Wilier Factory Visit

Relationships are important to us all and without them we would face the world alone. The idea that things work better when you are part of something bigger resonated when we visited the Wilier Cycles Factory with Colin Bath of ATB Sales, the UK importer.

Wilier are situated near Trestina in the Province of Vicenza, Veneto, Italy, the city of Venice is some 50 kilometres south on the coast.

Alessandro Ballan attacks on the Muur 2007

Click to see more factory pictures

Vetted by Bob
When we arrived at the Wilier factory we were warmly welcomed, or should we say vetted?, by 'Bob', although a labrador, he is obviously a cycle fan and recognises that in each visitor, luckily we passed the test.

The Wilier Trestina factory is new, although built on the site of the old one (The owners house is adjacent), and although the interior reflects Italian Modernity, there are plenty of memories of the 100 years plus of Wilier. Lining the walls are photo portraits of the 1948 Giro d'Italia team and the Wilier museum features a number of race winning bikes including Marco Pantani's iconic 1997 Tour de France machine.

In post World War Two Italy, Wilier took on the name Wilier Triestina and the bikes were distinguished by their red copper-coloured finish. The company entered its' first Giro d'Italia in 1946 and set themselves up against the great Italian champions Coppi and Bartali. In 1948 team rider Fiorenzo Magni won the race and today the company supplies bikes to the Lampre Team.

The Wilier carbon range is designed and the carbon moulds developed and constructed at the factory, but to enable the bikes to be within the reach of the majority of buyers, the frames are made in the Far East under great supervision of Wilier. A final quality check is done on the frames delivered to the factory and then built up into complete bikes there. We winced when we were shown the frame/fork test/torture jig, and even more so when we read the computer read out as a frame was put to the test. The Spanish Inquisition would have been proud, but then again no one expects the Spanish Inquisition.

Bassano del Grappa
Wilier sits near Bassano del Grappa, famous for Grappa, a fragrant grape-based pomace brandy drink. A 'Grappa' bars sits almost on Grappa's famous wooden covered bridge, the Ponte degli Alpini or Ponte Vecchio, which straddles the Brenta River, Designed in 1569 the bridge is a place for lovers and bikers to pose.

Overlooking the area is the Mount Grappa, a long climb with a nasty bite at the end and the mountain has featured many times in the Giro d'Italia. Most poignantly a First World War cemetery sits at the top containing 25,000 Italian and Austrian's, the dead from the 1917 'Battle of Mount Grappa'.

Cycling's 'Silicon Valley'
In the shadow of the mountain a number of cycle names lie in the valley. In a short trip we passed the Pinarello factory and shop, the bike shop of Pinarello's brother, Scapin, Selle San Marco, Wheelsbike.it and only 50 kilometres way is Campagnolo. (There are many more left unseen by us) We also ventured through the home towns of Alessandro Ballan and Davide Rebellin. This may not be the 'M4 Corridor' or 'Silicon Valley', but it is an equivalent in cycle parlance.

Cycling would seem to run through the veins of the area and Wilier have close contact with almost all, when we visited a number of supply companies, we just strolled in and were hailed with friendly banter and a strong willingness by workers and owners to show of their work. People from Wilier regularly ride their bikes with the people in these small adjacent suppliers, further cementing the close relationships.

One workshop we saw they were busy spraying Lampre Team bikes (We picked up Cugnego's latest race bike) and another was building prototype Willier bikes, plus a team bike for a squad sprinter, whom has asked for even greater stiffness at the front. It all seemed so seamless, communication between all allowed for innovation and quick changes to be made. The competition from the Far East has seen many of these type of companies fail, but those which remain provide speciality work at a cost that seems to work.

As a cycling fan we couldn't help but feel enthused by our visit and we can't wait to return to ride the Mount Grappa, and join the lovers on the Ponte degli Alpini with a glass of Grapa in hand.

Websites
Wilier UK - www.wilierbikes.co.uk/