Trek Bicycle Corporation
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| Private | |
| Industry | Bicycles |
| Founded | 1975 |
| Headquarters | Waterloo, Wisconsin, USA |
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Key people
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John Burke, President |
| Products | Bicycles and related components |
| Revenue | US$900 million (est.) (2013) |
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Number of employees
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1,800 |
| Parent | Intrepid Corporation |
| Subsidiaries | Fahrradhandel Gesellschaft GmbH (Austria) Bikeurope BV (Netherlands) Trek Denmark Trek Bicycle GmbH (Germany) Trek Japan Bike USA S.L. (Spain) Trek Fahrrad AG (Switzerland) Trek UK Trek Korea Electra Bicycle Company |
| Website | www |
Trek Bicycle Corporation is a major bicycle and cycling product manufacturer and distributor under brand names Trek, Electra Bicycle Company, Gary Fisher, Bontrager, Diamant Bikes, Villiger Bikes and, until 2008, LeMond Racing Cycles and Klein. With its headquarters in Waterloo, Wisconsin, Trek bicycles are marketed through 1,700 dealers across North America, subsidiaries in Europe and Asia as well as distributors in 90 countries worldwide.
In December, 1975, Richard (Dick) Burke and Bevil Hogg established Trek Bicycle as a wholly owned subsidiary of Roth Corporation, a Milwaukee-based appliance distributor. In early 1976, with a payroll of five, Trek started manufacturing steel touring frames in Waterloo, Wisconsin, taking aim at the mid to high-end market dominated by Japanese and Italian made models. Trek built nearly 900 custom hand-brazed framesets that first year, each selling for just under $200. Later that same year Trek Bicycle was incorporated. In 1977, Penn Cycle in Richfield, Minnesota became the first Trek dealer in the world. Within three years, Trek sales approached $2,000,000.
Hampered without additional manufacturing capacity, Trek sales plateaued in the late 1970s. In just a few years Trek had outgrown its original "red barn" manufacturing facility—a former carpet warehouse. Recognizing the need for expansion, in 1980 Trek broke ground on a new 26,000 sq ft (2,400 m2) corporate headquarters on the outskirts of Waterloo. Company co-founder Dick Burke would later recall that "it wasn’t until we built the new factory that we became a business." With more factory space available, Trek expanded its manufacturing to include complete bikes. In 1981 Trek entered the steel road racing bike market, introducing the "Pro" line, including the 750 and 950 models, and in 1983 Trek built its first mountain bike, the 850. In 1984 Trek ventured into the aftermarket parts and accessories business, launching its Trek Components Group (TCG) department.
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