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Medio Volume 2 #6
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Medio Magazine Vol 2 Issue 6 (1995)(Medio).iso
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20th.txt
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1995-03-01
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46 lines
Specialized Celebrates its 20th Anniversary
"Boy, were things ever different in 1974. Bell-bottom pants were
suffering from chain-chew and I was fixing up old bikes to make a
little spending money. Back then, good components were hard to
come by in this country. So on a cycling trip to Europe, I picked
up a bunch of really nice Italian parts, sold some to local bike
shops, and the rest to guys like Tom Ritchey and Joe Breeze.
"They all wanted more, so I got a little cash for my VW bus, had
another load of parts shipped over, and Specialized Bicycle
Components was in business. (Our distribution system was a little
crude, though - a cheesey little two-wheel trailer pulled behind
my bike from store.
"After awhile, I figured: If you want to something done right, do it
yourself. So Specialized produced its first products - touring tires
and tested them by having my friend Jim Merz ride from Northern
California to Panama.
"Then, one thing just led to another and we began designing and
creating everthing a cyclist could want: helmets, lights, rings,
rims, bottles, stems, shoes, saddles, gloves, forks, more
tires - and of course, the bikes themselves.
"We haven't been the only ones making these things, of course. But I
think what has always set us apart from the others is the very reason
why I called this company Specialized to begin with. We're not here
just to manufacture a line of products - we're here to completely
"specialize" a cyclist's ride.
"That means pushing the technology envelope harder and farther than
anyone else. It also means making premium gear affordable to more
riders.
"Anyway, that's how a company that started with just a little two-wheel
trailer grew to become a brand of bike equipment that's known and
respected around the world. It's not the fame that matters to me,
though. It's the fact that in the course of all that growth, we've
not once compromised our commitment to what cyclists really want
and need. Not once.
"I'll tell you something else about Specialized: Even though we've been
around for twenty years, this company still feels like it just got
started - the people here still act like they have something to prove.
"I expect it'll always be that way."