Gear & Components
CARBON FIBER TECH BY MEL JONES
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ittle Rock native Tony Karklin knows a thing or two about the bike industry. After 18 years as an owner/manager of Chainwheel, in 2001 he founded Orbea USA, bringing the much-lauded Spanish brand to the United States. Today, he’s the general manager of San Diego-based BST Bicycles— he commutes to the west coast every other week— which is bringing the production of carbon fiber bikes back to the U.S.
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Karklin points out that while there are a lot of good bikes on the market today, most bicycle companies aren’t producing their own bikes anymore. Most brands have outsourced carbon bike production to Asia. “[Parent company] BST Nano Carbon is working to be the first to produce carbon at a volume in the USA. Being so close to production will enable us to build much more advanced products using proprietary materials and processes,” he
PHOTO COURTESY TONY KARKLIN
Carbon Fiber Technology Makes Cycling a Lightweight Affair