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| Trek Headquarters - Waterloo, WI 2/26/2019 dwm photo |
Just 3,334 people live there, but it is home to the headquarters of Trek Bikes. It is a modern factory with 900 designers, builders, and team members supporting one of the best brands on two wheels.
It's in Waterloo because it is half-way between Madison and Milwaukee which were the homes of the two men who started the company.
Last week, I tagged along with friends from Oakwood Village for a tour and learn more about this iconic brand.
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| Two Trek bikes in the lobby. (dwm) |
You can order a custom Trek bike. It is built to fit your dimensions with your choice of color and accessories. Of course you pay for the privilege - "inexpensive" custom bikes can be $12,000.
The shop makes bikes for the Trek Racing Team and developed its own carbon fiber technology that builds the bike in sections one layer upon another.
Our tour guide told the plant can build up to 45 custom bikes a day. A precision automatic painter coats the bike frame. A worker threads cables and places the brakes and gears into place.
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| The rack of bikes workers can use on break. 2/26/2019 dwm photo |
I was a kid in a candy store.
The bikes practically sell themselves - they look fast when parked.
Trek started in 1976 - a dream of two men who wanted a better bike. It now builds bikes in the Netherlands, China, and Germany.
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| Trek's philosophy and vision. 2/26/2019 dwm photo |
One of the real cool things I learned is Trek's association with Dream Bikes. It's a bike shop with a mission to teach young people a trade while rehabilitating bikes to put them back on the streets.
The Madison Dream Bikes shop did some repairs on my 10 speed several years ago and friends of mine recently bought bikes there. It is nice having Trek in Wisconsin, I like that it is a successful company; doing well while doing good.
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