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.

Cycling Faux Pas and Other Shit I Miss.

Over the last two years a growing family and business has supplanted my time on the bike. I ride less.

I also drink more. There could be a correlation but who can say with any certainty? Really?

Anyway, a Canuk winning the Giro and other recent interwebs events finds me thinking about being in the thick of a racing season and how far away I am from that now. The good news is it finally makes me want to ride.

I think that's the hardest thing about being an older racer (or just Olde) is that it's just so bloody time consuming and it impinges on everything else you do that it's impossible to sustain that into middle age.

That's a long, hard stare.

So here, in no particular order, are some of the Faux Pas I may have experience with. This list will certainly continue to grow.

Glasses inside helmet straps. I done it. Sometimes on purpose. There has been considerable sleep lost over this one.

Equal tire pressures in both front and back tires. Well, there's a red line on the gauge so I pump to there. If I needed two different pressures pumps would come with two adjustable red lines. Think about it.

A saddle bag. I hate packing my jersey pockets full of tubes, levers, patches, tire boot, spoke key and mini allen tools every time I ride to the 7-11for beer - I mean train. I lash that junk on my bike because if I put it in my jersey it's easier to see my spare tire. No-one wants that.

Recording my AVE SPD. I download a bunch of stuff from my PM but I have never made a special spread sheet to record my AVE SPD. Perhaps this is why I never went pro.

Aero bars. I wish I'd left them on my road bike. I only used them for a short while on my road bike until our TT bikes were ready but, since I am older and much slower now, I could be seeing time savings like nothing I've seen before. That stuff could be really paying off now!

Waving. I always wave. I don't care who you are. You're out for a ride and having a good time. I can muster a nod, wave or finger flick in your direction - accept for the tri-geeks. In all the years I've been riding not one has waved back. ****'em. I've had lots of folks who do tri's smile, wave, nod or flick back but not a single tri-geek has deigned to do so.

Carbon. I use it for everything. Frames, forks, bars, stems, rims, seats, posts, cranks and a bunch of component parts. I know it is a ticking time bomb and I must be delusional because I have yet to buy a CAAD 10 to use in the crits I don't do but this **** just keeps showing up at my door so I use it. This must be some sick kind of voodoo risk taking, gambling thing. I don't know. It's just not right because I know this stuff is just a bunch of plastic waiting to asplode and who knows how many I'll take with me.

I suppose it's my cross to bear.

Bents. I should really just own up right here. I'd love to try one but, to me they are like mopeds; They're both fun to ride until your friends find out. For the bents, I am ruined.

Mirrors-helmet or otherwise. I'm just to busy jammin' to my tunes on my iphone to bother with mirrors. They're too much of a distraction.

Bells. I had a metal bell with a solid spring and knocker on my FG/SS yellow Merckx with white full fenders that let out a single, crystal clear sound, that cut through traffic noise and carried for a block. I sold it with the bike. I loved the bike. I miss the bell.

I need a moment.

The Quest of Bob Dopolina

The following is a condensed version of THE LEGEND OF BOB DOPOLINA - THE MAN, THE BIKE, THE QUEST. soon to be available on Bantham Books.

Although his exact origins remain shrouded in mystery, biographers generally agree that Bob Dopolina started out fixing flats and counting spokes some time in the early eighties in a very busy bike shop in the wilds of Canada. Once he had proven himself to be the best flat fixer and spoke counter imaginable he was taken under the wing of a former Irish National Team rider turned shop Manager named Seamus Gantley.

Seamus taught him how to wrench, curse, drink and generally annoy the boss. Bob was a fast learner. A few short years later Bob was running his own bike build crew and was eventually promoted to head mechanic supervising 6 poor souls in a shop that grossed nearly 10 million a year, from a single location, in the mid-eighties. No small feat.

Eventually Bob moved on and found himself working for another bike shop with a Shop Manager who's knowledge of the dark side of the wrench was second to none. (NOTE: In some circles there is speculation that this second mentor was a mysterious man named Andy Bedlam but this is still in dispute) Not much is known of this second mentor to Bob only that his brother had a beard and he rode the only Carbon Vitus never to have failed. It is rumoured that it was he who, during a particularily long and blustery winter, while logging endless base miles, passed on to Bob all the bike VooDoo known to man.

Several years later, after a particular bad day building no less than 30 Sidewalk Angels, a task that all who knew and now feared Bob agreed was well beneath Bob's ever more powerful abilities, Bob had a vision that would change his life;. Bob decided it was time to set out on his own.

He summoned up the courage and broke free of his mentor. He sold all of his worldly possesions except his bikes, his books and his music. He stuffed what remained of his previous life inside a 1988 Oldsmobile Delta 88 Royal that pointed west. Within a scant 72 hours he had traveled to the other side of that vast, frozen expanse of wilderness known as Canada to become a Shop Manager in his own right. This shop was a high end, high profile deal that catered to Freds and World Champions alike. Here Bob Thrived.

It was at about this time that Bob also came into his own as a racer. Surviving a serious injury he eventually claimed a National Championship of his own. But Bob was not satisfied.

In true Bob Dopolina fashion he set out in search of bigger challenges this time travelling half way around the world to the land of bikes and Bin Lan - Taiwan. Here he quickly established a new Elite Team, began product testing for several high profile bike companies and generally had a good time. His wrenching experience and product knowledge led him to become the Manager of the Campagnolo Service Center for Taiwan, China, Hong Kong and Vietnem. He worked with OE factories in support of Campagnolo and Continental AG. He was responsible for handling warrantiy claims for 14 different brands. But still Bob yearned for more. It was time for the next chapter in the saga of Bob Dopolina to begin.

Bob did the only thing he could do; He opened his own company -The BDop Cycling Company - and began sourcing products manufactured in Taiwan for OE and aftermarket customers. He also began selling consumer direct to North America, Europe and Oceana. And he saw that it was good.

Bob continues on his quest to this day.

Shanghai Show 2008

First off, I returned with the usual upper respiratory hack/ illness/ cough that accompanies all trips to China.

The show itself was a bit different from Vegas, Eurobike or Taipei in that it was combined with electric bikes and electric motorcycles. Although they were in another hall, it just seemed a bit...odd.

It seemed like attendance was down as was the number of foreign brands represented. This may be a bit deceiving, though. Lacking was the unwashed masses (attendees) who had no interest in bikes but where just there hawking watches or looking for a way to make a quick buck (some of the watch guys still made the trip).

The questions asked by the dealers and consumers who did attend were more knowledgeable and overall were encouraging. Consumers are still having trouble with access to all the brands they see in the magazines or online. There is limited availability, in some areas, and confusion as to the legitimate supply channels. Basically, this is still a market in development.

I was working in the Campagnolo booth. It was interesting to see the contrast between those who were familiar with, or using Campagnolo, and those who had never heard of the company. I also had the obligatory guy (I called him Bora Boy) who came to the booth 5 times a day to look at the Bora wheels and then tell me how much he knew about Campagnolo. The funny thing was, he was wrong just as many times as he was right and wasn't the least bit interested in anything I had to say in response. There's one at every show.

Conversely, I had a great chat with one guy about our favourite riders and style of racing. We liked many of the same riders and events and shared a similar disappointment with Basso. It was a conversation between a Canadian guy, working for a company owned by an American, based in Taiwan, representing and Italian company in China, talking to a Chinese guy working for a Japanese company about Italian, French, American and Belgian riders and a race happening in the US at the time. Some things transcend. Bikes just may be one of them.

It will be very interesting to see how much the market matures between now and the next show. My feeling is that it will be substantial.