Trek Bicycles
.
.
‘In 1976, my dad started Trek in a barn in Waterloo, Wisconsin.
A lot of people would have seen the barn for what it was. But my dad saw something bigger—a way to bring freedom and adventure to people all around the world. People underestimate themselves. But that doesn’t happen at Trek and it shouldn’t happen anywhere. When someone shows you a barn, see something bigger. This is my father’s way, and it is Trek’s way.’
–John Burke
The bicycle is a simple solution to many of the world’s most complex problems, including climate change, obesity and congestion. We’re committed to supporting organisations and causes that use bikes as a force of good for our planet and every person on it.
Trek was never just a name. From the beginning, it was a summation of values.
In spring 1976, in a southern Wisconsin barn located halfway between their homes in Madison and Milwaukee, a pair of visionaries set out to make a business of building bikes of extraordinary artistry. Here, in the geographically convenient town of Waterloo, their dream sparked to life.
There were five employees on the payroll when the barn doors opened in 1976. In its first year, Trek produced 904 touring frames. Steel tubing, lugged and silver-brazed, handcrafted and hand-painted with care.
A culture of craftsmanship and rebellion was fostered in the young American upstart. Every bend and every weld was charged with purpose, as each meticulously constructed frame broke the convention that all great bikes must come from Europe. Trek was out to change minds.
Today, Trek’s headquarters is a mile up the road from the original barn, in a much larger facility. Although Trek has outgrown the barn, every bike we make is a testament to Trek’s founding principles.
Our commitment to relentless innovation while honouring our founding principles to build bikes that we love that we are proud to stand behind has led us to where we are today. But we know that there is so much more that we can do. This world needs the bicycle more today than ever before. And Trek is building a better world through this simple, elegant machine. Come ride with us.