From wooden garage to own workshop
Toothpaste marks are still lined up by the sink, his toothbrush lying just to the left. The microwave gives off a warm afterglow from the reheated pizza he finished minutes earlier. The air still smells faintly of it in his brand new, yet unfinished workshop. “I just finished my lunch,” says Tibo Dierckx, the Catalan who was born in Belgium, around mid day on a Friday in the Catalan winter. “A little after four this morning, I was already at work here.”
Text and photos: Adrian Ossorio & Sjors Beukeboom
The scene says something about the work ethic of the mechanic who now lives in Barcelona but grew up in El Papiol, the small town where he recently opened his own atelier. The space, about the size of a large living room, is still being organised while we speak. Everything is placed with purpose, including the iron worktables at sitting height, adjusted a touch higher than usual to match Dierckx’s almost two-metre frame, which towers above the average Catalan.
In the middle of the room stands a motorbike he uses on the Barcelona circuit. It sits there like a centrepiece, impossible to ignore. When he hits the starter for fun, the whole building trembles. Even the rooms above us shake, though the workshop itself is on the ground floor.
His smile fills the unfinished workshop. It matches the energy he puts into Tibo Suspensions, the company that has grown from a personal interest into a life-defining project. He feels at home here, close to where he spent his youth and still an easy ride from Barcelona. He always travels by motorbike, choosing the for cyclists famous BV-1468 and Sant Bartomeu de la Quadra over the in drivers’ nightmares-appearing Ronda de Dalt in Barcelona.
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He jokes that the bike he uses on the road is a “weaker version” compared to the one sitting proudly in the centre of the workshop that minutes ago caused neighbours to think that El Papiol was the epicentre of a light earthquake.
Workaholic
Some people might describe the owner of Tibo Suspensions as a workaholic. After spending a Friday afternoon with him — including a visit to his favourite lunch spot, 4 Canyes — it becomes clear that his business is a mixture of a passion that has grown controlled and a lifelong love for motorbikes.
Most suspensions arriving in El Papiol are picked up and delivered personally by Dierckx, by moto.
“Always with the goal to get them back to my clients early on a Friday afternoon, so they can enjoy their mountain biking during the weekend,” he says about his incredible level of customer service.
Despite the long hours in the workshop, he doesn’t consider himself a workaholic. Over the years, different life experiences have even pushed him to keep some distance between work and private life. “Yes, I could completely lose myself in my company, but I want to keep developing as a person too. That’s why, for example, I welded my entire workshop myself, even without any experience.”
Back in the workshop, he explains that there’s another reason he insisted on doing the welding on his own. “My father, who once had his hydraulic engineering company here in the polygon of El Papiol, was an excellent welder,” he says. “Before he passed away, too early, he taught me to always stay curious and to commit without fear. I’ve kept that with me since the day he died.”
Balance
Dierckx and his father shared a beautiful and meaningful bond. His father’s death hit him hard, and not only him, also his mother, brother and sister felt the same. “On weekends, my dad and I often went together to his workplace to work on hydraulic machines and bleed the systems. We shared many interests, and he introduced me to many of his, including his work on the polygon.”
Slowly, the idea of creating a suspension business, a spin off basically of his dad’s hydraulic engineering company, settled into his mind. “I started working on suspensions in a wooden shed in my parents’ garden,” he says. “And now, several years later, I’m opening my own workshop close to where he once worked.”
“While talking, he loads three suspensions for clients into his backpack, getting ready to ride the Catalan roads and deliver them around Barcelona.
“I can say I learned many good things from him, and also things I want to improve in my own life. One of them is not becoming a workaholic. Another is doing the things that make me happy. My dad and I often went on small adventures, by car or motorbike. I still love that, even though he’s no longer here.”
With Tibo Suspensions, yes, I work hard, but I receive a lot in return.
Happy clients, because their bikes are ready for the weekend when I deliver the suspensions personally. And the time to enjoy the things I like most, as long as I keep balancing my growing workload with my personal life.”
He starts the engine of his motorbike. His backpack rests on his shoulders, and his long hair disappears under the helmet. “The best combination of work and private life,” he says with a wide smile on this random Friday afternoon. “Time to deliver the suspensions.”
This is a story part of Nafent Magazine. Purchase your copy of Nafent now.
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