Ahem.
A hypocrite am I.
So it seems.
Just when I was all puffy chest and walking around with my nose in the air, like a bolt of lightening this comes down via Bloggerland and singes what hair I have left on my head.
The article, titled "Shadow Optic, the Manufacturing Partner Paradox," comes via Italian Cycling Journal from here.
Boy, that was strange.
I had to provide a link to a link that came from a link.
I think.
Anyways, getting back to me a being a hypocrite, the article pretty much tells the whole story.
I had/am having a very difficult time finding a carbon fibre frame actually made in teh so called country of origin.
In fact, all of the frames I looked at, at a certain price point, were/are of overseas manufacture.
Well okay, one frame was not really from overseas, though it was technically from over a sea, but it wasn't from over those seas.
The seas being the Atlantic Sea and Pacific Sea.
I guess they are technically oceans, so why isn't it called overoceans production?
Anyways, of the carbon fibre frames I looked at, some were actually done in house.
At a premium of a price.
All were top end frames, at this point for me, luxury items, and not affordable in any true sense of the word.
In other words, big bucks.
In some cases it was difficult to determine where some of the frames were manufactured, I had to do some real research to find a mention or hint of where it was coming from.
At this point in time, most of the mention I got was only Asia, not specifically Taiwan or China.
Which made me a bit wary, not knowing specifically where.
It also made me realize that in the carbon fibre manufacture game, price is everything.
If it cost upwards of three grand, chances are it was domestically(to the country of origin) produced.
Like for instance frames from Time:
Nothing there I can afford, hence probably made in house and by the info I was able to accumulate, their frames are.
Made in house I mean.
In a way, it was sort of like that Bianchi I posted up about; if it's affordable, it's made overseas.
The real lugged made in Italy version of the Tipo Corsa, the Dolomiti, I think originally cost around $2500 while the Tipo is only $1300.
In other words, any frame I can afford is coming from Asia, no way around it except to shell out more cash than I have on hand.
So in essence, I am going to get an imported import.
There's your hint.
No domestically produced imported frame for me!
Nosireebob.
My frame is going to be manufactured overseas, shipped back overseas, then shipped back halfway back overseas right to my front door!
Hell by the time my frame gets here, it'll have more miles on it than I could ever put on riding it!
The thing is, at times there's just no getting around it, not when it comes to these composite carbon high modulus nano resin bladder filled high pressure molded type frames.
Not unless you spend the big bucks.
Which I don't have.
So there you have it.
I am getting a made in someplace in Asia frame.
Oh I tried my best to get a real hand made carbon fibre tube to tube or lugged frame, trust me I did(more on that later).
For some reason or other, it doesn't really bother me.
Should it though?
Are carbon fibre frames less authentic?
More on that later too.
Of course a steel frame is a different story.
If you know what I mean.
Who knows?
My next frame may just be Made in Flat Tire Land
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