TEXTILES.ORG
At this year’s women’s Ironman World Championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, Switzerland’s Daniela Ryf again dominated the women’s field for the win. She set a new course record with an 8:46:46 finish defending her 2015 title.
The 112-mile bike route takes competitors along the Queen Ka’ahumanu Highway where they must be prepared to withstand trade winds so intense the cyclists can be blown across the road. Ryf’s bike of choice was a custom-made Felt IA FRD reinforced by TeXtreme®. It was also the choice of three-time Kona champion Mirinda Carfrae, who finished second.
Manufactured by Oxeon AB, Boras, Sweden, TeXtreme is a carbon fiber fabric that is 20 to 30 percent lighter than other composite materials. It’s made of carbon fiber yarns that are first spread into tapes and then woven in various ways for different benefits. By weaving ultra thin, flat spread tows instead of round yarns, TeXtreme creates ultra-lightweight, high-performance products with increased stiffness and strength.
By using TeXtreme in their frames, Felt Bicycles was able to make a frame that was lighter while still being sufficiently stiff, increasing impact durability. Because TeXtreme is so thin, Felt was able to work with several plies to get the same thickness or less, resulting in significant improvements and a better riding experience.
TeXtreme carbon fiber fabrics have been used throughout the bicycle market in frames, wheels, saddles, helmets and shoes. For further details, visit www.textreme.com.