Singletrack

Willing is a factory that assembles bikes for a large
number of companies, and we were there to meet with Dean
and his staff to check final paint and decals for next year’s
Saracen ranges. In the office were a bunch of mostly finished
frames, some of which we’d seen during the week, like the
Gulf Racing orange and blue hardtail we’d seen at Long Trend
and the fully built new model carbon Ariel… Simon was
busy checking paint tubes against laptop drawings while Ryan
checked that shock bolts fitted frames that were only designed
when that new Fox shock was just some measurements and
a photo of how it would look. Even at this late stage, it’s still
possible to find components that clash or aren’t the size they
were meant (or that you’d understood) to be.
Eyeing up.
A tour of the Willing factory showed the assembly lines where
finished frames would be built into bikes and then packed
into boxes. Ever built a bike from a box and wondered how
on earth they pack it into such a small space? Companies
like Willing have a precise method that dictates where each
component goes, where the zip ties and the foam protection
goes – even a single exact bit of tape on a rim if it’s likely
that something will scratch it. Everything must be repeatable
– and workers have iPads on which they can access the spec
for every bike, finished colour, and photos of how they all fit
together. Once the assembly line starts, it’s all about speed
and efficiency, but like all the factories I’d seen, much effort
and time goes into getting that actual process correct so that it
works every single time.
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