Frame and Wheel does the same thing as ThredUP except with bicycles and related accessories. What started out trying to be the Pro’s Closet has evolved into something closer to LKQ. The only difference is that the deproduction operations of Frame and Wheel (a production line that runs on reverse) are integrated with a bicycle brand, A-D Bikes.
N+1 is the path of least resistance for industry leaders, but it insults the intelligence of cyclists and it is dissonant at a time when there clearly needs to be a serious change to how resources are used and managed to produce bicycles. Despite all the platitudes and “impact” reports, the bicycle industry knows only the dollar and will only change its ways once consumers change theirs. Earth Day is a good time to think about all of this and start making those changes.
The next time you notice the fresh air on a morning ride, the clear water on an afternoon swim or the impressive sight of an Osprey or a Bald Eagle, recognize that the activism of Earth Day is a big reason why you are enjoying those experiences.
My view is that making a small change to how I conduct business and run my life is better than doing nothing, and that if everyone tries to introduce small changes, these changes will take hold and make a difference, hopefully in time to prevent a dystopian future or one that is just not very comfortable. This is how I have arrived at doing what I can to make A-D Bikes a circular and sustainable bike company.
The last time I was around for the double loop in 2022, it was a balmy 40 degrees by the time the ride was underway. The Gatorade flowed freely. My feet and hands were warm. I wore a wind vest and arm warmers. It felt like early spring in Maine. If I had been asked to identify a single, simple, cycling-related and personal measure of how the climate has changed over the past twenty years, this would have been it.
Topview Sports does an excellent job of organizing and executing this event and Cornelia, Georgia, which is in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, is a very nice place to visit and race (it is also the name of our daughter which is really the reason I chose this event....I don't know anyone named Jackson).
John Burke (CEO of Trek Bicycle Corpoation) understands the Circular Economy better than he did when he was brainstorming on the white board. Mr. Burke is on the right track and he is ready to bring Trek and the entire bicycle industry kicking and screaming into the twenty-first century. If there ever was a time for a serious restructuring of the bicycle industry it is now.
John Burke is indeed the first bicycle industry professional that I am aware of to recognize that sustainability is the new gold standard for the industry (not the Tour de France).
What started out trying to be a reseller has evolved into something closer to LKQ Corporation. The only difference is that the deproduction operations of Frame and Wheel are integrated with a bicycle brand, A-D Bikes.
The model year convention is the most explicit manifestation of N+1 Thought there is. What better way to sell another bicycle to someone who already has one than to use a date to signal that the latest model year is somehow better than the one the owner already has?