"We don't go to the customer, the customer comes to us because of our philosophy. This is the case for interested dealers and end customers," says Arnold Ramel, patron of Aarios AG, describing his version of market cultivation. The bicycle manufacturer Aarios from Gretzenbach in the canton of Solothurn also differs from its competitors at home and abroad in other ways. This is because the frames are not imported goods from Taiwan, but are made by hand in the company's own factory.

The Aarios company was founded in 1930 as a cooperative of innovative bicycle dealers in Aarau. In 1976, Arnold Ramel, a trained electrical engineer and former sales manager at Bally, acquired the company and opened the company headquarters in Gretzenbach in 1982. According to Ramel, the Swiss competition rumored at the time that "Aarios wouldn't last much longer". But the opposite was true and Ramel outlived the competition. Numerous competitors such as Tigra, Cilo, Villiger, Mondia, Alpa, Allegro and Condor had given up producing their own frames in Switzerland and most of them are no longer around today.

Constancy as a fundamental philosophy
Continuity and lasting value are the keywords that Arnold Ramel uses again and again during the tour of the company. And these words are followed by the corresponding actions of his fifteen-strong team in the production of frames and the assembly of bicycles to customer specifications. From the very beginning, steel has been used as the frame material: the Dedacciai 25crmo4 frame tube, which has been designed and cut to length for the corresponding model, is milled to fit and joined together to form a frame triangle. The tubes are then not welded, but brazed into sockets with brass or silver solder. If you don't like the socket look, you can also choose from models with a hand-soldered, socketless, "filled brazed" CroMo frame.

Soldering the tubes is gentler than welding, as the temperature is lower during soldering and therefore the crystalline structure of the metal is not destroyed. The frame is then sandblasted, then iron-phosphated and passivated for 4 years to achieve optimum rust protection inside and out. There are also no compromises when it comes to coloring: a primer is powder-coated and baked at 185 degrees. This is followed by powder coating in one of around 70 available colors using the same process. Finally, a sprayed gloss or matt paint is baked at 165 degrees.

Longevity as a recipe for success
Customers can currently purchase an Aarios bike from around 45 dealers in Switzerland. Alternatively, prospective Aarios customers can also buy their bikes directly from the manufacturer in Gretzenbach and have them serviced there. According to Ramel, this is no problem at all for the dealers, as he has never liquidated a bike and does not carry out ramp sales. The continuity of the product range ensures that you are not left with surplus goods that you then have to get rid of at rock-bottom prices. He lets consumers test drive the bikes, advises them and charges detailed prices like any specialist dealer. In addition, hardly any consumers would travel from Geneva or St. Gallen, Helsinki, Caen or Vienna if they could buy the same bike with a high-quality, elegant steel frame in this variety from their local dealer.
His advantage, however, is that he has a huge selection to choose from and the advice is even more authentic. Some dealers also know how to take advantage of this and recommend that "tricky" customers visit the factory, where they will receive the best possible advice. The bike is then sold as normal via the dealer, with the cost of advice being charged.

The bicycles lined up ready for sale in the production hall bear witness to Aarios' main strength through the choice of components: the durability of its products. Headsets and bottom brackets from Chris King, Thomson seat posts and stems as well as Rohloff hubs are almost standard equipment at Aarios. These quality products are particularly appreciated by long-distance riders, and touring bikes suitable for expeditions are an important mainstay for Aarios.

Unique selection of components
You could spend hours discussing components with Arnold Ramel. He steers clear of the belt drive from Gates, as it is not suitable for winter use and the bearings of the rear wheel hubs would be overloaded by the tensioned belt. Of all the bikes on sale, not a single one is equipped with hydraulic disc brakes. These brakes are not necessary for road cyclists, they require maintenance and annoy the user because they start to grind sooner or later if they are poorly maintained.

So much stubbornness at Aarios and the renunciation of the usual marketing fireworks does not come at the expense of sales, however. The company's sustainability-oriented philosophy reaches the customer and many people are prepared to pay a corresponding price for a durable and stable bike. With his family business Aarios, Arnold Ramel proves that Switzerland has a future as a manufacturing location and, in particular, that adherence to tried-and-tested craftsmanship traditions has a future.