Some ask whether, if a tree falls in a forest and there’s no one to hear it, does it make a sound? How about if it’s not a tree, but a bamboo bicycle — or, better, a bamboo bicycle maker. And, what if the forest is a jungle? (Still with us? Don’t worry, we failed the logic section of high school math, too). More simply put, if a bamboo bike company fails in the marketplace (as in “Honey, it’s a jungle out there”), would anyone notice? That’s the existential question behind today’s podcast.

We first met our guest, Randall Levere, in 2012. He had just launched Erba Cycles and was geared up (get it? geared up) to sell a new breed of bicycle — one that was not only environmentally friendly to ride, but also to produce. And, it was downright fine looking. Randall was a guest on our first podcast, The Tech Entrepreneur, and graced us with a discussion of turning a passion into a business. Ahhhh.. the heady days of the post-Recession, pre-Trump era.

Flash forward seven years and Randall’s the guest on Failure - the Podcast. Who would have guessed? (OK, please don’t all raise your hands, at once). You are right, though: with the benefit of hindsight, this seems like a no-brainer. But it wasn’t at the time. And, for all of the joking and I-told-you-so’s one might dish out, it probably wasn’t either a forgone conclusion nor laughing matter to Randall. Join the team from Failure - the Podcast in a retrospective look at Erba Cycles, one of the last great bamboo bike makers, and learn why.