Modern bicycle designs force cyclists to choose between a road bike optimised for stiffness and weight savings, or a triathlon bike designed for aerodynamic efficiency.
Diamondback’s new IO promises to cuts through the wind and have the aerodynamic advantages, but still climbs, descends and handles like a performance road bike.
“The groundbreaking design of our Andean triathlon bike solved several aerodynamic puzzles for our team” said Steve Westover, Diamondback vice president of marketing. “With that experience, we wanted to push even further, fusing those innovations with several new groundbreaking technologies. The result is the IO— a bike that is unlike anything else on the market—a wicked-fast, lightweight and slippery road bike”
Diamondback’s engineers worked closely with renowned bicycle designer Kevin Quan and a team from the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies to design and test several distinct innovations in the IO.
The team focused their efforts on what they call the SpeedCore, the area of the frame below the top tube.
The first unique element of the SpeedCore is the DiamondbackWake Control System—strategically shaped depressions in the bike’s carbon fibre tubing that create mini areas of counter-rotating turbulent flow. Similarly to the technology used in Zipp’s 454 NSWs.
According to Diamondback when precisely placed in a specific pattern, the counter-flow areas interfere with natural air flow across the frame and significantly reduce the wake that leaves the bike, improving the bike’s aerodynamic performance.
In addition to the tubing, the Diamondback team also considered the bike’s frame shape itself. By significantly lowering the bike’s seat stays, engineers optimised aerodynamic efficiency, while maintaining the lateral stiffness and vertical compliance needed to deliver precise handling.
Similar to the Andean, the IO also features an oversized, aero-shaped, in-bike storage area above the bottom bracket, ideal for tools and repair kits, as well as a specially designed aero top tube storage compartment that is easily accessible for nutrition.
Finally, the cockpit includes an aero handlebar, which works with the Covert Routing Process internal cable routing system-designed around a proprietary stem.
The result is a bike they say is 20% more aerodynamic than Diamondback’s award-winning Podium road race bike, but only 10% less aerodynamic than the brand’s best-selling triathlon bike, the Serios.
Pricing for the IO starts at $3,999 for a SRAM Force gruppo and goes up to $9,749 for a build with a Dura-Ace Di2 drivetrain and brakes with Enve carbon wheels.
The IOwill be available with customisable build options through Diamonback’s online Custom Studio. Custom bikes can be shipped to over 100 countries worldwide.
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