New f-bom store

Now that we have more products for sale and will have more new stuff coming soon, we developed a web store.

Visit this link to check it out:

http://www.f-bomproducts.com/store.php

The idea here is that everything that is for sale is all in one area of the website. The rest of the website can focus on being informational and have more details about our products, like materials products are made of, geometries, dimensions, and so on. We plan to evolve the store to be more and more customer friendly. For now, we have the basics up and running, but expect to see improvements as we move forward.

Enjoy!

Lower taxes for corporations?

This is a hot political topic right now. The reality is, few talk common sense when this subject arises. The Left vs The Right......blah....blah....blah. We have all heard it.....more than enough times!

So the idea is that the government lowers taxes for businesses so they have more money to help the business grow. As the business grows, more money goes back into the system, the economy improves....and so on. This works in principle, but it isn't working in the real world we live in.....at least not in most cases.

You see, if a business is doing all they can to make bigger profits that go to shareholders and top executives, the idea that lowering taxes for businesses helps us all doesn't work so well. Especially if this business is outsourcing jobs! Heck, that means that a comapny is getting a tax break while not even creating many jobs for people who live here in the U.S. If fact, all outsourcing does is create more profits for the few people at the top of the company.

The problem with poitics and the media is that there are too many blanket statements. How about if taxes are lowered for a business that is doing all they can to help create jobs in the US? The corporations that outsource, or buy mostly outsourced products to sell (like Wal Mart) get a tax hike to cover the losses they are creating.
What I am trying to say here is that a subject like this isn't so simple as to just do it one way or another. It needs to be looked at a little closer and the companies doing good for our economy and jobs should be the ones that benefit, not the companies who do just the opposite.

Think about it......get off the political bandwagon and stop choosing sides. It is time to throw common sense and logic at these kind of problems.

f-bom products doesn't choose political sides, it simply chooses what makes the most since for all of our well being. The idea is that what goes around comes around......in a good way. By manufacturing as much as our products as we can in the U.S., we support those of you who buy our products. We simply do this by paying our fair share of taxes, just like you, and putting the money back into the system by having our shit manufactured here........and not waaaay the fuck over there where they could care less what we are doing.

What is 4130 Chromoly?

This is the most commonly used steel in higher end bicycle frames. Many times it's just referred to as chromoly or chromo. If on a bicycle frame, it's likely 4130 chromoly. 4130 chromoly is an alloy. Alloy simply means, 2 or more metals combined. Some people call aluminum "alloy" as if that is what it is called. Yes, this is true, but misleading. Aluminum is an alloy, but so are all metals that have 2 or more materials combined. A chromoly frame is an alloy of Chromium and Molybdenum, which if you look on the periodic table of elements, you will find both listed. There are many types of steel, such as 1020 steel. This is common in cheaper bicycle frames or frames with mixed tubes. Many times you will see things like, Chromoly Downtube, on a frame description. This means that every tube on the frame is likely made with 1020 steel except for the downtube. The reason companies do this is to keep costs down and they put the chromoly tube as the downtube because that is the most common place for a frame to break. 1020 steel is much heavier and weaker than 4130 chromoly, thus it's not recommended for intermediate and experienced riders.

A little bit of added info about tubing. You often hear the term 'butted' when companies talk about their tubing. All this means is that the tube has a different wall thicknesses throughout. Double butted is most common on top and down tubes. This means that the top and down tube are thicker at the ends, near where they are welded, and thinner in the middle. Butting is a good way to reduce the weight of a tube without losing much strength. Tubes need to be much stronger where the tube is stressed the most during riding and those stress points are within a couple of inches of all the joints (welded areas where tubes meet). Sometimes more expensive tubing will be triple butted or even more. As frames (and other parts such as handlebars) get more expensive, companies can fine tune how a frame, or part, rides and how strong it is by changing the tube thickness throughout.

All that being said, this doesn't mean 4130 chromoly is all created equal. There are many different qualities of chromoly and most of it has to do with how pure the steel is. 95% of chromoly tubing is all the same, but the last 5% is the most important. Companies that sell higher (more expensive) grade chromoly tubing have less impurities in the tubing. This is a HUGE deal when in comes to overall bike quality and strength. Also, strength to weight ratio is heavily effected by impurities in chromoly. Most Taiwan manufactured frames, especially ones that cost less, use genaric and low grade 4130 chromoly tubing. But consumers are unaware of this. They simply see 4130 chromoly labeled on a frame and think it's just as good as any 4130 chromoly frame, but this is untrue. Many companies use lower grade 4130 chromoly to keep costs down. They know they need to use a thicker guage tubing to accomodate the weakness of the lower grade tubing, so the frame ends up being heavier than a frame manufactured with a higher grade of 4130 chromoly. This explains why you can get a mountain bike frame and fork for under or around $500 vs one that costs $800 to $1000 or more. Not only is it because of the cheap labor being used by outsourcing the frame and fork manufacturing to Taiwan or China, but it's also a low grade of 4130 chromoly. These frames will weigh a pound or more than a frame of the same size manufactured with a high grade of chromoly.......both frames being equally strong.

The bicycle industry super powers (yes this includes much of the bicycle industry media too) don't want you to know these fine, and VERY IMPORTANT, details. They want to be able to put the 4130 chromoly sticker on their frame and lead the consumer to believe this is the greatest frame on the market, for only $500 (mountain bike hardtail) or less in most cases!!! BMX frames are even cheaper still, especially on complete bikes that sell for under $400 and claim to have full 4130 chromoly frames and forks. Sorry folks, but it is not possible to have such cheap prices using high grade tubesets and becomming less possible as costs for imported goods rises.

Will an inexpesive 4130 chromoly frame last a long time? Yes, it likely will, simply because they overbuild the frames (adding a lot of extra weight) to make them strong. Many times you see added gussets on the top and down tube near the head tube. This is completely unnecessary if a high grade of chromoly is used and if a top and down tube is double butted so it's stronger internally at the ends.

A lot more factors come into play when it comes to tubesets being used for bicycle parts. But it is important to know that when you buy a cheaper frame, it's cheaper for a reason. Just because it says 4130 chromoly on it doesn't mean it's as good as a more expensive frame using high end tubing. It simply means that a consumer is likely going to see that sticker and believe the frame is something that is may not really be. It's called marketing and the bicycle industry uses it all the time to get consumers to buy their products and make them believe their products are of the highest quality.....when the truth is.....the lower cost is there because corners where cut, likely in more places than one.

The bottom line is, just because a bicycle product, such as a frame, has a 4130 chromoly sticker on it doesn't necessarily mean it's a good frame. You need to dig a little deeper and find out what tube set it is. Most frames that use a higher end tube set will state what the tube set is on the frame. If they do not, you can assume they don't want to brag about it because it is likely a low grade of tubing. If a frame is manufactured in Taiwan or China and doesn't specify a brand name of tubing, it is likely the cheapest and lowest grade tubing available.

Another thing to note. When buying a complete bike vs building one up from scratch, many companies will use lower quality tubing on the complete bikes to keep the costs down. This is why you see complete bikes in the $400 - $800 range......many of the parts are not as well made and high quality as the same part purchased as aftermarket, say a handlebar, fork, or frame. Companies refer to components for complete bikes as OEM (original equipment manufacture). OEM bicycle parts, unlike the auto industry, are usually lower quality and grade than aftermarket parts. A good example of this is an OEM brand name suspension fork that came on a complete bike almost always has cheaper internal parts than the same model fork found on the aftermarket. This is why you see a complete bike with a decent brand name fork on it for under $1000, yet when you price just the fork alone it costs well over $400. All the way from the grade of tubing to the internal parts, including bolts and such, corners where cut to make the same product for the mass market assembly line of complete bikes. The same goes for frames. You will see a riders signature frame on a complete BMX bike that costs $600 or so, yet if you want to buy just the frame and build up the bike, the frame will cost $350 or so. The frame on the complete bike is likely not the same quality as the frame purchased as an aftermarket item. Most bicycle consumers don't know this stuff and probably often wonder why the prices seem so unbalanced.

Be an informed consumer and also help inform others as much as you can. It is important we hold bicycle companies to high standards and that we make informed purchases when we buy bicycles and parts.

The costs of Taiwan and Chinese manufacturing

So here is a bit of info about Taiwan and Chinese manufacturing. I know....I know.....many of you don't care because you really just want to ride your Taiwan made frame and feel good about it. You want to think that we live in a global economy now and this is just the way it is. You want to ride your bike thinking that no harm is being done by your choice to purchase a Tawain or Chinese manufactured "Surly, All-City, Specialized, Trek, Giant, Salsa, Redline, SE Bikes, and on and on and on.........OMG, so the list is huge! I plan to make a website listing all the companies and where they manufacture their frames and other parts. That will make it easier when I blog about this subject....:-).

But the truth is, you can pretend to believe it is all good. But if you actually care about the future of the United States (including our future FREEDOM) and how people are treated around the world by these giant corporations, then you will read the stuff below. If you don't care, then don't bother reading the truth about your decision to purchase an outsourced product.

The young women employed here say they are required to work 11-hour days, including three hours of mandatory overtime, in order to earn a basic monthly salary of 484 yuan, or about US$58.


The women say they must spend nearly half their wage on the drab company dormitories where, as migrants, they must live. They laughed ruefully when asked if they were able to save any money, or send money back to their families.

Source

The minimum monthly wage in Taiwan has risen by only NT$600 (US$21) since 2007, he noted.


"It is impossible to take care of your parents when you have to live hand to mouth," Ho said.

Source

Spooky Bikes has a very cool web page you should all read!!

Why do your bikes cost so much?

What really gets to me is finding out that women factory workers in Taiwan don't get to live at home with their families. They live in dorms by the factory and they have to pay for the dorm with 1/2 their wages, which are around 50 or so U.S. dollars a month. Seriously people! What the fuck! You think that is fair? You think that is just the way things are and how they should be? This is on top of the harm being done here at home every time a large company lays off it's workers to send manufacturing overseas. All those people getting laid off become either unemployed or have to work a service type of job such as cashiering at Wal Mart or making coffee at the local coffee shop.

Okay, I think I made my point. It's time for change. To make that happen, we all need to do things a little differently down here at the bottom 98%. I know we can't all change to buying 100 percent U.S. Made products right away. But when the option is available, it's important to buy U.S. made products over outsourced products, even is the cost is a lot higher. Overall, paying more for a U.S. Made product is costing us less in the long term. Stop looking at the short term gain and think about our future and long term sustainability of our nation. Buying U.S. when and where you can, can change the tides in our favor. Bicycle frames are a good place to start. There are plenty of U.S. manufactured frames out there and the quality is much better than Taiwan or Chinese manufactured product (despite what the bicycle industry tells us).

BMX Prototype is here!

I built it up so I can try it out. Here is a pic of the complete build I am riding and testing. I will be taking this places so others can try it too.

The geometry of this frame is pretty tight.

Top Tube is 20.5 inches
Headangle is 75 degrees
Chainstays are 13.5 inches from center of spindle to center of dropout.
BB Height is 11.5 inches
Weight is around 4 1/2 pounds
Frame has a low standover for extra clearance above top tube
Top and down tube are OX Platinum
The rest of the frame is 4130 Chromoly
Brake posts and guide is removable for those who don't run brakes.

This frame is made in Davenport, IA by Standard Byke Co.

Cost will be around $450 for frame.

So far riding this bike is pretty awesome. It manuals well, 360's nicely, and feels light. This build is about 24 pounds so it's easy to throw around. I will be adding Profile Cranks to this bike as soon as I get the bottom bracket. That will drop the weight a little and well, put more US manufactured parts on the bike.

We strongly believe in supporting those who support US manufacturing. All our products will be made right here in our fucking homeland where they should be made. If you want to pay less by buying products outsourced to China and Taiwan, then you are part of the reason our economy is in the shitter. Think about it for a minute. Supporting those who send our jobs overseas is more Americans out of work.....thus less money going back into our system. It will take all of us the correct the problem we are in now. That means you too.......buy American and help us all out! THANKS!!!

What is meant by the term "Global Economy"?

We are a bicycle company so why the fuck are we talking about politics and shit?! Okay, so bear with me for a minute here, because this is important......if you actually care that is. If not, don't waste your time reading, go ride and have fun!

You hear the term "Global Economy" used a lot, especially in the media. I also get that answer from people who really don't know what they are talking about.......their answer is simply "we live in a Global Economy" and that is their excuse for just about anything they do money wise.

So what exactly is a "Global Economy"? I am not going to go into some complex Wall Street economy technical talk, because the reality is, it's quite simple. You see, not all countries are created equal nor are any of them close to being equal. I talk a lot about China and Taiwan, mostly because that is where the majority of bicycle parts are made, but this topic goes beyond those two countries.

Here in America we have things VERY nicely. No, the fact you work 40 or more hours a week doesn't make your life difficult. If it does, stop doing it and find another passion because there are plenty out there. Anyway, so to make this simple, most of us would dread a job at a fast food place, and maybe some of us have one of those jobs and dreads it.....who knows? But the overall opinion is that a fast food job is bottom of the barrel here in America. What is funny is that working one of those jobs here in the U.S. not only pays about $7 an hour and above, it also has a lot of strict employee treatment rules. Minimum age, maximum hours until overtime pay, safety standards, you can quit any time you want, and so on. In the rest of the world, and most places companies outsource their products too, this isn't even close to the case. Not close meaning.........maybe 10% and likely not even that. Most people in these so called "Developing Nations" don't even make 50 cents an hour after conversion of their currency. Not only that, their working conditions are poor, many people get injured and there is no recourse of action if they do get hurt on the job. If a U.S. employee gets hurt flipping burgers, the company has to pay to fix them up and maybe more, especially if it's found that it wasn't their fault that they got harmed on the job. Minimum wage.....maximum hours before overtime pay.....nope....none of that. People work 12 hour days many times and basically, their life is about their jobs just so they can eat and have a roof, if they are lucky, over their heads. These people don't have nice houses or even decent apartments. They live in shitty conditions most of the time and struggle to find food and water, basic essentials for everyday life. A ghetto here in the U.S. would be a luxury over there. Here in America we live in a culture surrounded by the automobile. The thought of not owning a car here is...well....unimaginable to most people. Take the bus? Ride a bike? Walk?.......well, that is the rest of the developing world and certainly common in the countries that are manufacturing products to be shipped to the U.S.

So let's go back to the word "Global Economy" for a second. What does that really mean when people or the media says it? Well, clearly it doesn't mean that other parts of the world have an economy like ours. Sure, most western nations do, but most of the nations making our products for us don't have the luxuries and opportunities we have here in the U.S. So "Global Economy" is a corporate term.......it means that giant corporations operate around the world and well, make a shit ton of money doing it. Why? Because they pay people very little and treat them poorly while they are at it. Each large corporation has a few people at the top making all the money. Then they have a slightly larger group making our typical "middle class" salaries and then maybe some U.S. workers that have "fast food" level jobs....possibly working in a shipping warehouse or something similar. On the grand scheme of things, almost all the money gained from outsourcing production to another country is shifted to the top few people, usually in politics or in the media referred to as the top 2%.

Global Economy does not mean "Equal" economy around the world. It simply means, more money for the wealthiest people in the world (top 2%). So when people are led to believe that buying a product made in China, or some other low cost labor nation, is supporting a "Global Economy" and that is how we must think of things today, they are mistaken. Buying a product manufactured by the cheapest labor possible is not helping the people around the globe, it's helping the wealthy get wealthier and the poor, as well as most of us in the middle class, get poorer.

When a company does a bunch of things, like laying off U.S. workers, to make adjustments so they show profits on a chart somewhere.......where do you think those profits go? They go to a few shareholders and a lot more goes to the top people running the company, usually in the form of a multi-million dollar bonus. They are simply taking the money out of the U.S. and putting a little of it in some other country and A LOT MORE of it in their pockets so it does not get recycled back into our economy. "Global Economy" defined right there.....plain in simple. No Wall Street bullshit.......no guy on TV telling you this is the trend or this is how things work. I just explained how it all works in one fucking blog post!

So next time you use the term "Global Economy" think about what it really is and stop pretending that is how thing are and should be......because it isn't.

In order for America to be helpful to the rest of the world, we need to first take care of ourselves. We need to grow from within, take back our jobs, manufacturing, engineering, education, and all that stuff that made us the strongest nation in the world to start with. Once we regrow and become strong again, we can reach out the other nations and allow them and teach them how to do that same thing we do here. If we keep on our current path, the United States of America will eventually become a developing (or should I say it is a declining) nation......if it isn't too late already!!!!

Two new How-To videos

The first is a How-To Corner video and the second one is How-To ride Obstacles in the trail.

MTB How-To: Cornering from Thomas Bjorn on Vimeo.

MTB How-To: Gettin' Over Obstacles from Thomas Bjorn on Vimeo.

Our goal is to do a whole series. So now we have 3. Just in case you have not seen the How-To Bunnyhop one, it's is below....:-). Hope these are helpful for you!

How To Bunny Hop from Thomas Bjorn on Vimeo.