Chipps follows the path of an Asian-made bike from concept sketch to mountainside testing.

WORDS & PHOTOGRAPHY CHIPPS

BEHIND THE SCENES

I’ve always wanted to follow the development of a product from first-sketch to final product, but it’s easier said than done. Many companies are rightly wary about opening themselves up to outsiders, especially journalists. There are all sorts of intellectual property worries in letting someone see behind the product designer’s wizard’s curtain, not to mention potential embarrassment if it all goes wrong.

I’d mooted this idea to a few companies over the years and usually received replies along the line of ‘Great idea! It’s never going to happen…’ Finally, though, Simon Wild and the team at Saracen Bikes agreed to let me come along on a factory visit to see how things get made. Simon went further than that in fact. He’s proud of his suppliers and of the work that Saracen’s factories do, so I had carte blanche to shoot any photos I wanted, ask any questions, and to really try to get an idea about how a complex modern mountain bike is brought to the shop floor for you or me to buy.

Snookered.

You know those trick shots in snooker where the player hits one ball and the chain reaction causes every other ball to land in the pockets, all at the same time?

That seems a good analogy to start with for bike design. You’re trying to set things in motion, over a period of months, sometimes years: the product design, the component spec, the ISO testing, the production, the component assembly and painting, the shock tuning, the samples, the brochure photography, the graphics, the finished bikes arriving by container – everything, so that it all culminates in that one model being available for sale on a particular date. Preferably a bike that the customers will have heard about through advertising, and seen used through team sponsorship, with a dealer and warranty backup, in this year’s hot colours, with the best new suspension design and fitted with the latest must-have components. All of that needs to happen for every model in the range, every year. And when that’s done, there needs to be something in the pipeline for next year. It’s quite a treadmill.

My trip would take in visits to both Taiwan and mainland China, to see several factories where Saracen’s alloy suspension bikes, carbon hardtails, and carbon full suspension bikes are made, painted and assembled. Then I’d have a chance to test out one of the new models before its launch date in autumn 2017. But first, let’s go back to April…

Into China.

A bleary, jet-lagged state is rarely conducive to smooth Customs formalities – especially in China, where you need a visa for entry and a sponsoring company to vouch for you. Luckily my papers were in order and, after a silent look up and down, the young customs officer let me through and into mainland China.