He Had A Good Ride

Richard "Dick" Burke, founder of the Trek Bicycle Company, died Monday at the age of 73. The Times writes:

Mr. Burke was the owner of an appliance distributorship in Milwaukee before turning to making bicycles. At the time, European models dominated the market, and there were few luxury American brands. But in the mid-'70s, as American biking boomed beyond the tricycle and the single-speed Schwinn, Mr. Burke saw potential profit in the high-end bike.

That first year in the barn, the Trek company produced 805 handmade, finely detailed road bikes and earned $161,000. Last year, the company manufactured 1.5 million bikes and had revenue of $670 million.

My first somewhat upscale bike was the Trek 1500, a solid bike that served me well for two years and is now OOS's ride (Pictured is the Trek 1500 from 2007; mine is a 2004). So, here's a toast to Dick Burke, a great American success story.