furthermore, I WILL have access to a bike and I hope to post the occasional ride report of my adventures in Seattle. I do get a little tired of going to the U.S.A. when I have vacation time, but as far as riding is concerned, I can't think of a better place to visit. I am also eager to report on cycling culture in Seattle.

Stay tuned!

Comment Trouble

I have heard from a couple people that my comment generator is not working properly. I checked the settings and everything it in order, so if you would like to make a comment on any of my posts and it is not showing up, please email your comments to me at: ackymouse@gmail.com

Bike Trade Group Calls For FTAs and Protection In Wake of ECFA

In the wake of all the crowing and cursing ECFA, the new economic agreement between Taiwan and China, this little news story crossed the wire courtesy of CENS. This particular story caught my eye for its message, which I can only describe as being bizarre in the least, leaving me to speculate as to the actual message contained within.

TBEA Urges Gov`t to Sign FTAs with Other Nations, Regions
2010/07/09

Taipei, July 9, 2010 (CENS)--Taiwan Bicycle Exporters` Association (TBEA), the largest bicycle and parts exporters` association in Taiwan, recently sent letters to government authorities to ask for faster signing of free trade agreements (FTAs) with European Union (EU), the United States, and other Southeast Asia nations.

This opening paragraph caught my eye as it appears to be a direct challenge to the Ma administration to follow up their rhetoric with deeds. In the lead up to signing the ECFA agreement, administration officials cited ECFA as a prerequisite to signing other FTAs with other nations. The overarching theme in the press seemed to be, "Don't let Taiwan fall behind other Asian nations, sign ECFA or Taiwan will be isolated like North Korea." Of course this was a ridiculous and hyperbolic line from desperate officials as Taiwan could sign FTAs with any country it likes, but those take time. The issue was further obscured by Chinese officials who declared that there would be no FTAs with other countries for Taiwan under ECFA as that could be read as an assertion of sovereignty, which would undermine China's own goals of integrating Taiwan's economy as a regional subordinate to the PRC's.

TBEA pointed out that the South Korean government has been aggressively promoting its bicycle industry and has signed FTAs with the EU and other nations, which will serious threaten Taiwan`s bicycle exports.

This second paragraph comes way out from left field. South Korea? Are they serious? Taiwan has spent decades building facilities, technical skills and relationships within the industry that has resulted in cementing Taiwan's reputation as the county that produces the best bicycle frames and components in the world. Now, "Made in Taiwan" is not viewed as a negative in the bicycle industry.

In addition to asking the government to pay more attention to the development of bicycle industry in Taiwan and other nations, TBEA also urged companies in Taiwan not to share know-how and core techniques to rivals in other nations to keep core competitiveness on the island.

The third paragraph is striking in its call for the government to take actions to protect trade secrets by, I presume, not allowing certain bicycle manufacturers from transporting proprietary technology overseas... to South Korea? Yeah... I guess. A few years ago several companies in the semiconductor industry rallied around similar cries regarding exporting 12" wafer production to China and only allowing Taiwanese firms to set up 8" wafer facilities outside Taiwan. Regardless of the furor Taiwanese companies transported 12" wafer facilities to China where they were copied by domestic firms.

James Liu, secretary-general of TBEA, pointed out that both the government and the bicycle industry in Taiwan have to prepare for the threats from S. Korean counterparts to minimize impacts, though the EU has not formally approved the FTA with S. Korea.

Michael Tseng, president of major assembled-bike maker Merida Industry Co., Ltd. and also the steering chairman of the A-Team high-end bicycle/parts industry alliance, pointed out the A-Team has been pivotal to shape Taiwan into the world`s key supply center of top-end bicycles and key parts by integrating dozens of world-class players in the alliance. The successful business model can hardly be copied by overseas rivals in a short period.

The final two paragraphs sum up the call to mitigate the impact of South Korean FTAs with Merida President, Michael Tseng, a major backer of ECFA, coming out to assert calm and confidence in Taiwan's domination of bicycle manufacturing.

If you are reading what I am reading you may be thinking something just doesn't sound right. I have come up with three basic scenarios behind the TBEA's calls for FTAs:

1. As a long time student of Taiwan and Taiwanese politics I have gotten myself thinking too much and the article is what it says; a call for FTAs to compete against South Korea. With its system of established and far reaching quasi-national conglomerates South Korea may have an organizational advantage over Taiwan's SMEs, which seem to be represented by TBEA.

2. South Korea has traditionally played the role as a diversionary foe when Taiwanese governments face domestic problems. It was no mistake that ties between South Korea and the ROC government reached an all time low in the late 80's as the KMT was trying to cope with civil unrest along with international and domestic calls for democratic freedoms. South Korea also has traditionally played into some Chinese nationalistic friction regarding "traditional Chinese territory". It could be that South Korea has been dragged out as a convenient "threat" to divert public attention from China, which is currently regarded as the real economic threat to Taiwan to better facilitate economic integration. The TBEA is actually running interference. When Taiwanese are not watching Korean soaps or listening to the Wonder Girls, there is a type of conditioned undercurrent of baseless Korean hatred.

3. The TBEA is calling out the Ma administration to make good on its promises to pursue FTAs with other countries and assert Taiwanese sovereignty and economic clout in an industry it owns... for the time being. It is a challenge to Ma's economic policies from an industry which fears it will face the same fate as the footwear industry and soon be forced to relocate to China where domestic Chinese companies will copy the processes and undermine the Taiwanese companies. The themes and language may be using "South Korea" as a proxy for "China", but in the current political climate where loyalty is rewarded with favors, and more concerning, dissent is punished, the members of the TBEA do not wish to go on record opposing an economic policy which may lead to a rapid deterioration in Taiwan's advantage in the bicycle industry. Some of the calls to diversify Taiwan's economic interests echoes Lee and Chen administration plans to "Go South" and not put all of Taiwan's eggs in one basket.

The Merida line is the administration calling on the TBEA to "be rational" as "irrationality" is often cited to brush aside calls for transparency and oversight.

What's This Elephant Doing Here?

I don't know... what do you think?