What is a
bicycle? A bicycle is a two wheeled,
human powered transportation device allowing faster than human speed
sustainable over time at low energy output.
If I show
you a series of 3 pictures;
you will easily
and instantly determine which represents a bicycle. In this case the drawing
representing the bicycle is a line drawing and as such conveys no information
about materials or construction and relies totally on you stored idea of
bicycle. The picture to the right is a two wheeled device that would transport a human at sustainable
speeds beyond human capability and without excessive use of energy, but it does
not closely represent our image of a bicycle. The line drawing above tells
little about the quality or the ability of the bicycle to deliver the action of
transportation as designed. The picture to the right would convey to different
observers different impressions of its “bicycleness”. To a child anticipating their
first bike the strange recumbent bike in the picture would not fit their
imagination. To a mountain biking enthusiast this strange machine might be
interesting but it would hardly constitute their idea of a proper bicycle. To
an engineer the aspects of its ability to perform the tasks it is designed for
would be assessed, to someone who likes “outside the box” design this machine
may be exactly the ticket. Let’s assume that we all accept the common form that
the line drawing represents as a bicycle, with some variations as our preferences
represent.
What else
makes a bike a bike? Well you can’t ride a picture, so a bike has to have the
form the picture represents but in the proportions and dimensions necessary and
the materials and construction expected so it can be a bicycle. What else? It
needs to perform its duties and perform them for more than one ride or one day.
It needs to perform its duties without constant repair, it would be preferred
that the type of materials and workmanship employed meet the expectations of
the rider based on their knowledge of the promised performance for the price
paid.
Let’s
assume our bicycle performs its duties in all manners expected over a cross
section of riders who buy it.
Let’s
assume that the bicycle in question is made with materials and workmanship that
will allow years of carefree riding with regular reasonable maintenance.
Our bicycle
would now seem to be acknowledged as a quality product. It meets our
expectation of what a bicycle is and performs in a manner expected over the
long term. Can we further define quality for this bicycle?
The line
drawing is about as far as you can get away from the idea of bicycle and still
identify it. As you give the bicycle physical existence it becomes closer to
the reality (quality). If I were to produce a full size model of a bike made
from papier-mâché or other substance, maybe clay or Styrofoam and I was
talented I could create a 3D model that looked identical to a bike but would it
be? If I purchased a well-made bicycle with all the attributes that make it
good but I put it in the shed and never rode it, would it be quality? Would the
neglected bike in the shed hold any more quality than the Styrofoam model? Is
the consumer’s ongoing interaction with the bike part of its quality? Is the
consumer (rider) implicit in the quality of the objects they buy?
The bike is
a collection of resources, human and natural and these resources are finite and
precious in a world where only sunlight and the odd minerals from meteorites
comes in from space. No energy is lost in the construction of the bike, but the
energy and the material are changed in the production and in that production
the energy and materials become difficult to reuse. The bike is kind of storing
the energy and natural materials in a reasonable form, if that form is used and
maintained. That form could also be designed so that the stored material can be
reclaimed in an efficient manner. In the case of a bike that may mean that the
manufacturer includes details on how to recycle the bike when the bike fails to
be a bike any more. The manufacture could even agree to take the bike back at
the end of it life and reuse components and recycle others. The ideal bike
however may be one build with no obsolescence in mind, one that is infinitely
repairable and upgradeable. The life of the bike post useful life is part of
its quality.
Much is
said about products manufactured in “non-Western” countries. It is suggested
that working conditions and environmental disregard make products from places
like China undesirable. How does a consumer know what to buy? The problem goes
beyond just the bicycles manufacturing plant but encompasses the entire supply
chain right back to the mining of raw material. It is impossible to know our
bike is made completely responsibly. I would likely argue that many components
are not, no matter what. If the quality of a bike also depends on the quality
of the resources and the environments of origin than can we still have a
quality bike?
If the
consumer does as much research about the manufacturers business practices of
prospective bikes as she might do in regard to weight, gear systems and frame
geometry then some sense of the responsible nature of the proposed bike may
come to light. If the bike owner buys the
bike due to true need, uses the bike on a regular basis and maintains it
intending to keep and enjoy the bike over the very long term then the negative
effect of any bad business practices are reduced. If an occasional rider
decides to share, borrow, or buy a used bike instead of a new choice then the
total negative of bad business practice is reduced by one full bike.
I do not
know, but might bet money that the manufacturers of well-made bikes would tend
to have a conscience about the safe reasonable work and natural environments
and the choice of quality components means the supply chain may be in the same
mindset.
The bike is
a product. A product is produced because someone stands to make money from
someone else consuming it. If something is needed then it should be made. If
something is only wanted then maybe it could just as well not ever be made.
Need in regard to the product bicycle or anything is defined by the actions of
the consumer pre and post purchase. The quality of the product is a combination
of all aspects of the lifecycle of the bike but user choice and action is the
key to the total quality.
