Though the primary Thomson bike product solely dates again to 1995, Thomson as an organization dates all the best way again to 1968. It was in 1968 that Ronnie and Margaret Thomson arrange their first machining store referred to as NEMCO (Numerical Engineering Machine Firm), they principally produced components for the aviation business.
Boeing & Thomson
In 1981 NEMCO was bought to Boeing and Ronnie and Margaret open L. H. Thomson Firm Inc. in the identical constructing they used to make use of (which they purchase again from Boeing). Not like NEMCO that used to give attention to instruments and die, the brand new firm start to give attention to manufacturing precision components utilizing computer systems and CNC machining.
In 1992 the corporate strikes right into a designed-by-Ronnie 60,000+ sq. foot facility in Macon, Georgia. That is roughly 4 occasions the dimensions of their earlier constructing.
Get on Bikes
It’s round this time that Ronnie and Margaret’s youngsters have gotten actually into biking. Their daughter is in a biking crew and has a crew mate who’s a neighbour of Gary Klein (legendary early MTB designer). Klein and Thomson get to listen to about one another and Gary Klein suggests that somebody must make a seat submit for mountain bikes.
Robust & Dependable
Thomson merchandise are sturdy and dependable. They’re designed and manufactured with an especially excessive quantity of consideration to element. Little touches similar to: the seatposts have longer than regular saddle rail clamps (for spreading the load higher), the seatpost collars use a bolt, washer and barrel design that permits for float and a good clamping drive when tightening all of it up.
However arguably the principle USP of Thomson is that their stuff is tremendous sturdy. Their posts and stems are as much as 40% stronger than their rivals.
Their dropper seatpost is understood within the business as being probably the most dependable and easy-to-live-with dropper submit on the market. And it’s one of many lightest too.
Just about all Thomson elements are 100% made within the USA. For instance, the blocks of aluminium come pre-cut from Indiana after being extruded initially in Minnesota. As soon as machined, the components go over to Pennsylvania to be anodised.
Silver or black? Black!
Thomson merchandise have a particular stlye and aesthetic to them as properly. You might inform a Thomson element immediately even when it had its logos eliminated. Not that you’ll ever see a Thomson emblem eliminated as their laser etched on and extremely sturdy.
Thomson aren’t caught previously. However they don’t carry out new variations of their stuff yearly both. One among Thomson’s expertise is updating their vary or bringing out merchandise solely when the time is true and the product is as much as their exacting requirements.
The selection of expertise
Thomson merchandise aren’t the most cost effective. They aren’t all the time the lightest. However to an ever-growing variety of cyclists they’re the product of alternative.
