Are Ibis' carbon frames still made in mainland China ?

[le_buzz]

I remember reading this on Ibis site a while back

While I'm not necessarily being critical of this, but I wondered why they chose China instead
of Taiwan, where all other carbon frames are made. To many this may be old news. THe reason I'm bringinging nice to the environment.
it up now is, I saw a something about one of the factories that a certain presidential candidate had a hand in setting up.
This factory was like a jail in many ways, Basically forced labor where, like , 12 year old girls
had to bear horrible working/environmental conditions. (There was even a barbed wire fence around the factory)

So, while I'm sure this in no way mirrors what goes on in the Ibis factory, you still wonder about the
impact of manufacturing carbon fiber on the environment, especially in a country like China, where many companies
locate their factories to avoid the costs of being responsible enviroon,ental sstewards

[mazspeed]

The 12 year old girl that built my frame did a bang up job.

[mazspeed]

In case you didn't get my morbid sense of humor. Read question 5. General FAQ | FAQ | Support | Ibis Cycles US

[marcoton21]

I thought they were made in Taiwan. Which would put it on a completely different map anyhow.

[Mrwhlr]

Who cares?

Someone call Dennis Rodman.

[benja55]

They're made in Heaven, on a cloud of dreams. Next question!

[vikb]

Carbon 101 | Salsa Cycles

[hanssc]

I remember reading this on Ibis site a while back

Greetings!

The HD is made in Taiwan. Wages are roughly the same as in the US.

Our other models are made in China. The majority of carbon frames are made in China by the way.

The conditions in the factories where our stuff is made are good and the wages are very competitive. The workers have the upper hand with the factories as there is a labor shortage. Wages have been increasing quickly for a while now. Our factories try to retain the same people for a long time so they do not have to continually train a large number of new workers.

Hope this helps,

Hans

[le_buzz]

Greetings!

The HD is made in Taiwan. Wages are roughly the same as in the US.

Our other models are made in China. The majority of carbon frames are made in China by the way.

The conditions in the factories where our stuff is made are good and the wages are very competitive. The workers have the upper hand with the factories as there is a labor shortage. Wages have been increasing quickly for a while now. Our factories try to retain the same people for a long time so they do not have to continually train a large number of new workers.

Hope this helps,

Hans

Thanks for clearing that up hans.
Its nice to know the HD's are made in Taiwan.
I didn't realize that most bike companies made their carbon
frames in China. That means there's a lot of bike companies out there
lying about where their carbon framesw are made. Names such as Trek
come to mind as they're as they already are misinforming the mtb public
about their suspension design. (Active braking my a$s !)

[Checkit]

How about a factory tour?

[rustybkr]

How high do wages have to rise over there before it doesn't make sense to ship them around the world. I do realize that China has a ton of carbon expertise and all the tech, just wondering if the production will remain in China regardless of labor costs?

[capthowdy]

Wait until oil prices jump...

[canuck_tacoma]

I'm not buying it..Human Rights in China a terrible at best compared to here.

But I'm not arrogant enough to put all the blame on a manufacturer trying to compete in a global market. We are (the consumer), just as much to blame for enjoying these products, at a price made affordable to us by these factories.

Not sure if this Thread is neccessary on this Forum. Kind of leaning towards political discussion, not MTB Stuff....

[stumblemumble]

I think it's time we do start caring where our stuff was made.
Ibis needs to be responsible and move their mfg out of China.

Ignore it, gloss it all you want but Chinese mfg should not be supported until regulations on fraud are maintained.

[Gregg K]

The darkest reality of Chinese manufactruing is the price the planet pays for transportation.

The boats and planes are streaming all over the planet. It's a real shame.

I'd like my bike to be made fairly locally. I know this is totally ideallistic. But at least we can try.

[marcoton21]

It's all about quantity. What's it worth, if I buy a notebook and other electronic gadgets every year, cotton clothing at Walmarts etc.: all from China?

Principally I 'd even welcome it having a chinese frame made in a factory with good standards, given it's the case. Rather than wearing tons of clothes coming from sweatshops all over the planet.

[mazspeed]

I think it's time we do start caring where our stuff was made.
Ibis needs to be responsible and move their mfg out of China.

Ignore it, gloss it all you want but Chinese mfg should not be supported until regulations on fraud are maintained.

I totally agree, and at some point i think there will be a change back to the states, but as far as carbon manufacturing is concerned, we need to not only play catch up with China on tech, but we have to find a way to make it feasible to build it here. Say its built here at a cost of $3500, well now the bike is priced out of the segment and is no longer a viable option for many. That gap is closing, but its still going to be a while before you see carbon frames of a high order being made here.

[simenf]

As wages and costs in China are rising (they have been for a while), another cheaper production country is likely to appear. Carbon production in US and Europe does exist but only on a small scale. However, it will take something else to make mass production feasible. Think costs and investment environment.

To ask tiny Ibis to be competitive and responsible is one thing (they do a good job at both), to ask them to change the business is another ballgame.