A Hundred Years of Artistry

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Tradition and Innovation Intertwined
▲Wilier's three brothers work together. From
left: Andrea, Enrico, and Michele Gastadello.
A Hundred Years of Artistry
Wilier Triestina, founded in 1906, is one of the only major Italian bicycle brands
not named after its founder. In over a century of bicycle artistry, the company
has seen what it is to rise and fall, collapse and be resurrected. And now, three
young brothers have taken the helm to build on its illustrious past for an equally
glorious future.
Text & Photos: Editorial Dept.
▲Wilier's early classic logo.
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BMU 2011 Autumn
▲Wilier's post-World War II
assembly line.
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▲Wilier's company headquarters is about an hour's drive
from Campagnolo.
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Antique Wilier
bicycles from 1930
W
hile Italy’s other five well-known brands
have gained attention chiefly for slick new
products and impressive sales, Wilier is distinguished by its understated prestige and long standing success. Wilier has perfected the art of making
bicycles. Consequently, the company’s global market sales are growing, and its exceptional capacity
for innovation has also led to excellent competition
performance. Wilier’s competitive edge proved
especially sharp this year, with second place Giro
d’ Italia winner Michele Scarponi riding a Wilier
road bike.
Birth, Summit, Decline, and Rebirth
Businessman Pietro Dal Molin from Bassano
started his small hand-made bicycle workshop in
1906. His son Mario took over after World War
I, and started perfecting the bikes with chromium
and nickel plating to enhanc durability and quality.
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2011 Autumn BMU
39
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▲An antique Wilier bike from 1955.
▲The bicycle designed for Marco Pantani in 1997.
Things only got better during
the period of reconstruction
after World War II – bicycling
became the most vital form of
everyday transportation, and
alongside football, the most
popular sport as well.
In view of cycling’s el▲The 1950 Wilier logo.
evated popularity, Dal Molin
set up a professional cycling
team captained by famous cyclist Giordano Cottur
in the autumn of 1945, and named the team “Wilier
Triestina” after the city. The following year the
team participated in the Giro d’ Italia and won victories in many stages. The team soon became such
a famous representation of Wilier throughout Italy
that the company’s copper-red bikes later became a
trademark. The company’s sporting triumphs were
matched by a huge surge in business, and Wilier’s
daily output reached 200 bicycles, with employment of 300 workers.
Wilier furthered its success and prestige by
taking on Fiorenzo Magni, who after Coppi and
Bartali, became the third great hero of Italian cycling when he won the Giro d’ Italia in 1948. That
same year, Wilier cycling took hold in South America as well, and the wins kept coming: between 1948
and 1950, the Wilier team won several national
races, as well as the Tour de France. However, with
,
the 50s came the industrial boom, which promptly
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BMU 2011 Autumn
▲The bike on which Alessandro Ballan won the Road World Championship
in 2008.
left bicycles in the dust of motor vehicles. In 1952,
Wilier shut its doors.
The Wilier we are familiar with today is a resurrection of this brand by the Gastaldello brothers,
who bought the Wilier trademark in 1969. Through
creativity, innovation, research, and development,
they brought the brand back to life with as much vitality as the brand had in its heyday.
In1985, Claudio Corti won the Italian national
road bike tournament on a Wilier. In 1997, Marco
Pantani rode a Wilier to third in the Tour de France,
including victories in two mountain stages. In 2000,
Sergei Goncharwin won the world championship
road bike time trial. In 2004, Davide Rebellin won
the famous Amstel Gold—Fleche Wallone and
Liege Bastogne Liege. In 2007, Damiano Cunego
won the classic. Giro di Lombardia for the second
time. then won it again in 2008. In 2008, he won
the classic Amstel Gold Race. In 2008, Alessandro
Ballan won the world road bike tournament and his
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Wilier TT
Three Brothers Working Together
In 1994, Wilier moved to its current 6,000 sq
m factory in Rossano Venato, where 35 employees
work chiefly on assembly. Carbon fiber and aluminum frames are imported from Shenzhen and complete bicycles from Taiwan.
Today, Wilier sells an annual 23,000 bikes and
revenue, which has reached €30 million, is expected
to grow 10% this year. Currently, 90% of sales are
road bikes, but the proportion of mountain bike
sales is expected to increase to 20% in 2012.
Carrying on the Legacy
▲A Wilier assembly line.
▲The Wilier factory.
▲Wilier's latest carbon frame.
▲A skilled assembler hard at work.
teammate Damiano Cunego won second place. In
2011, Michele Scarponi won second place in the
Giro d’ Italia.
In January of
last year, former chairman Lino Gastadello,
who at the age of 72
still cycled 3-4 times a
week, passed away. His
sons Enrico, Michele,
and Andrea Gastaldello
transformed their sorrow into strength, and
now work as a unified ▲Former chairman Lino Gastaldello,
man who initiated Wilier's
team to bring Wilier’s the
resurrection, passed away during a
glorious legacy into riding accident last year.
the future. Andrea, the
youngest, has taken on the role of President. Enrico
is in charge of sales, Michele is in charge of production, and Andrea is in charge of marketing and
finance.
When asked about the Wilier spirit and brand
positioning, Andrea explained that the Wilier brand
represents a rich cultural heritage and passion for
competitive cycling that owners of Wilier bicycles
recognize and appreciate. Wilier doesn’t just manufacture bicycles, it creates them. Only the most
advanced materials and innovative technology are
used in the making of new bikes, and only after
scrupulous lab and rider testing are final products
released to the market. Wilier Triestina is tradition
and innovation intertwined.
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