iO Blog

As the BMX races make their second appearance at the Olympics today, we'll be keeping an eye on Morten Therkildsen, from Denmark.

Recently, we learned that our Denmark distributor sponsored Morten with four Power Cordz prime sets which he will be using in the Olympics. We're excited to see how he does.

If you'll be watching the races, watch for Power Cordz. Good luck Morten!!

Boise held its collective breath when Kristin Armstrong’s front wheel slid out from beneath her on a slick spot in the first turn of the first day of the first ever Exergy Tour women’s cycling event. Some wondered if the resulting broken collarbone would upset Kristin’s resolve to earn a spot on the US Olympic team. But anyone who has seen Kristin Armstrong on or off the bike knew she was destined to ride in London later this summer. iO DuPont salutes Boise's top cycling star and wishes her further Olympic glory this August in London! 

Photo courtesy of kristinarmstrongusa.com.

Armstrong is one of four women riders who will compete for the U.S. road team in London. It's the largest women's team ever to compete in the Olympic Games, as the maximum number of riders increased to four this year.

USA Cycling describes Armstrong this way: "The 2008 Olympic gold medalist, Armstrong proved to be one of the most dominant time trialists in the world in 2012, winning all eight international-caliber time trials she entered."

L.A. Times writer Diane Pucin describes Armstrong's Olympic seat as a comeback, after having a baby in 2010 and breaking her right collarbone just a few weeks ago in the opening stage of the Exergy 2012 tour here in Boise. But Armstrong was back at the race the next day, on the sidelines, but vowing to be back on her trainer within a few days time. 

USA cycling placed her on the road team based on her 2008 Olympic gold in Beijing and her stellar record since. She will also ride on the Olympic time trial team, along with Exergy tour No. 2 rider Amber Neben, of Irvine, Calif. (Specialized lululemon), based on her undefeated (8 for 8) record in trials.

Armstrong and Neben will ride with Exergy champ Evelyn Stevens of Acton, Mass (Specialized lululemon) and Shelly Olds of Gilroy, Calif. (AA Drinkg-Leontien.nl) in the road race.

The fact that the number one and two racers from Exergy, plus Armstrong, are riding on the Olympic team, adds even more cachet to the already highly lauded inaugural women's tour here in Southwest Idaho. The future is bright for women's cycling and Idaho, with Armstrong and Exergy, are sure to play a continued role in the sport.

Recently, Boise hosted the inaugural 2012 Exergy Tour and the Boise Ironman 70.3. The city came alive as athletes from all over the world descended on Southwest Idaho. Both races were pretty intense (weather, aside) and have easily become two of our top favorite highlights this Spring.

With the two events in town, we’ve been thinking more and more about making sure our bikes are ready to ride. In particular, we’ve been talking a lot about the interface between the housing and the bicycle, especially with some of the new brake levers coming on the market. So on that note, we’re going to take a few minutes and talk about our nosed ferrules and the new E-Z Bend adapters.

Bicycle ferrules act as end caps to the housing, ensure that the cable housing can't pull through the braze-on on the frame and prevent the Cordz from splitting or wearing. They also reinforce the housing, which can make it last longer. We’re all about safety at Power Cordz so when we saw the opportunity to provide a safer ride for our cyclists, we took the ferrule and modified it. One thing about the noses on our high grade, alloy ferrules that we think is pretty cool, is that the nose is designed to be shortened (by cutting to size), to reduce drag.

Pretty neat stuff, huh?

Now let’s say you want even more protection or if you have newer-style Campagnolo shifters or brake levers, our E-Z Bend adapter provides a protective liner so that your cables won’t be cut as they exit the brake lever or shifter. In addition, the E-Z Bend design is backward compatible to fit on all component sets. Before you order though, please check our compatibility page on our website to ensure the E-Z Bend adapters are needed (E-Z Bend adapters will only be included if they are needed to ensure proper connection). You may contact support@powercordz.com or call 208.908.0630 if you have additional questions regarding the E-Z Bend adapters.

We are pretty excited about this new addition to our Power Cordz Systems and we hope you will be, too!

So next time you’re installing a Power Cordz system, remember our nosed ferrules and E-Z Bend adapters are designed for ease of installation and give our riders the ability to customize their Power Cordz System to their frame to ensure maximum performance.

Ethan Reynolds, 15, is at the bottom of his age class this season. But the rising star cyclist does not really mind because he's happy to help his 16-year-old teammates out for a year. It also helps that he's already beat adult pro riders in several races, racking up the junior and pro points.

"I really feel like I'm more of an all around rider, but crit results always come out better for me," Reynolds, 15, told us recently. Reynolds rides for the Boise Young Rider Development Squad, or BYRDS, based out of the Endurance Training and Fitness Center here in Boise, Idaho, just down the street from Power Cordz HQ. This is his fourth year racing—Reynolds won the 10-12 Nationals in Bend in criterium and the 13-14 criterium in Augusta, GA last year. More recently, he was the top junior racer in the circuit at Sea Otter in April.

Last year, in Georgia, Reynolds crashed and broke his frame two days before the big race. He replaced his old bike with a Gallium, a top-end racing bike from Argon 18, a Canadian bike maker. Reynolds outfitted the bike with a Shimano Pro bar and stem for a stiffer feel and outfitted the brakes with Power Cordz for a smoother feel.

Reynolds says that steel cables feel like they are pulling through the housing, whereas the Cordz are smoother, lighter, and win style points.

We just came across the photo below, from the February Paralympic Cycling World Championships in LA (via Bike Hugger), and are inaugurating a new blog series with it: The #FutureBike Roundup. In this space we will highlight the most cutting edge innovations in cycling technology. Obviously we are interested in futuristic bike materials here at Power Cordz, and this prosthetic leg, designed for a cyclist, is just the type of thing to kick off this blog series.

 

Hi-tech prosthetics are nothing new in the cycling world. Here is another version, with a dynamic, tension loaded pedal-foot interface, via Fast Company.

From Channel 4 in London, an interview with Chris Furber, head coach of the British paracycling team on the interface between bike, rider and prosthetic limb.

The New York Times recently profiled Cuban cyclist, Damian Lopez Alfonso, who is going to London for the 2012 Paralympic Games in August. Lopez Alfonso developed his own handlebar setup while training in Cuba, and used it as a fallback, when his state-of-the-art ride failed him in Guadalajara. 

Please leave us more links to #FutureBike paracycling innovations in the comments, on our Facebook page, via Twitter or at Google Plus.

The Power Cordz team is staying in Boise this week, enjoying beautiful, wet spring weather. But many of our friends are at the Volkswagen Sea Otter Classic in Monterey, California to participate in one of the largest bike expos in the world.

A fish-eye view of the 2011 Sea Otter village.

In support of all the bike people at Sea Otter this year, we set up a special discount code for attendees. To get the code, you have to visit our friends from the Boise Young Riders Development Squad (B.Y.R.D.S.) or from Core Concepts, a Boise-based, high tech/high style clothing maker, and pick up one of the glossy post cards we sent along with them. You will find a discount code on the card!

(Hint: The B.Y.R.D.S have booth #629, west of the Food Court, and Core Concepts is displaying their wares at booth #178 in the first Exhibitor Pod. Map here.)

The B.Y.R.D.S. are a premier youth cycling team based in Boise and they have some 25 riders in Monterey this week to race and gain critical exposure. We have been installing Cordz on their bikes for a few months now, so watch for these guys at the finish line! 

The B.Y.R.D.S on a recent hill training ride.

Core Concepts offices are just down the hall from us at our Boise HQ. We have to walk past their sample racks every morning, eyeballing the high performance fabrics. Check out their new stuff if you are down at Sea Otter and say hi to Matt and Josh!

We'll post updates on the B.Y.R.D.S. and other Sea Otter news on our Facebook page, so look for us there.

They won't necessarily match every frame, but a set of yellow Power Cordz definitely makes a statement. Our standard Cordz systems in yellow are all marked $20 off for the next two weeks on the new SALE pages in our Web Store.

We are coming up with a bunch of new promotions, including a special discount for folks attending the Sea Otter Classic, among the largest bicycle festivals in the world, starting later this week in Monterey, California. Watch our new Facebook page for an announcement about where to find your discount at Sea Otter (hint: you are going to have to look for Boise people to unlock the discount code)!

But if you are not able to attend Sea Otter, head over to the SALE! page and put some yellow on your ride: Mountain and road brake systems with our classic housing as well as derailleur Cordz are now $59 $39, if you are bold enough to go yellow!

In the spirit of the recent Oscar Awards ceremony this past weekend, we'd like to hop off our bikes for a minute, unfurl our speech notes tucked away in our jerseys, and recognize the people who have helped us achieve our recent and continued success.

An Incredible Season

First, without rival, the past six months have been our most successful season since we first introduced Power Cordz in 2005. The roll-out of Power Cordz Prime (our lightweight complete cable and housing package) certainly contributed to the growing exposure and reputation of Power Cordz. What once began as the vision "to provide the best cables for the best riders" has now exploded into multiple products and a brand recognized as a worldwide leader in innovation within the cycling industry.

We could not have done this alone. Thanks to the strong relationships we've developed with our riders and the feedback we've received from you - our riding community - we've continuously improved and enhanced our products to perform when you need control the most.

Our New Reach, Your New Distributors

To design and develop the best products on the market is one thing, but to bring our products to the best cyclists in the world is another. We'd like to recognize our growing list of international distributors that make the purchase of Power Cordz at local and online retail locations not only possible, but easy for riders across the planet. Without your help and support, Power Cordz would not have developed into what it is today.

 On that note, we'd like to officially recognize our three newest international distributors.

With their help, you'll soon find Power Cordz on cycles from Guangzhou to São Paulo to Oslo.

We'd also like to extend our continued gratitude to all of our distributors and retail providers. Without your support, riders across the globe would never feel the difference in control that Power Cordz provide.

Thank You (Yes, You)

Finally, we want to thank you. Yes, you. As you read this you are learning more about the industry that affects the sport you love. We recognize that you take time out of your day to read about changes and trends in the industry and we respect you for using your knowledge to advance the sport.

Cycling is more than a hobby, more than a sport - it's a lifestyle. Chances are if you are reading this, you already believe this and are part of a community that believes this.

We are proud to be a part of this community.

You've made an impact every time you reached out to us. We take every comment made on our Facebook page or various online forums in which we participate into consideration. In fact, the feedback you've given us has directly influenced everything from our new Grommet Clasps to the color options available in our housing and cordz. We're always looking for ways to improve our design or offer better customer service, so let us know if you ever have any ideas.

Everyone

You can help us change the industry for the better. In many ways, you already have.

For the whole story, come check out our visual tour.