Fidusa

About

The history of the modern Greek bicycling begins in 1951, in the beautiful island of Rhodes, when the first National bicycle Championship was held. Many young people watching the athletes were spurred to take up cycling by joining one of the four cycling clubs of the island. In 1977, at age 17, Giorgos Voyatzis became the young champion of Greece and broke the National Record in the 1.000 metre race.

He became champion of Greece several times since then and was a member of the National road cycling team till 1987. In 1985 he started showing interest in the technology and manufacture of bicycle frames, as well as the dimensions of the frames and the materials used. He decided to visit the factory FAGGIN in Padova, Italy where hand- made bicycles were manufactured. The friendly atmosphere of this family business helped him learn the secrets involved in manufacturing hand-made bicycles.

When he returned to Greece after quite a long time, he brought with him his unique friendship and gratitude to the FAGGIN family and his ambition to be the first person to manufacture racing bicycles in Greece. In the first months of 1986 he chose the name FIDUSA - an old name of Rhodes - for his first Greek frames, and shortly afterwards he created a track and road bicycle manufacturing unit with BIKE MACHINERY equipment. In 1987, while still a member of the Greek national team, he supplied the Greek teams with frames made of COLUMBUS and ORIA tubes with connecting rings.

Today, FIDUSA has the capability of transforming the shape of the tubes and using FIDUSA special techniques. We design the frames with the help of computers, so that the dimensions of the rider are taken into account together with other parameters, such as the angle of inclination of the seat tube, the head tube, the fork etc., which are more precisely calculated. We use the Bikefitting Analysis System, a sophisticated computer assisted measuring equipment that provides the optimal frame geometry and determines the proper adjustments for the best performance and cyclist’s comfort. The frames are welded with the modern method T.I.G. for the iron as well as the aluminum frames and this method is currently being tested in titanium frames.

The company’s own frame manufacturing plant covers an area of 310 m2 and there is an additional storage space of 500 m2 where materials and spare parts are stored. In addition, there is a special plant for the electrostatic liquid painting of the frames. Finally, there is a 500 m2 exposition hall for FIDUSA bicycles where the visitors have the opportunity to inspect and choose, after previous arrangement with G. Voyatzis, the type of tubes, of the frames the length, the angles of the frame, the spare parts used and the colour of the frames. FIDUSA insists in the idea of the genuine hand-made frames, while using the most modern equipment, techniques and materials in order to manufacture road, track and mountain bicycles. The annual production does not exceed the 200 frames.

Today, the best Greek cyclists such as G. Chimonetos, N. Aggelidis, V. Lialos etc. race and win using FIDUSA bicycles. Apart from Greece, where most of the production is absorbed, the FIDUSA bicycles are exported to Cyprus, Gr. Britain, Germany, Austria and other countries.