Cycling "worth" more than steel?

[oyster]

UK cycling is worth more than the steel industry – where's the strategy?
Carlton Reid
A new report argues we’d all benefit if the government started taking the cycle industry seriously

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/bike-blog/2018/jun/16/uk-cycling-steel-industry-strategy

Have to say, I am wondering how much UK cycling is worth to Taiwan, China, Germany, etc.?

(Although the article has many debatable points, and mentions brexit as "a way in", it seemed not to sit comfortably in the mega-brexit thread. Hence a new thread.)

 

[Woosh]

bike components are high tech, bike assembly is low tech. UK don't have any bike component industry and can't compete on low tech because of the favoured status afforded to developing countries (Vietnam, Cambodia, Bengladesh etc).
By this time next month, Chinese e-bikes are going to be hit by a huge anti-dumping duty. The choice at the low end will be severely reduced, prices will go up substantially and we (Chinese bikes importers) can do little to stop it.

 

[flecc]

bike components are high tech, bike assembly is low tech. UK don't have any bike component industry and can't compete on low tech because of the favoured status afforded to developing countries (Vietnam, Cambodia, Bengladesh etc).

We are big enough to have a domestic bicycle, bicycle component and e-bike industry though, if we all cycled to some extent, so becoming customers for the product. We have nearly four times the population of The Netherlands which is the base for the two big European cycle groups, Accell and Pon Holdings. Though much of what they build with is Oriental, they and Germany do make quite a variety of components and could make much more if needed.

Our UK trouble is that we just gave up, both on cycling and cycle manufacturing, and didn't even try. Just as we did with most of our other industries.
.

 

[Woosh]

Our UK trouble is that we just gave up and didn't even try. Just as we did with most of our other industries.

where has all our energy gone? to the city.
Just like my son with his degrees. He went to Bengladesh to build a wheelchair for Bengladeshi women and got a distinction for his project then went to the city to work for GS.

 

[anotherkiwi]

You have the Sinclair lad designing his way into a corner And Brompton which has kept alive the tradition of brazing steel tubing...

You need managers with vision, do you have schools which produce such a beast? Then that person has to have access to investors, are there any who invest outside of the old boy network?

Just a few km from here there are a whole bunch of innovative Basque youth reinventing the bicycle. Much of the traditional Spanish bicycle industry is in the Basque country which has a long metal working history (Basque iron blades have been dug up in pre-Columbus American Indian sites).

 

[Woosh]

Just a few km from here there are a whole bunch of innovative Basque youth reinventing the bicycle. Much of the traditional Spanish bicycle industry is in the Basque country which has a long metal working history (Basque iron blades have been dug up in pre-Columbus American Indian sites).

Cambridge is our best uni for mechanical engineering but they'd rather push our best young minds to MEMS than the traditional career paths (Lotus, RR etc). Bristol may be doing the latter but I have not bumped into any Mech Eng from Bristol yet.

 

[flecc]

Cambridge is our best uni for mechanical engineering but they'd rather push our best young minds to MEMS than the traditional career paths (Lotus, RR etc). Bristol may be doing the latter but I have not bumped into any Mech Eng from Bristol yet.

Southampton University, who were also engaged in many aspects of mechanical engineering and related ergonomics at one time, is also deeply into MEMS now, particularly Memristors. They still do a lot of engineering research though. Link

I suppose there's what is called a vicious circle now, not manufacturing much means few opportunities so no point in studying what will have no future jobs.
.

 

[Woosh]

30 years ago, I had no trouble recruiting young graduates who could not only program but also use a drill, a hammer and a soldering iron. Now young graduates can't even program leave alone using a drill or a hammer without someone watching over them in case they hurt themselves and most have never possessed a soldering iron.
No wonder Maplin finally closed.

 

[Danidl]

30 years ago, I had no trouble recruiting young graduates who could not only program but also use a drill, a hammer and a soldering iron. Now young graduates can't even program leave alone using a drill or a hammer without someone watching over them in case they hurt themselves and most have never possessed a soldering iron.

The most telling part of your post is the bit "..in case they hurt themselves".
That and the linked insurance/ claims industry is killing off industry in the West.

I had to fight against members in my own department when I continued to insist that my year2 students must construct a project which was mains electricity powered. That would mean they would be expected to become familiar with safe work practices at exposed mains voltages.

 

[anotherkiwi]

Funny thing is the other day in San Sebastian I saw the exact same toolkit I got as a present when I was five or so. Must be a re-edition of classic toys or something, so any way a real saw that you can cut your fingers badly with etc. etc..

Those toys, recovered wood from the wood heap behind the house and scrounged or recovered nails and screws got me making stuff and probably are the reason I went to design school later on.