OUR CRAFT
OUR CRAFT
PRECISION CRAFTED GRAVITY MTB COMPONENTS SINCE 2002
SPANK INDUSTRIES is one of very few brands of its size in the world, with in-house design, development and manufacturing of our complete line of unique and exclusive components. We do not outsource the manufacture of our designs to industrial scale factories.
From delivery of the highest quality raw materials, we actually manufacture our product ourselves in our wholly owned factory, which is called FRATELLI INDUSTRIES.
AT HOME ON THE EMERALD GREEN ISLAND OF TAIWAN
TAIWAN is arguably the bicycle manufacturing capital of the world, and has been for at least the past 30 years. With an estimated 90% of all MTB brands manufacturing their product here (frames, components, tires and accessories), it is no surprise that the quality of product manufactured here surpasses that found in most any other location globally.
The experience of the diverse bicycle manufacturing network in Taiwan is certainly unmatched anywhere else in the world.
Check the finer detail of the product you are using - regardless of where the brand HQ is based, chances are the parts are manufactured in Taiwan before being shipped to USA or Germany, for example, to be assembled.
SPANK is one of very few brands of its size in the world, with in-house design, development and manufacturing of our complete line of unique and exclusive components. We do not outsource the manufacture of our designs to industrial scale factories. From delivery of the highest quality raw materials, we actually manufacture our product ourselves in our wholly owned factory, which is called FRATELLI INDUSTRIES.
Founded by SPANK President Gavin Vos, FRATELLI now produces not only SPANK Components, but also designs and manufactures high end alloy rims for ‘top 10’ rim brands.
SPANK HQ is in the heart of the city of Taichung, TAIWAN. Taichung is a buzzing, modern harbor city of approximately 2.5 million people.
The city is surrounded by mountains on three sides, and faces the West Coast of the Island. Our HQ crew has access to local riding trails within 15mins drive from our base, and we participate almost weekly during the season in local trail clearing and building initiatives. In 2019, the Taiwan Mountain Bike Association was formally founded and affiliated to government bodies, marking the beginning of a coordinated strategy to increase the network of official mountain bike trails in Taiwan.
Our factory, FRATELLI INDUSTRIES, is situated snugly between high-grade export guava plantations and picturesque village temples. Our factory staff are all local to the village area and commute locally to FRATELLI by scooter and bicycle daily.
SPANK INDUSTRIES rims are precision handcrafted in our own factory, FRATELLI INDUSTRIES. Each rim undergoes 12 quality control checks before it reaches you. In order to optimize the robust, yet light-weight to performance ratio you expect, SPANK INDUSTRIES has developed a number of patented technologies which begin with the design principles of our products, are implemented meticulously during our material processing and manufacturing methods, and ultimately tested in the field by our professional factory athletes before we make them available to you.
HANDLEBAR DESIGN & MANUFACTURE
HANDLEBAR DESIGN & MANUFACTURE
FROM EXTREME GRADUAL TAPER, TO VIBROCORE - ENGINEERING A PREMIUM BUT ACCESSIBLE ALLOY BAR
We carefully select the perfect alloy for each new handlebar model independently, based on the desired level of strength, stiffness, compliance and comfort. Processes such as tube drawing increase the strength of alloys by breaking down the grain size and optimizing strength to weight ratio. Our XGT Technology is a SPANK proprietary design that minimizes stress risers (weak points where breaks and bends could occur). This XGT design dissipates energy in a ‘free flow’ from the bar clamp zone to the tapered bar ends, and combined with our butting and swaging technique, ensures precision wall thicknesses and a safer cockpit for you.
PEDAL & STEM CNC
PEDAL & STEM CNC
STATE OF THE ART MANUFACTURING PROCESS
Forging alloy in a mould, piece by piece, needs more time, and ultimately costs more. But this is just the beginning of what we invest into bringing a superior pedal and stem to the market.
We equipped ourselves with latest-technology in-house manufacturing centre. Employing 5-Axis Japanese CNC machines, PCD Diamond cutting tools from the leading automotive supplier in Germany, and Swiss-made fixtures, we have spared no expense to develop and improve on our pedal and stem.
Because we specifically designed our own new complete manufacturing lines to satisfy our need for a superior pedal, we can now achieve tolerances and consistency normally reserved for the aerospace industry.