Kind Blog
June 23, 2008
We have been around bikes a long time and have no clue how a comfort bike is deemed just comfort instead of hybrid or ultra comfort. The choice in categories is overwhelming and not consistent.
Once you have figured out the category you want, you then have to battle the naming conventions within that line. It all makes our heads spin. So we here at Kind set out to make things easy for people that are looking at our bikes.
The problem is that what is out there is such a mashed up mess, we were confusing ourselves trying to squeeze our bikes into what others say is a category. So after much thought, and a few beers, we came up with the following:
All of our bikes are urban – fact is though, all bikes are urban. You can ride a downhill MTB on a bikepath, but probably can’t ride a road bike on a downhill course (without breaking it/you). So this designation really means nothing.
Our bikes won’t be determined by category, rather, each bike will be named for its purpose. If it’s a commuter, then that is the name of the bike. We’ll stay away from having multiple versions of the same bike that have nearly indistinguishable differences too.
We are doing this because we want to take the pain away of choosing the right bike for your needs. It also allows us to focus on the bikes people want and not come up with 17 versions hoping one or two will hit.
Filed in: Kind Blog
June 15, 2008
Its not that we are anti-derailleur, its just that for simple, easy urban riding, they don’t seem to be needed. Rolling along on a single speed or internal geared hub takes away the complications that can come from riding with numerous cogs in the back. Sure, we slobber over the latest shiny high performance kit, but that’s for a different kind of riding and there are plenty of cool bikes and brands out there to hang that stuff on.
We focus on urban riding and try to make it as easy as possible to throw your leg over your bike and ride to wherever you want to go.
Initially, we are offering two single speed rides and two that come with 9 speed internal geared hubs. The 9 speeds give you as wide a range of gears as most 24 speed systems due to the redundancy of gears in the middle range. You do lose the potential for a granny gear on internals but hey, you aren’t climbing steep, gnarly single track anyway.
Filed in: Kind Blog
March 1, 2008
We get this question quite a bit. We do believe that alternative renewable materials will be the future for bicycle frame production. When we started, we tried to get recycled steel and aluminum for parts of our frames. Engineers from tubing companies and good ol’ regular metallurgical engineers said it was basically impossible to melt used metals, extract, roll, weld and heat treat a frame that is to be used in everyday cycling, even at a recreational level. This really miffed us, so we still continue to explore how to extract recycled metals pure enough for frame tubing, but so far no luck.
Back to wood. We have had an eye on wood as a frame material for a while but thought that it was years away from being a reality on any scale. Looks like we may be proven wrong.
Calfee’s bamboo bikes were first a curiosity. Craig Calfee has pioneered using bamboo for a high end road frame that is stiff and light. Though the cost seemed to be prohibitive for wide scale use (a frame goes for over $2500). Calfee also introduced a one-off at the NAHBS this year but it was seen mostly as a novelty item. News that he has developed (with Columbia University) a frame of bamboo and resin that can be sourced locally in developing nations for very low cost is the biggest step we have seen so far in normalizing this exotic material. In a nut shell he see this as inexpensive bamboo frames for the masses in developing nations. This makes so much sense. 90% of the worlds bikes are made by people in impoverished situations, so the irony of giving people in impoverished nations bicycles is not lost on those involved. Calfee has potentially figured a way around these issues. Very cool. This project has been around for a while so we are not sure why the bike industry has started to notice now. This is a remarkable breakthrough in both design and advocacy philosophy.
There are others looking to wood as a viable frame material. Some look like they may be practical and some, not so much. But we probably all said that when we first saw a bamboo bike.
We still don’t see Kind using purely natural products for our frames in the immediate future. We continue to explore how metals can be used in a true cradle to cradle fashion. If a natural material develops to the point that it is viable using it en-mass, then we would have no reservations doing so.
For now we applaud Calfee’s breakthrough and look to his unique vision as a model to emulate.
Filed in: Kind Blog
February 11, 2008
We know we will never get there. The manufacturing of bikes will always have an environmental footprint and there will always be someone willing to take advantage of cheap labor. What we can do is strive for a shrinking footprint and look at the life cycle of materials used in bikes and their production. We also think we can be effective at eradicating poor labor practices that are common in developing nations.
So what are we doing exactly? The following is already in place:
Kind requires its suppliers to demonstrate a deep sense of obligation to social and environmental concerns. We know that is kinda loose so check out our partners page for more details on our component supplier’s efforts.
The assembly factory we use has a commitment to pay minimum wage plus overtime to its employees. We will continue to push for living wages for all workers involved in building Kind’s bikes. Local regulations regarding work hours and child labor laws will be enforced. Kind will also ensure that proper protective equipment be worn during the manufacture of our bikes. These conditions may not sound that hard to comply with but we have had factories turn us down when we asked for these minimum requirements. Kind will be on-site during production to audit the factory and will conduct audits during non-production time. Results of the audits will be posted on our website when available.
Kind will be using a shipping box that enables the bikes to ship almost fully assembled. This reduces the need for packing material inside the box. Internal packing has traditionally been composed of foam, plastic wrap and zip ties, most of which will be eliminated in a Kind box. Our paint is produced by a company that is ISO14001 certified. This is just a start, we have more initiatives coming soon.
We will continue to advise our partners on how to reduce their environmental footprint and save costs at the same time – for them it is free consulting to improve their business. For us, it is the least we can do. We will continue to advocate for workers and workers’ rights overseas by donating $5 of every bike made to a local cause that directly improves lives of those who make them. (As of early February we have yet to settle on an organization where funds will be appropriated in a manner that fits our mission).
We know it is not perfect, but we also know we are the first to start this conversation. We hope the dialog continues.
Filed in: Kind Blog
February 11, 2008
No. Kind Bicycles is not green, at least by our definition anyway. If we were, we would be pissed. It really means nothing anymore to proclaim you are green. Every company screwing in a compact florescent in their bathroom is all of a sudden talking about it in a press release.
Why are we talking green anyway?
When we started Kind, it was our intention to run a perfect green company so we could save the world and sleep at night. Having been in the bike biz for a long time before Kind was born, we knew this was a challenge. What we didn’t know is that the willingness to change to a more sustainable model industry wide, even in the current green frenzy, is still not on the radar.
We applaud the small steps companies are taking, but we think that all companies should be doing these things anyway – developing an office wide recycling program in 2008 should not be news.
The potential for a REAL green strategy in the bike industry is enormous. It is going to take a collaborative effort to fix the problem, but admitting you have a problem is the first step and the industry is not there yet. It will also take transparency.
As for Kind, we are taking steps on the production side to ensure we lead by example. We have stated the world does not need another bike company, especially one that does the same thing as everyone else. We have to be different and have to keep pushing the envelope both to survive as a company and to effect change.
So while we will not go out there and state we are green just for the sake of saying we are green, we hope our actions and our transparency will speak for themselves.
Filed in: Kind Blog
