Look at the tradition, process it, innovate it.

Gorilla’s operation is run from Zurich, but the branding is decidedly Italian. That situation is less a result of aesthetic concerns than of logistics. His native Alpine land is great, but “a productive frame building industry, as we still find it in Italy, does not exist in Switzerland anymore,” Schreier laments. Plus, “sourcing in Italy is more fun, and also more difficult; they are unreliable on a very professional level,” he jokingly adds in reference to the country’s labor laws, which ascend to a level of unionization and bureaucracy that would make American and Asian manufacturers’ heads spin.

Of course in the bicycle business, when forced to outsource production there are far worse places to end up than Switzerland’s southern neighbor. “There were a couple, and still are a few, really good frame builders in Italy, with a lot of experience and expertise, and with a no-bullshit approach to the frame and the bicycle,” he says in admiration. “The frame building is their craft and their trade [and is] connected to these personalities; the experience is real, it is this person in front of you that knows how to do this, not some representative or technician. Some of these guys are monuments, legends, and there is a lot of cycling history connected to their names; victories, defeat.”

Gorilla’s pursuit of the Italian mystique has to date given the company license to legends. The first few years in operation Schreier worked with the likes of Tommasini and Giovanni Pelizzoli, the latter also known as Ciöcc, the subject of Cinecycle filmmaker Daniel Leeb’s 2009 documentary, “Anima D’Acciaio (Soul of Steel),” and Gorilla is currently manufacturing with the facility in charge of Cinelli’s XLR frames, which Schreier unflinchingly considers “the best TIG welder in Italy.” Knowing that “welding stainless steel tubes is top level craft, very difficult,” he appreciates the collaboration with builders. “These guys come to understand that we seriously want them to become more than just suppliers of frames,” Schreier says. “We involve them in every step of the production: from discussing the design, construction details, sourcing, work flows.”

Edward “Wonka” LaForte testing the Kilroy. Photo by Ed Glazar, www.tedwardglazarphotography.com

White Industries