81 Days and Counting...

I received a comment from a good friend of mine, in response to yesterday's post.  He was asking me about Plan-B...what was I going to do if my bike didn't arrive in time for the race in September.  Well...I am hoping that implementing a Plan-B won't be necessary...I hope.

You see, I am still very happy that Ellsworth Handcrafted Bikes was gracious enough to offer me such a great deal (although I wish it was already here), and I certainly don't want any of you to get the feeling that I am dissatisfied with them in any way...I'm really not.  The bike that I specifically asked for, is brand new to their line-up, and there are only a handful of people who actually have them currently.

Ellsworth is internationally known as high quality, boutique bike builder.  Until recently, all of their bikes have been handcrafted right here in the good ol' US of A.  When they decided to enter the 'carbon game' however, they wanted to make sure they did it right...and not just right for the consumer...but right for the environment.  Ellsworth has always been committed to a greener manufacturing process, using both wind and solar collected power on their facilities, pumping plenty of energy back into the grid.  When it comes to the production of their carbon frames however, they decided to do something even bigger...they secured their own Rare Earth Carbon facility in China.  Carbon product manufacturing is bigger than ever these days, due to the ever increasing desire for lighter, stronger, higher-performance products for virtually every facet of our lives...many of which we don't even know about.  The process of manufacturing carbon products however, has its drawbacks...it's not the greatest process in terms of sustainability for our environment.  Ellsworth however, was committed to creating a better, safer manufacturing process. 

This is where China fits into the picture.  The process of producing sheets of carbon fiber is very labor intensive.  Additionally, the cost of building a carbon fiber plant is astronomical.  Ellsworth Bikes decided that they would rather not have to pass on those costs to their customers, therefore they partnered with an established carbon fiber production facility overseas.  Tony Ellsworth, the CEO, was pleased to learn that many carbon fiber production plants in China employ underwater sanding procedures, which prevents carbon fiber dust particles from becoming airborne, and ultimately harmful for workers.  Unfortunately however, it is also standard practice for this water to be pumped out of the facility without filtering the carbon fiber dust.  Ellsworth Bikes installed an elaborate filtration system on their plant, which returns the water to the condition it was in prior to the sanding process, thereby eliminating any health hazard...a very responsible, sustainable practice! Additionally, their Chinese plant also uses wind and solar power generation equipment...pretty cool!

So...I suppose I could be ticked off that it is taking so long for my bike to come in, or I could just look at it from a different perspective.  A perspective that enables me to see how environmentally responsible their company is being, and that they are ultimately trying to effect a change in the way manufacturing is performed...worldwide.

I know...you really want to know what Plan B is huh?  Well, here it is....

Yep, that's right.  If my new bike doesn't come in, I'll be riding my current bike.  An incredible Ellsworth Evolve, full suspension 29er Cross Country machine!  It's no slouch...this one I had to shell out full retail price for...no sponsorship...ouch!  It was well worth it however, due to the amount and type of riding that I do.  I'm a firm believer in the old adage You Get What You Pay For!