FEATURE

Bikes reinforced by TeXtreme® vital in Kona Ironman triumphs

By TeXtreme

Daniela Ryf won the Kona Ironman World Championship this weekend on Hawaii, USA. Daniela was riding a custom made IA FRD reinforced by TeXtreme® from Felt Bicycles and laid the ground for the victory through an extremely strong bike ride.

On the men’s side, Andreas Raelert, riding the new C:68 TT bike reinforced by TeXtreme® from Cube Bikes, finished on a strong second place.

Bikes with composite parts reinforced by TeXtreme® carbon fiber materials have over the recent years been successfully used to win stages and races in competitions such as: Tour de France, Kona Ironman, Giro d’Italia, La Vuelta and several World Championships.

The TeXtreme® Technology is based on spreading tows (yarns) into very thin tapes which enables reinforcements in woven structure as well as unidirectional tapes with mechanical performance and possibility for weight savings that are unique compared to conventional reinforcements.


Photo courtesy of TeXtreme

“The unique material characteristics together with our knowledge in FEA analysis, lay-up optimization as well as the manufacturing- and marketing support, position TeXtreme® as the No.1 collaboration partner for achieving ultra light products. The continuous success in the races further strengthens this position”, says Andreas Martsman, VP – Marketing & Sales of Oxeon AB.

Jeff Soucek, Director of R&D of Felt Bicycles, on their usage of TeXtreme®: “We were looking for reduced weight on our frames, but still needed the same high properties of stiffness and strength. By using TeXtreme® we succeeded in making frames that was lighter, as stiff, while actually increasing the impact durability. Because TeXtreme® is so thin we could work with several plies to get the same thickness or less, resulting in significant improvements and a better riding experience.”

TeXtreme® carbon fiber fabrics have been used in frames, wheels, saddles, shoes for some time and can is found in various brands and models for road, TT/TRI, cyclo-cross, track and MTB.

Alongside the use of TeXtreme® in bicycles, other users can be found in Formula 1, Americas Cup, NASCAR, Le Mans, Indy Car, ice hockey, golf, tennis, surf boards, table tennis, rowing shells, canoes, skis, snowboards, and various industrial and advanced aerospace applications.