In-depth interview with China carbon fiber bike Factory – Rinasclta bike

Rinasclta Bike was established in 2011, as one of the famous carbon fiber bicycle manufacturing factories in China, we focus on the development of self-designed carbon fiber bicycle and its accessories from the beginning, in the current market, we concentrate our R&D strengths, follow the market trend, and work closely with our customers, so as to create our own customer’s unique bicycle design, painting and customization solutions.

This is the Rinasclta 2021 gravel road frame

Mayo Zhang, as the co-founder of Rinasclta brand, has more than 10 years of experience in the foreign trade market, and is deeply involved in the industry market, guiding the operation and direction of the company based on data and the needs of the end customers.

The following is our interview with Mayo Zhang on issues related to the carbon fiber bicycle industry.

1. What is the key technology of carbon fiber bicycle processing?

There are very many processing processes for finished carbon fiber products, and the equipment and steps required for different processes are different. Taking carbon fiber bicycle as an example, the production steps are: carbon fiber yarn – weaving – prepreg – –Design –Development –Cutting material –Rolling material –Molding –Processing and gluing –Patching and painting –Packaging. The key steps are prepreg, design, development, coiling and molding. The key steps are also the core and key points of major bicycle manufacturers in the market. The prepreg mainly determines the performance of the raw material, which directly affects the intrinsic nature of the product; the design determines the shape of the product, such as the size of wind resistance, whether it meets the ergonomics, and whether the mold forming is convenient; the development determines the laminated structure of the product, which is also the core of the composite design. The angle, thickness and order of the carbon cloth are very critical, and the coil process sheet is made by the development; the importance of the coil material is mainly reflected in the skillfulness and quality of the workers, otherwise the good coil material process sheet can’t make good products; the molding is to finalize the good design and development, and most of its performance parameters are also finalized in this step, and its molding process and supporting equipment are very critical.

2. Advantages and disadvantages of carbon fiber bicycle

As an emerging material, carbon fiber is mainly used in frame (carbon frame), fork, wheelset (carbon blade rim), etc.

Carbon fiber not only has the inherent intrinsic characteristics of carbon material, but also has the softness and processability of textile fiber. Its specific gravity is less than 1/4 of steel, but its strength is very strong. And its corrosion resistance is outstanding, is a new generation of reinforcing fiber. Carbon fiber is widely used in civil, military, construction, aerospace, and supercar applications.

Carbon Fiber Frame Advantage

The characteristics of carbon fiber frame are “light, good steel, and good impact absorption”, but it is not so easy to make full use of the excellent performance of carbon fiber technically, and the quality of carbon fiber material varies greatly among manufacturers. Bicycle manufacturers are unlikely to use high-grade carbon fiber to make frames, considering the cost issue. Despite the above-mentioned practical problems, carbon fiber frame has the advantages that other materials do not have, and it can make light weight bicycle of about 8 or 9kg. This carbon fiber light weight bike is the most advantageous when climbing the slope, the climbing is smooth and fast. Unlike some light aluminum frames, when climbing the slope, you feel a backward pulling force.

a) Lightweight frames can be made

Carbon fiber frames are made by laminating carbon fibers in the direction of stress and gaining strength. The carbon fiber frame is very light because of its density and strong tensile strength.

b) Good impact absorption

Carbon fiber is used in various fields such as making prosthetic legs for disabled people in sports or special springs. It is also used to make bicycles without shock absorbers by its excellent impact absorption performance. For example, the ELEVATED frame of SCOTT factory is famous. However, the quality varies a lot from one manufacturer to another, and some of them are very stiff, so this frame can only be known as good or bad after riding.

c) Various shapes of frames can be made

The basic molding method of carbon fiber is to lay the fiber sheet on the mold and then flow into the resin and burn it. Various shapes of frames can be made, such as TREK’s Y frame.

Disadvantages of carbon fiber frame

a) Complex stress calculation

The carbon fiber frame is composed of carbon fiber, which is characterized by strong tensile strength but weak shear strength, so complex stress calculation (longitudinal rigidity and transverse rigidity) is required for processing, and the carbon fiber pieces are overlapped and formed according to the calculation. Processing technology varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, and it is important to choose products from experienced and reliable manufacturers.

b) Difficult to change the size

It is difficult to change the size because the mold is made and molded. It is not possible to change the size of the product to meet the orders of multiple sizes and styles.

3. Main markets and plans for Rinasclta Bike

Our main markets are North America and Europe, North America includes the United States, Canada, Mexico, etc., while Europe includes the entire European market, including Germany, Holland, France, Italy, Spain, England, Poland, Czech Republic, Belgium, Switzerland, Ukraine, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland and other countries and regions.

Our market planning is mainly for middle and high-end end consumers, and some local emerging bicycle brands. We adopt a customized cooperation model with each customer to keep our guests competitive enough to develop their own market.

2021 is not an ordinary year, but the bicycle industry keeps developing and this market has a great potential to drill and develop their own brands.

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