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Tech News – February 5, 2008Edited by James Huang Got tech? Send press releases, news, and tech questions to the Cyclingnews tech desk. |
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Cannondale announced that it has been acquired by Dorel Industries, Ltd., a Montreal, Canada-based 'global consumer products company' with US$1.8B in total sales last year. Dorel purchased Cannondale from a division of Pegasus Capital Advisors for a reported US$190-200M in cash but the final value of the transaction will be determined pending the report of Cannondale's annual earnings ending June 30, 2008. Also included in the sale is Canada-based cycling, running, and triathlon clothing manufacturer Sugoi Performance Apparel.
Dorel adds Cannondale to its impressive portfolio of bicycle holdings which already includes Pacific Cycle, parent company of the GT, Mongoose, and Schwinn brand names. With this most recent acquisition, Dorel will now reorganize its so-called Recreational/Leisure segment into two distinct bicycle divisions: one to specifically address the needs of the independent bicycle dealer (IBD) channel and the other dealing exclusively with mass market, or 'big box', outlets such as Wal-Mart.
The new IBD division will be called the Cannondale Sports Group and will include Cannondale, Sugoi, GT, and the IBD-oriented segments of Mongoose and Schwinn. Current Cannondale President and CEO Matt Mannelly will continue to head the company within that group while current Pacific Cycle President Jeff Frehner will now act as President of the newly formed division. According to Mannelly and Frehner, consumers at both the IBD and mass market levels will likely perceive no change as a result of the acquisition, at least for now.
As with any event of this nature, speculation as to how this will affect Cannondale's corporate structure and product line have run rampant but Mannelly and Frehner were quick to dispel any rumors. According to them, there are no plans "at this point" to move production overseas (other than items that are already produced in Asia, that is), Cannondale designers and engineers will still be able to pursue their trademark 'out of the box' style of research and development, and the company will remain very distinctly focused on the enthusiast IBD market. If anything, the pair was optimistic that Cannondale would now only have more access to resources than before in order to continue towards its goal of being the leading brand in the IBD channel. There was also a hint that Dorel would increase its inventment into the GT brand as well.
"This is an excellent strategic fit for Cannondale and a testament to all the hard work of Cannondale employees worldwide," said Mannelly. "This provides us with tremendous resources to continue to build our innovative brand. It also creates long term stability that will help us achieve our leadership goals in the IBD channel. We're excited to be the leading brand in Dorel's new IBD division. The end result will be a continuous flow of innovative product to our Dealers and consumers."
CeramicSpeed to offer complete bottom brackets
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Danish bearing manufacturer CeramicSpeed has outfitted top professionals with its speedy hybrid and full ceramic cartridges and balls for years, long before the low friction craze hit the mainstream. In addition, it has also produced the cartridges as OEM equipment for FSA's MegaExo Ceramic and Rotor SABB Ceramic bottom brackets and FSA's ceramic-equipped derailleur pulleys.
CeramicSpeed has now partnered with Rotor to produce its own ceramic bearing-equipped external bottom bracket for use with Shimano Hollowtech II and FSA MegaExo road cranksets. The new bottom bracket cups will not utilize Rotor's unique self-aligning ball-and-socket construction but versions will be available to fit road and mountain applications in both English and Italian threading. CeramicSpeed will also offer its new bottom brackets in a choice of three anodized colors: silver, red, or black. Target weights will range from 89-90g depending on color.
Beyond Clothing to offer custom-fit adventure cycling apparel
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Custom performance outerwear manufacturer Beyond Clothing has announced that it has entered into the world of competitive cycling with its sponsorship of Vassago Cycle endurance racer Namrita O'Dea. Beyond Clothing will provide O'Dea with its Cold Fusion Women's jacket and soft shell pants and the Steel Action top. As is typical for nearly all items in the company catalog, each of O'Dea's pieces will be fully custom colored and fitted based on her preferences and body measurements.
Beyond spokesman Dan Kouba admits that the clothing is not exactly cycling-specific. However, he still feels that sponsoring O'Dea was a good fit for the Seattle, Washington based apparel maker who plans to use O'Dea's feedback for future product design and development.
"Namrita's energy and enthusiasm for everything she does is unmatched," he said. "It's evident in her cyclingnews.com entries, her personal blog, and at the races. She's a fantastic ambassador for both the sport and all of her sponsors and with her very busy schedule we wanted to make sure she had the best off-bike apparel for wherever the next adventure destination took her. As in cycling, where a rider or product's strengths and weaknesses come to the surface under intense and often times harsh conditions, Beyond wants to continually put our jackets and pants to the ultimate test. We know Namrita won't be taking it easy with anything she heads out the door with!"
Green Specialized claims eco award
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Bike manufacturer Specialized has been awarded Bicycle Retailer and Industry News' BRAINy award, which recognises companies making an effort to go green. The competitive Specialized, which is 'green retrofitting' its Morgan Hill headquaters, says it hopes to challenge others to become part of the solution to global warming.
"The BRAINy award means a lot to the entire team here at Specialized," said company founder Mike Sinyard. "We've made calculated changes in the way we approach bike advocacy and environmentalism both in and outside our company walls, and we're only growing more committed, driven and inspired every day to do whatever it takes to cool the planet."
While families around the globe have been switching to energy efficient light bulbs and using environmentally friendly forms of transportation as the awarness of the global warming issue has spread in recent years, it's largely recognised that those that will make a real difference to the issue is multi-national companies and big industry. Specialized, which hosts an inter-company Commute Club that awards its employees for biking or carpooling to work, is one company proactively hoping to make a difference.
The manufacturer recently partnered with Google to develop the 'Innovate or Die' contest, a global call for action that challenged the public to create pedal-powered solutions for environmental change. A team of designers from IDEO received $5,000 and five Globe bicycles for their pedal-powered water filtration invention 'Aquaduct' after winning the competition. www.innovate-or-die.com.
Specialized, which says it has a 'lifelong campaign for environmental change', says its employees have offset over 99 tons of CO2 through the Commute Club program, which involves over 50 percent of the company's workforce. The company has also challenged its own dealer network to become leaders in green advocacy through ongoing projects like Recycle-a-Tire and the Greenie Awards - a dealer competition to create the best environmentally-conscious campaign.
Toyota United switches to Giordana
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Toyota United Pro Cycling Team is the latest North American outfit to announce an apparel supply deal with North Carolina's Gita Sporting Goods. The Toyota United outfit will use Giordana apparel throughout 2008 supplied by the Charlotte-based importer and wholesaler.
"We are excited to be aligned with a brand like Toyota and a team of this caliber," said Giorgio Andretta, speaking on behalf of Gita. "With the additions the team has made we feel it will continue to build on the success they had last season."
Toyota United joins fellow US-based teams Bissell Pro Cycling Team and Colavita/Sutter Home men's and women's outfits, both reccently announcing they would ride in Giordana apparel. The squad conducted a pre-Tour of California training camp in late January, with the squad hoping to again claim a stage victory at the American stage race.
Lew produce lightweight tandem wheels
Lew Racing has started manufacturing one of the world's first lightweight, high performance wheels for tandem bikes. The Navada-based company is producing tandem wheels that combine Boron and Carbon to produce the PRO VT-1 laminate used to make the rims.
"Tandem riding presents a curious problem for wheel building," said Lew Racing founder Paul Lew. "You need to make sure the wheels are strong enough to handle two riders, but also lightweight so that the riders' power is not wasted. And above all the wheels have to give a great ride. I believe we have achieved the strength/weight/performance balance with our new Lew Racing tandem wheels."
The wheelset uses carbon spokes which the company claims only weigh three grams each but are five times stiffer than the steel alternative. The company also claims the "super low-aerodynamic drag" spokes have three times the compression strength and double the tensile strength of its rivals.
Lew Racing's tandem wheelset includes 24 spokes on the rear wheel with 16 at the front. The spokes are seamlessly integrated from root-to-tip with the hand-crafted Lew rims, designed by Paul Lew. Lew, the president of Lew Aerospace, has 17 years experience in the design and manufacturing of bicycle wheels, having started out in the industry in 1991.
The tantalising tandem wheelset will however set you back a few pennys, with the MSRP set at $15,000 per set. For more information visit the company's website www.lewracing.com.
Photography
For a thumbnail gallery of these images, click here
Images by James Huang/Cyclingnews.com
- Cannondale has switched hands again but new owner Dorel promises that little will change in regards to Cannondale's innovative product development.
Images by CeramicSpeed
- Danish bearing manufacturer CeramicSpeed has provided top pros with its ceramic bearings for years but now will offer its own complete bottom bracket.
Images by Beyond
- Custom outerwear manufacturer Beyond will outfit endurance racer Namrita O'Dea with its apparel for the 2008 season.
Images by Specialized
- Specialized's 'green team' are just a few of the employees who use the company's Commute Club program.
Images by Gita Sporting Goods
- Toyota-United will wear gear supplied by the same company as NRC rivals Bissell and Colavita/Sutter Home.
