Thanks to the controversial ex cyclist Lance Armstrong, Trek racing bikes have become an integral part of professional cycling, but in fact the history of the American bicycle brand Trek Bikes is still fairly recent.
The Founding of Trek
It started in 1975 in The Pine Knoll café Wisconsin where Richard Burke and Bevil Hogg decided to start their own bicycle shop. Their first experience in the bicycle industry, with the purchase of the Stella Bicycle Shop, where they imported and resold bicycles, had not been a success.
Burke regretted that there weren't really quality road bike frames made in the United States. The biggest name was Shwinn but they were more focused on mass production and not on quality. So it's high time to start an own bicycle brand.
Burke and Hogg hesitated between the names Trek and Kestrel (a lightning-fast bird of prey) but it eventually became Trek, derived from South African which means as much as tour, journey, adventure and a word that we also know and use in Dutch.
A year later a barn was rented in Waterloo and 5 people were employed to start the production of handmade racing bike frames. The barn is still part of the business.
The first frames that were produced were the models Trek TX300, TX500, TX700 en TX900 Touring frames, Steel tubing from Reynolds, Columbus or Ishiwata with lugs, welded with silver, hand built and carefully hand painted. In 1976 a total of 900 frames are made, for sale for less than $200 per frame.
One of the first Trek models as can be found in the 1977 catalog
From then on, production will gradually increase. In 1976 a turnover of 2 million dollars is booked and in 1980 a new factory is built. Also from 1980, not only frames are produced, but complete bicycles. The first models are the Trek 750 and 950. In 1983 the first mountain bike appears, the Trek 850 and from 1984 also components are made.
The first mountain bike ever produced by Trek
The first aluminum racing bike
In 1985, by analogy with the Italian Alan and the French Vitus and inspired by the aerospace industry, Trek designs its first aluminum frame: the Trek 2000. One year later follows the Trek 2500, this time not aluminum but carbon. From then on things went fast, the factory expanded, a clothing line was introduced in 1988 and a year later Trek went international with the opening of factories in the UK and Germany.
1990 is an important year for Trek with the production of the Trek 5000, a monocoque carbon frame that weighed just 1.3kg. The Trek 5000 was withdrawn from production after only 1 year due to too many defects, but from these mistakes the engineers at Trek had learned a lot. This led to the 5200 and 5500 models in 1992. The latter weighed only 1.11 kg, making it the lightest frame in the world.
The same year, the Trek 9000 was also launched: a mountain bike with both front and rear suspension (full suspension). A year later, it is the turn of the 9800 and 9900 models with a carbon frame.
Purchase of Bontrager and LeMond Racing Cycles
Business is booming and Trek decides to grow even more in the early 1990s by acquiring Bontrager, Gary Fisher Mountain Bikes and Klein Bicycles, among others. A contract will also be made with 3-time Tour de France winner Greg Lemond's LeMond Racing Cycles.
Later, in 2003, the German company Diamant was added (not the Belgian company). The partnership with LeMond Racing Cycles ended in 2008, more about that in a future article
Lance Armstrong and Trek
In 1997, Trek sponsored the US Postal pro team, signing 1993 world champion Lance Armstrong. Armstrong has just overcome cancer and few teams still believe in the former world champion's abilities.
The success story is now known. Armstrong wins the Tour de France 7 times in a row and is praised to heaven.
Years later during the 2013 interview with Oprah Winfrey, Armstrong admits to doping during his successful cycling career and loses his 7 wins.
And it must be said that Armstrong has played a very important role in Trek's success in Europe. Trek wasn't really known in Europe yet, but it became known by Lance Armstrong and the US Postal team. In 1999 he won his first Tour de France on a Trek 5500.
The Trek 5500 as used by US Postal in 1999
The models Trek 5500 and Trek 5200 used by the US Postal team in 2002
In 2003, a model was launched, named after the Col de la Madone where Armstrong tested his preparations every year: the Trek Madone.
Trek present
Trek has continued to sponsor professional teams after the successful years with Lance Armstrong. US Postal was followed by Discovery Channel – Trek, Astana, Radio Shack, Leopard Trek, Trek Segafredo.
The company has grown into the largest bicycle manufacturer in the United States and has facilities all over the world. The Benelux headquarters are located in Harderwijk in the Netherlands.
Their range consists of road bikes, mountain bikes, city bikes, children's bikes, electric bikes, time trial bikes, gravel bikes, cyclocross bikes and hybrid bikes. They also sell cycling clothing, parts and accessories and even offer cycling trips all over the world through Trek Travel.
Useful information
Official website Trek Bikes > www.trekbikes.com
Cycling teams that rode and ride a Trek road bike > www.dewielersite.be
All possible information about Trek bikes with brochures, history, serial numbers, photos > www.vintage-trek.com
