F.R.O. Import - importazione bici e componenti - import bikes and components

If you already know who he is you'd better pass by. His name should have evoked so many glorious images that any further word would deprive the magic of your memories. If you have never heard of him, well, no problem, there's no shame in being joung. We'll tell you something

Reading Frank "The Welder" Wadelton's, a.k.a. FTW, will make you shudder. As a teenager, he built a bike with parts taken from old frames and a shopping trolley (no, we are not joking). Then he grew up, and he entered the first Yeti. The one in Agoura Hills, Ca. There, he built the story of mountain biking. Not many are the innovative products which have been designed without his advising. And we are talking about those things which have allowed those old clunkers to turn into high performance bikes. Easton ultralight tubes, for example. Or ATAC stems, Accu-trax forks, or, again, Shimano brake levers. Otherwise Bullseye thru-axle cranksets: he welded about a thousand of them. But the list is endless.

Most important, however, is his work at Yeti. The reason why he had been inducted into the MTB Hall of Fame. Just a name: ARC. He designed it, and then welded the first prototype. He wanted it so badly that he built one while John Parker, the steel integralist boss, was away. In fact, Parker had sworn that no alu frame would have ever been built by the Durango factory. Well, the ARC was produced, and it's the longest lasting Yeti frame ever, being it still in production. But just think about it. The boss goes away and what does Frank do? Does he sit at Parker's dest, putting his boots on the table? Does he smoke his Cuban cigars ready to put the blame on the cleaners? No. He welds that aluminium frame which has became an obsession for him. And then he asks Zapata Espinoza, the mithical MBA Editor, to cover him. And Zapata immediately calls Parker, telling him how great that frame is, and requesting the immediate preparation of that double butted gem for testing.

Not only Yeti, however. Frank's mastery is what is often hidden behind the frames that pros used in the NORBA circuit, or in the World Cup races, when they refused to use the sponsors' bikes. It's not a case that alu Giant ATX John Tomac rode looked so cool.

Frank has moved to Vermont, and he's still welding custom frames... The bike industry is not for him. Other people made gobs of money allowing their names to be printed or laser etched Taiwan stems made in Taiwan and CAD-designed by some egghead. Not him. Frank makes no compromises. He's still building with the same passion he had 30 years ago. And if you are lucky enough to talk to him, he will never be in a hurry, he will always find some time to speak to you. And to listen, too. I still remember my surprised when he told me that he was really interested in listening to my negative experience with ultralight ultra-thin steel tubes, very performing but also terribly prone to denting. Not a problem for a pro racer, a big deal for a self-financing privateer who must pay even for his brake pads. The ordinary I-know-everything framebuilder would simply patronize, sentencing you can't ride. Frank, the greatest, will listen, and ask advices.

His experience, his willing to listen, have made him strong. He knows that any design problem can be solved. And so, he can weld any type of frame, from a DH rig to a 29er. You say, he welds. "Frank, I'd like 29-inch-wheeled softail, with bent chainstays""Yes... no problems". "Can you build a racing hardtail with clearance for 3-inch-tires?" "No problem". "A 8-inch-travel DH frame for my 10 years old son daughter?" "No problem".
Provided you are patient enough, and willing to spend to get the best quality around. It's well worth it, though, to have in your garage the tangible manifestation of the spirit of mountain biking.