Hi,
i usually hang out in the recumbent section but i recently had questions about exactly how "green" the bicycle industry and bicycle production in general is. Aren't there nasty waste substances involved when welding a frame? are they worse for different materials? And where does the steel/aluminum/carbon/magnesium come from anyways? do they make frames from scratch, or use preassembled pieces, or what? How hard is it for a small builder to make one from "scratch" (or as "scratch" as possible)? Are there any notably "green" bicycle makers? (I know Chris King components are really good, but i don't think they make frames. Shimano claims to be concerned with the environment, but they don't make complete bikes either.) thanks