Tailor-made Thurgau bikes

Tour de Suisse has been manufacturing bicycles and e-bikes for over 80 years.
Reto Meyer: There are actually two steps: First, we produce a wide basic range of types: from urban to e-bikes to mountain bikes. They meet the different requirements of our customers. In the second step, the customer takes the reins and customizes a basic type according to their individual wishes. We then assemble and paint their very own personalized bike.

Isn't that relatively time-consuming?
Of course, it's much more complex for us to work in this way than simply producing ready-made bikes in stock, taking them to dealers in the spring and putting them in the shop window. Like many others do.

Why are you making it so complicated? Surely it could be much simpler!
We can't help it! (laughs) It's in our company DNA, we don't just want to sell our customers a bike, but their bike, their very personal bike. We are convinced that a beautiful bike is something individual and very special. And that is certainly true. We have found that customers are quite prepared to pay a great deal of attention to the subject when buying a new bike.

For example, by choosing the frame color and the decorative color from dozens of colors?
Yes, certainly that too. Colors play a central role. Men's colors, women's colors, fashion colors, vintage colors, elegant high-gloss or cool matt finishes. The colors are the most obvious selection criterion for Tour de Suisse, but of course not the only one. A wide range of technical components can be selected. For more comfort, less weight or a higher load. Gears, saddle, brakes and so on and so forth.

Isn't the customer overwhelmed by so much information and technical details?
Our experience is different: because the customer can choose from many components, he is interested and deals with the individual options and becomes a little bike expert himself. What is a Pinion gearbox, and what are the advantages of this technology, what can I choose instead? And so on. And then, of course, there's always the Tour de Suisse bike dealer, who can explain everything first-hand.

So you go to the bike dealer and put your bike together there?
You can do that. And there are many customers who do it that way. There is also another way: you can select the type of bike you want on our website and configure it down to the last detail. From frame size and color to the technical refinements. You can download your personal bike as a PDF, show it to friends and discuss it with your local dealer.

Isn't everything covered on the data sheet? What else is there to talk about?
You know how it is: pictures are nice, but live is something completely different! Take the colors, for example: At the dealership, customers can look at all the paint samples in sunlight. Live, they really shine or look elegantly matt. Customers can also inspect the accessories or get technical instructions.

The competition for e-bikes and bikes is fierce, does that scare you a little?
No, healthy respect! The competition is broad and big, the market offers healthy potential and bikes and e-bikes are in vogue. You only need to be afraid of the competition if you don't have a profile. We have positioned ourselves clearly: a Swiss manufacturer that produces customized bikes. Each one is a customer's dream, a one-off. Not so many do that.

Let's talk about the money. Tour de Suisse bikes are not among the cheapest. Is that a problem?
No, we produce locally with trained staff. Our customers understand and appreciate that. The quality they receive is very high. The prices are fair. Nowadays, nobody can impose unrealistic prices on the market.