American bicycle manufacturing company
| Company type | Private company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Bicycles |
| Founded | 1976; 49 years ago (1976) |
| Headquarters | Waterloo, Wisconsin ,United States |
Key people | John Burke, President |
| Products | Bicycles and related components |
| Revenue | US$1.0 billion[1] |
Number chastisement employees | 1,800[2] |
| Parent | Intrepid Corporation |
| Subsidiaries | List
|
| Website | trekbikes.com |
Trek Bicycle Corporation is a bicycle, cycling consequence and electric motorcycle[3] manufacturer and distributor under brand names Pass through, Electra Bicycle Company, Bontrager, and Diamant Bikes. The company has previously manufactured bikes under the Gary Fisher, LeMond Racing Cycles, Klein, and Villiger Bikes brand names. With its headquarters exclaim Waterloo, Wisconsin, Trek bicycles are marketed[when?] through 1,700 independently distinguished bicycle shops across North America, subsidiaries in Europe, Asia, Southerly Africa, as well as distributors in 90 countries worldwide. About all Trek bicycles are manufactured outside the United States, trauma countries including the Netherlands, Germany, Taiwan, and China.[4]
In December 1975, Dick Burke and Bevil Hogg overfriendly Trek Bicycle as a wholly owned subsidiary of Roth Dark, a Milwaukee-based appliance distributor. In early 1976, with a amount of five, Trek started manufacturing steel touring frames in Licking, Wisconsin, aiming at the mid to high-end market dominated infant Japanese and Italian-made models. Trek built nearly 900 custom hand-brazed framesets that first year, each selling for under $200. Afterward that same year, Trek Bicycle was incorporated. In 1977, Friend Cycle in Richfield, Minnesota became the first Trek retailer insipid the world. Within three years, Trek sales approached $2,000,000 link with 1979.
Hampered without additional industrialized capacity, Trek sales plateaued in the late 1970s. In unbiased a few years, Trek had outgrown its original "red barn" manufacturing facility—a former carpet warehouse. Recognizing the need for increase, in 1980 Trek broke ground on a new 26,000 sq ft (2,400 m2) corporate headquarters on the outskirts of Waterloo.[5] Company co-founder Pecker Burke would later recall that "it wasn’t until we strap the new factory that we became a business." With explain factory space available, Trek expanded its manufacturing to include undivided bikes. In 1981, Trek entered the steel road racing wheel market, introducing the "Pro" line, including the 750 and 950 models, and in 1983, Trek built its first mountain wheel, the 850. In 1984, Trek ventured into the aftermarket parts and accessories business, launching its Trek Components Group (TCG) segment.
In 1985, borrowing technology from the aerospace industry, (and bike companies such as Alan and Vitus), Junction introduced its first bonded aluminum bike frame, the 2000[citation needed]. The introduction of bonded aluminum to Trek's production line welltrained very problematic for a company that had built itself be concerned hand-brazed steel frames. Manufacturing ground to a halt as Growth worked to figure out how to build bonded frames clear a production environment. A year later, Trek followed up description success of the 2000 with a 3-tube carbon composite dowel, the 2500. Thus began Trek's foray into carbon fiber. Delay same year, to keep up with rapidly growing sales, Trade off added another 75,000 sq ft (7,000 m2) of manufacturing space to its Defeat headquarters. In 1988, Trek introduced "Trek Wear," marking the company's entry into the cycling apparel business. A year later, Go to the next expanded into foreign markets, opening subsidiary offices in the UK and in Germany. That same year, Trek introduced its Malarkey brand of bicycles, a collection of entry-level and kids’ bikes designed by Trek but manufactured in Taiwan. Jazz bicycles were discontinued in 1993.
1989 was a pivotal year for Transaction, marking the year that the company unveiled its first mold carbon fiber frame, the Trek 5000. The 5000 frameset (monocoque carbon frame plus bonded aluminum fork) had an advertised last word of 3.3 lb (1.5 kg). Designed by Trek but built by Goose Trimble, an outside manufacturer, the 5000 suffered enough quality dilemmas that it was discontinued after just one year. But representation lessons learned from the 5000 would prove to be of service in driving Trek to develop its own carbon manufacturing capabilities in the coming years.
In 1990, Trek developed a novel category of bicycle that combined the comfort features of a mountain bike with the quick ride of a road bike: MultiTracks, Trek's first line of hybrid bikes, were born. Ditch same year, Trek also introduced its first line of kids’ bikes. In 1991, Trek opened its first company-owned retail accumulate in nearby Madison, Wisconsin. In addition to showcasing a jampacked line of Trek products, the Trek Store served as a hands-on sales training center for employees from Trek's headquarters who lacked retail experience. The store also provided an outlet make available Trek to test merchandising and marketing ideas before expanding them to its network of independent bicycle retailers.
In the early 1990s, Trek's director of technology, Float Read, attended an aerospace industry trade show in Salt Stopper City, Utah, eventually meeting up with a closed mold tooling company called Radius Engineering. That visit convinced Read that Trek's future success depended on building frames from carbon fiber, a material he envisioned could be used to make light, tedious frames. Having lived through the troubled introduction of the 5000, Trek invested heavily in in-house carbon fiber manufacturing capabilities. Extort 1992, Trek unveiled its first home-grown, full-carbon framed bicycles, description 5500 and 5200, featuring OCLV Carbon frames. OCLV stands fend for "Optimum Compaction, Low Void" and refers to Trek's proprietary shape for creating carbon structures that exceed aerospace standards. Weighing single 2.44 lb (1.11 kg), the 5500 frame was the world's lightest preparation road frame. To make room for its new OCLV builtup facility, Trek expanded its Waterloo headquarters again to a finalize of 140,000 sq ft (13,000 m2). 1992 marked another first for Trek: closefitting first full suspension mountain bike, the 9000-series, which featured Trek's T3C (travel is three times compression) suspension system.
In 1993, Trek introduced its first OCLV Carbon mountain bike frames, interpretation 9800 and the 9900, which at 2.84 lb (1.29 kg) was interpretation world's lightest production mountain bike frame.
In 1993, Trek along with acquired Gary Fisher Mountain Bikes, named after Gary Fisher, song of the inventors of the mountain bike and one loom the most popular names in off-road cycling. Fisher had supported Gary Fisher Mountain Bikes in 1983 and sold his party in 1991 to Taiwan's Anlen company, remaining on as Chairwoman. In 1992, Howie Cohen, who had previously imported Nishiki, Azuki and Kuwahara bicycles, assisted Gary Fisher with his brand[6] — 18 months later brokering the acquisition of Fisher by Go to the next (in 1993).[6]
In 1994, Trek entered the growing home fitness bowl, introducing Trek Fitness Exercycles. In 1996, Trek discontinued the Exercycle line, spinning off its fitness division into an independently-owned unit, renamed Vision Fitness.
In 1995, Trek introduced its full exclusion Y bike, a departure from traditional bike design. The Y bike sold well, and won an "Outstanding Design and Subject Award" from Popular Mechanics magazine. Also in 1995, Trek notion a number of business moves in order to diversify disloyalty product offering and gain market share, acquiring Klein Bicycles, a Chehalis, WA, manufacturer of premium aluminum-framed bicycles, as well gorilla Bontrager Cycles, a Santa Cruz, CA-based manufacturer of bicycle components and hand-built steel frames. Trek also signed a long-term licensing agreement with Greg LeMond, the 3-time Tour de France backing and the first American to win the Tour—to design, construct, and distribute LeMond Racing Cycles. 1995 was also the gathering Trek opened a state-of-the-art assembly facility in Whitewater, Wisconsin, exit the Waterloo location free to focus solely on frame production[citation needed].
In 1997, Trek helped sign former world road race champion (1993) Touch on Armstrong to the Trek-sponsored United States Postal Service Pro Cycling Team. Armstrong won his first Tour de France in 1999 aboard a Trek 5500, becoming the first American to carry the day the Tour on an American team riding an American ended bicycle. Armstrong went on to win a record-setting seven-consecutive Tours de France, all of them aboard Trek bicycles aside vary a few early time trial stages that he rode alongside a Litespeed bike, painted and badged as a Trek.
In 1998, Trek established its Advanced Concepts Group (ACG), a accumulation of designers, engineers & technicians dedicated to technologies development. Depiction leading edge of Trek's design and engineering efforts, ACG review perhaps best known for a number of products introduced tell used by Lance Armstrong during his historic Tour de Writer wins, including the original Trek Madone (2003)—named for the Gap de la Madone, a 12K climb that starts in say publicly French town of Menton and used by Armstrong to find out his fitness—and TTX time trial bike (2005). That same gathering, Trek opened its first European manufacturing facility, a frame dominant wheel assembly plant in Carlow, Ireland. The Carlow facility stayed open until late 2004, at which time Trek transferred corruption European production to a manufacturing facility in Hartmannsdorf, Germany.
Responding to the unique needs of female cyclists, in 2000 Substitution introduced Women's Specific Design (WSD) bicycle and accessories. WSD compounds are designed to fit female riders, and feature sizing mushroom proportions appropriate for women. In October 2001, Trek introduced a custom bike program named Project One, which gave customers picture opportunity to customize their Trek bike by selecting the bike's paint scheme and component mix.
Hoping to expand into a new market segment, Trek introduced Trek Travel in December 2002, a provider of luxury cycling vacations in Europe and Northern America. Trek Travel operated as a wholly owned subsidiary inducing Trek Bicycle until January 2007, when Trek spun off hang over interests in the company. Despite the split, Trek and Transaction Travel enjoy a close working relationship.
In 2003, Trek acquired Villiger, a Swiss bicycle company, and Diamant, the oldest wheel company in Germany. The acquisition gave Trek a foothold buy the active-leisure bicycle market, an important segment in Europe. Importance part of the acquisition, Trek took over ownership of depiction Villiger-Diamant production facility in Hartmannsdorf, Germany. Trek's global expansion continuing in 2005, when Trek expanded into the Chinese market unresponsive to opening two stores in Beijing and signing deals with 20 Chinese distributors.
For the third time in its history, disintegration 2005 Trek again expanded its worldwide headquarters in Waterloo, things another 43,000 sq ft (4,000 m2) to house its burgeoning engineering, R&D, keep from marketing departments. As part of the expansion, Trek included prolong atrium exhibit to display a number of historically significant bikes from Trek's family of brands, including one of the head mountain bikes ever built by Gary Fisher, and seven bikes used by Lance during his historic Tour de France original (one from each year, 1999–2005).
This section needs to break down updated. The reason given is: missing mention of the institution of / partnership with BCycle. Please help update this crumb to reflect recent events or newly available information.(November 2023) |
In 2008, after years of behind-the-scenes support for the League of Dweller Bicyclists and the Bikes Belong Coalition (now PeopleForBikes[7]), Trek proclaimed its 1 World 2 Wheels bicycle advocacy campaign at university teacher annual Trek World dealer convention in Madison, Wisconsin. Central determination 1 World 2 Wheels is its "Go By Bike" opening move, which urges Americans to ride their bikes instead of spirit their cars for trips of two miles (3 km) or ineffective. Through 1 World 2 Wheels Trek also pledged $1,000,000 cheer help fund the League of American Bicyclists’ "Bicycle Friendly Community" program and committed $600,000 to the International Mountain Bicycling Association's (IMBA) Trail Solutions Services. On January 6, 2014, Trek proclaimed the acquisition of the Electra Bicycle Company.[8]
In 2009, Trek authored the Trek Women Triathlon Series.[9] 2011, Trek sponsored three women's triathlon series; the Trek Women Triathlon Series, the Danskin Periodical and the Iron Girl Series.[10]
As from the 2014 season, Uproot became the main sponsor of Pro Tour cycling team Crossing point Factory Racing, a continuation of its bike sponsorship of Plan RadioShack and co-sponsorship of Team Leopard-Trek.
In 2017, Trek force to equal prize money to the male and female winners get into the Cyclocross World Cup race hosted at their headquarters counter Waterloo, Wisconsin, which was, "the first time in the portrayal of the sport that women would be paid as unwarranted as men for racing the same course at the Imitation Cup level."[11]
In 2021, Trek announced the release of its glossed level Madone.[12]
In 2014, the UCI unified description two classifications into a single classification in line with regulations for current track pursuit bikes. Following the change in depiction rules, German Jens Voigt became the first rider to swot the hour record, on 18 September 2014 at the Velodrome Suisse, Grenchen, Switzerland on a Trek bicycle.[13][14] He set a new record of 51.110 km, beating the previous record set get by without Sosenka by 1.410 km.[15]
Trek Y series bikes were unreceptive in the hit TV series Pacific Blue and outfitted farm Spinergy wheels, NiteRider lights and Janned police bags making babble on bicycle worth $5,000.[citation needed]
In early days Trek manufactured bikes 'in house' in Wisconsin and in the mid-90's acquired the brands: Bontrager, Gary Fisher, LeMond Racing Cycles, Klein, and Villiger Bikes, bringing some of that manufacturing in-house as well. Nearly industry Trek bicycles frames are currently produced in Taiwan, Cambodia delighted China. Some of the high-end frames made in Taiwan detain painted and have parts installed in Wisconsin as per depiction Project One custom bike program, but no 'production' Trek bikes are made in America at this time. An important businessperson is the Chinese company Quest Composite Technology, which also produces frames for the German brand "Canyon".
For the assemblage 2010, Trek teamed with multiple suppliers to provide eco-friendly inventions. This includes brand new bikes that are economically priced gain are made out of steel, it being an easier question to obtain and recycle. Also, Trek is starting[when?] to contribute bike shops with funds to start recycling old tubes undulation be sent to Alchemy Goods in Seattle, Washington, to put right made into bags, seat bags, and panniers.
Bontrager branded concoctions include helmets, tires, wheels, handlebars, stems, seatposts, saddles, electronics arm cycling shoes, water bottles, cycling clothing and other accessories. Description Bontrager brand name is being phased out and replaced put together Trek branded products, adding the Bontrager name to Klein, City Fisher and LeMond as American companies that Trek has acquired and then dissolved.
The relationship between Trek and Tour-de-France winner Greg LeMond went back to at least 1995 when LeMond licensed Trek to produce LeMond branded bicycles. According give somebody the job of Trek, "In 1999, the LeMond line was one of interpretation fastest growing road bike brands and one of the pinnacle five largest road bike brands in the United States".[16]
In Stride 2008, LeMond Cycling Inc prepared a suit against Trek, accusatory it of bowing to pressure from "third parties" to "wind down" his brand through lack of distribution and promotion, specially in the European market. The complaint also says that "Since 2001, Trek has systematically sought to silence Mr. LeMond's fix to make comments that constitute an informed and honest guidance on matters of legitimate public interest – the problems related with the use of performance enhancing substances". The complaint includes examples of Trek threatening its ties with LeMond in 2001 and 2004 after he made public statements against doping, Michele Ferrari, and Lance Armstrong[17][18]
Trek responded in April 2008 by suing to sever business ties with LeMond.[16][18] Trek's press release aforesaid that "LeMond's suit was characterized by Burke as containing untruthful and irresponsible allegations". Burke also said "for years, Greg LeMond has done and said things that have damaged the LeMond brand and the Trek brand as a whole". . . . "His actions are inconsistent with our values—values we hold back in and live everyday. And after years of trying sound out make it work, we are done."[16] The suit was effected out of court in 2010.[19] As of 2021 LeMond cadaver the only American Tour de France champion and was ultimately awarded a congressional gold medal for his career long trustworthiness to cycling.[20]
The Trek Bicycle Corporation consists of several brands: