No, not the Spurs UEFA Cup winning hero (or the 1980s Austrian pop star for that matter), but a Chinese bike brand causing quite a stir at Interbike with their V tri-bike.
We caught up with Falco’s founder, Binny, at the Las Vegas show to talk through the V’s distinctive design. Here’s what he had to say…
I’ve been riding bikes since the late 1980s but I started the company two years ago after being a Mergers and Acquisitions lawyer in New York.
We’re doing this for two reasons:, a very selfish motive of making bikes for ourselves; and to change the image of knockoff and bad quality control of the Chinese bike industry by innovating and focusing on design/quality.
The V is revolutionary in many ways. By folding two tubes into one at the top tube area, as well as folding the seat stays and chainstays into one, we’re able to eliminate wind-catching tubes and reduce drag, especially since the remaining tubes are more horizontal than vertical, thus achieving higher aspect ratio.
The job could have been easy. But we went a bit further and optimised the airfoil shapes and integrated the hydration system.
Head to www.falcobike.com for more on Falco.
