Trek continues to expand its Project One custom bike program with a new option called the Factory Experience. Now, you can not only order the bike you’ve always wanted but you can also have someone physically walk you through the order process, get a tour of the factory, and get professionally fit to your new bike on site. After the bike is all done, you can even head out for a guided ride with Trek employees on your new rig.
Trek’s new Factory Experience comprises two separate components, both of which occur on site at the company headquarters in Waterloo, Wisconsin. Project One buyers opting for the Factory Order option get a full factory tour – including the carbon molding area, test lab, and assembly areas – and also chat one-on-one with members of the product development team.
Included in the Factory Order and Factory Pickup packages is a full tour of the factory, including a look at how carbon frames are produced
After fueling up with lunch at the company’s farm-to-table cafeteria, you’ll then receive a complete bike fit (supposedly using the same staff and process as the Trek Factory Racing team) and finally, walk through the entire Project One ordering process with a Trek staff member to ensure you get everything you want. Participants even get a discount for any other desired accessories at the in-house Trek Store but even if you don’t buy anything else, Trek still send you off with a bag of goodies.
Alternatively – or in combination – there’s the Factory Pickup option. Here, you get the same factory tour, swag bag, and Trek Store discounts but instead of taking delivery of your new bike at a local dealer, your new Project One bike is fully assembled and prepped in-house by one of Trek’s Race Shop mechanics. After heading out for a ride on the surrounding roads (or Trek’s own private trail network), your new bike gets professionally packed up in a custom Scicon soft-sided travel case for you to take on the plane – or, if you prefer, Trek will ship it, too.
Neither of the Factory Experience options are inexpensive but considering what's included, they're not exorbitantly priced, either
Not surprisingly, neither the Factory Order nor Factory Pickup options are cheap with full retail costs of US$1,000 apiece. Keep in mind that that’s in addition to the bike itself, and that also doesn’t include airfare or accommodations (although Trek is happy to also provide full travel logistics support through its Trek Travel division).
That said, it’s not an exorbitant figure considering the travel bag alone retails for US$650 / €550, with comprehensive bike fits not all that far behind. Trek says combo pricing is also possible for Project One clients who want to do both.
Want to sit down with someone at Trek and walk through the entire Project One ordering process? You can do so here
Trek will offer the Factory Experience globally and says the program can be applied toward any Project One bike – road, mountain, or ‘cross. Trek will begin scheduling Factory Experience appointments on August 3 with the first Factory Pickup slated for September 4.
For more information, visit www.trekbikes.com