Why We Do How We Do.

The BDop Cycling Co. is located in Taiwan. All of our products are designed and proudly manufactured in Taiwan by established manufacturers who use quality tooling, who invest in R&D and have stable, experienced workforces.

Aside from doing the right thing why should this matter?

It's simple: Consistent, reliable products delivered to our customer's doors at a fair price for all involved fast, fast, fast.

Our vendor’s employees are paid a living wage which includes full medical and dental benefits that are among the best in the world. This is no small statement. Don't take my word for it. Do a quick search on government run health programs and you will see that Taiwan is at or near the top by anyone’s rankings. This matters to the employees of our vendors and this matter to me. 

Combined with a living wage this means that the labour turnover in Taiwan is nowhere near the roughly 10%~20% annual turnover seen in China. Seriously, how can a factory maintain consistency when they are continually training a huge percentage of their workforce, a workforce with skills ranging from very little to none, from scratch? It's not possible.

When I started this company I made the conscious choice NOT to source products from Mainland China. Aside from any ethical or political issues I or our customers may have had, it boiled down to wanting to sell consistent, reliable products. And, more importantly, if I did discover a problem with our supply, I was only a short drive away from the factories I work with. I could show up any time, with little notice and get things sorted. No muss, no fuss and no dog and pony show by vendors with something to hide.

Just what do I mean by consistency? I know that the bearings in our hubs are ALWAYS the ones I specify and not cheap Chinese bearings. I know EXACTLY what materials are used in all of our products and I know that they will not be changed to lower quality materials, without our knowledge, to save a penny. I know that the processes we agreed to during product development will be the ones used during production without any 'short cuts'.

I know that the colour of a hub today is going to be the same tomorrow, next week or next month. I know that the machines used to make our products are top quality and are maintained and calibrated as they are supposed to be to deliver the same spec every time. 

I know the designers and engineers we work with. I have shaken the hands that make the products we sell. I know that the vendors I work with are investing in R&D in a constant effort to improve their products and not simply 'knocking off' products that are a pale imitation of the real thing without any of the sweat that goes into creating something of value.

This is what it means to actually be hands on in the design manufacturing processes and not just a reseller of parts unknown. 

This matters to me and I believe it matters to our customers. The down side for us is that there are increased costs for these benefits. It is one I am willing to pay and I believe, to a point, it is one our customers are also willing to pay. In short, I have chosen to not participate in the race to the bottom.

The goal of this company is to offer consistent products at a fair price and to put in the work required to constantly raise the quality of our products and the level of our service. And although we may make mistakes along the way I believe it is the right path for us and for our customers.