Market: Everyone has an off-the-shelf bike. Custom is cool! Drössiger offers the opportunity to have a say in your own bike and to choose equipment, color and design. In Part #1 we showed how Alex from the Ganghelden in Nuremberg helps a customer put together his dream bike. Now, in part #2 we want to show how the ordered bike is built.
In the first step we were with the gang heroes in Nuremberg-Stein. This is Alex Ederer's cool bike shop. We have seen how good advice from an experienced professional helps to gain clarity about how the bike should be that can make the owner happy. Here again to read:
Drössiger - this is how your individual dream bike is created - part #1
First of all: brain work
The bike was configured at the appointment in the bike shop. The dealer checks again that nothing has been forgotten and sends the order to the back office at JBS GmbH & Co. KG in Eschweiler. Sophisticated logistics are required to ensure that the many variants in which each wheel is offered can be built quickly. Inventory management and heads have to be on the ball so that the workflow doesn't come to a standstill.
Second: prep work
There are many frames on the shelves, unpainted of course. Since every customer can choose an individual color, including the decor, the construction starts with a raw, bare frame. Ralf and his colleagues are the masters of vast amounts of shelves, boxes and pallets. A paradise for bike lovers extends over 5.000 square meters. He collects all the parts according to the order and passes everything on to the coating department.
Then comes the detail work
The frame goes into the painting, actually one should say into the powder coating. There the frame is cleaned again and all areas that are not to be painted are masked. The frame receives an electrical charge that ensures that sprayed paint granules stick to it. Finki has been doing this for a few years and the coating is nice and even.
If the frame is completely covered with paint, it goes into the oven. At high temperatures, the colored plastic beads melt into a solid shell. With this process, this ensures a particularly durable and hard-wearing surface.
When the frame comes out of the oven, Chico takes over. He prints out the personal desired decor for each customer, an important step on the way to the dream bike. This requires absolute precision and experience. The sheer number of colours, combinations and model variants means there are a few blunders that Chico could make.
For each frame size he needs to know the exact reference points in order to be able to position the stickers perfectly. A steady hand and a lot of practice ensure crease-free attachment. The decals sit on a carrier film. They are put on and pressed on with the , then the carrier film is removed. Now the chassis is ready for the final shaping process, before assembly.
The foil that is used is not arbitrary. Because the frame still gets the finish applied in matt or glossy, again as a powder layer and goes into the oven a second time. This double powder coating not only looks high quality, it also makes the frame even more durable. The use of wet paint is deliberately avoided, as this is processed with highly toxic solvents and is therefore extremely harmful to people and the environment. We like that!
Last but not least: manual work
The frame already looks the way the customer wanted it. Only the assembly of the components is missing to complete the work of art. Only now are the bearing seats and threads milled to the final dimensions. That way you can make sure everything fits perfectly. The bottom bracket, dropouts and head tube must be at exactly the right angle to each other. Metal works when exposed to heat, for example when welding, and then the frames have to be “aligned” again.
This is the name of the process in which the dimensional accuracy is checked and corrected with the help of a stable table and metal templates. In the first few weeks after welding, during storage, the crystal lattice structure of the material is still being worked on. By finalizing the assemblage points as late as possible, the fit is the best possible.
They build the wheels for the Drössiger Bikes themselves. This is in line with the brand's "No-Bullshit" policy. After all, the dream bike should not only impress with a dream look, but also with dream performance and excellent durability. Sven is a specialist and, together with his colleagues, assembles every bike with great expertise.
The fact that it is not assembled here in an assembly line style also contributes to delivering optimal quality. This is how a mechanic assembles each wheel from A to Z. He knows every detail and feels responsible for the overall product. With classic assembly line assembly, each worker always assembles the same component. It's quicker, cheaper and means simpler fitters can be used. The ready-to-drive bikes are partially disassembled again in order to pack them securely for shipping. Of course, all the operating instructions also go with you on the trip.
If questions arise, the customer can always contact his local dealer and he can contact the Drössiger crew. That's a big advantage! The wheel is not an anonymous product from a mass production. The contact person who came up with the bike together with the owner is available and approachable if something needs to be changed. Even the mechanic who put the parts together into a bike isn't just a number.
In the last part, Drössiger - this is how your individual dream bike is created - part #3, we have the finished bike in the driving test.