This is Taj, my 2008 Trek Madone 6.5 WSD with the Project One "Nara" paint job. She has been my trusty steed for so many miles I have lost count, through my first Six Gap Century, several MS150 rides, group rides with my favorite biking friends, and all those Tuesday nights when I tried desperately to hang on to a pack of fast guys (always getting shelled off the back when they decided to drop the hammer). I'll spare you the details on how she got her name, except to say that if you have ever known a roadie who named their ride, then you probably realize this means I really love my bike.
After we arrived in Madison, Wisconsin Kevin suddenly remembered the Trek factory is in nearby Waterloo and they give free tours. See where my bike was born? SIGN. ME. UP! We called to verify and made the drive the next morning. As expected, they don't allow photos except in a few areas out front and truthfully, there was not much I deemed photo-worthy in the back anyway.
After we arrived in Madison, Wisconsin Kevin suddenly remembered the Trek factory is in nearby Waterloo and they give free tours. See where my bike was born? SIGN. ME. UP! We called to verify and made the drive the next morning. As expected, they don't allow photos except in a few areas out front and truthfully, there was not much I deemed photo-worthy in the back anyway.
While we were not able to go upstairs to the area where they actually manufacture their carbon fiber and mold it into high-end bicycle frames, we did get to see a lot of frames hanging around waiting to be painted. And we got to see some being painted and having decals applied. The paint is mostly applied now by a cool new robotic painting deal that uses only 3.8 ounces of paint per coat, compared with the 12 ounces the job used to require. Anyone walking into the painting room has to go through an airlock where a bunch of jets blast all the dust and particles off them right down to about .1 of a micron. The workers who apply the decals (all women, as they have a better eye for detail)(tour guide's words - not mine) have a total of about three seconds to situate it properly before the adhesive makes repositioning of any kind impossible. The Project One frames all go through a totally separate room where we saw several very scientific-minded looking workers standing around in fancy lab coats waiting for something to happen. Like maybe a call that someone somewhere in the country had just dropped $8,000 for a new bike and now they had a few hours worth of work.
That was all the most interesting part of our tour. The rest consisted of trips past the rooms where the designers and engineers sit. Yes, it was mostly cubicles, but the artsy types had a pretty rocking creative environment. Our guide told us that was on purpose. As a somewhat creative type myself I will agree that it's pretty hard to come up with anything good when your surroundings are dull. I also noticed that although the sales workers and management all used Dell computers, the apparel and graphic designers were all seated in front of nice iMacs. Also, some of them had action figures on their desks.
That was all the most interesting part of our tour. The rest consisted of trips past the rooms where the designers and engineers sit. Yes, it was mostly cubicles, but the artsy types had a pretty rocking creative environment. Our guide told us that was on purpose. As a somewhat creative type myself I will agree that it's pretty hard to come up with anything good when your surroundings are dull. I also noticed that although the sales workers and management all used Dell computers, the apparel and graphic designers were all seated in front of nice iMacs. Also, some of them had action figures on their desks.
Trek has worked hard to create a company culture of fitness. If you're going to hawk bikes, this makes sense. We saw an excellent workout room where classes are offered frequently for employees. Our guide told us that they earn points for biking to work. Those points can then be used toward the purchase of gear or cafeteria meals. The cafeteria strives to serve a lot of fresh, locally-sourced fare at a very attractive price (huge salad for about $1.50) and subsidizes it by charging more for the unhealthful options. It must be working, because when we left and drove just a half mile up the road we saw a gas station and fast food joint, both out of business.
So if you are not a road biking enthusiast this post might have been boring. I will make up for it tomorrow when I share about our tour of the Wisconsin state capitol building. That one will be fun because we learned about an eagle that died a tragic death in the basement, the deal with the badgers, and an explorer trying to find China but settling for Green Bay. Also, it snowed.
- Jenni
- Jenni