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TIME Sport International was founded in 1987 by Roland
Cattin, and since forging its reputation as an innovator in the clipless
pedal market with Pedro Delgado’s 1988 Tour de France victory, the
company has grown into a powerhouse builder of advanced racing frames,
pedals, shoes and other accessories. TIME bikes and pedals have
continued to race to victories in the European peloton and elsewhere,
including World Championship rides by Paolo Bettini and Tom Boonen
(Quick Step), numerous Tour de France stage wins, and prestigious
classics victories including the pounding cobbles of Paris-Roubaix. The
company currently sponsors two top French pro teams: Bbox Bouygues
Telecom and Cofidis.
Discerning buyers in the bicycle market have
grown wary in recent years of generic carbon frames imported from China
at discounted prices and rebranded as high-end road machines. One visit
to TIME’s factory in Vaulx Milieu, France, is all that’s required to
see that this company knows a few things about carbon, and this is where
the magic happens. From the giant loom to weave the fibers into tubes,
the laborious preparation of frame components by hand, to the molds and
ovens that inject resin and create the rigid frames, it happens here.
Some of TIME’s components or clothing are manufactured off-site, but the
majority of manufacturing occurs at the newly expanded operations
center just east of Lyon and within easy reach of the Alpine proving
grounds.
It
all starts with the giant carbon loom.
Road Bike Action
was invited to Vaulx Milieu for a tour of TIME’s facility, guided by
TIME’s Alain Descroix. Currently TIME’s sales manager, Descroix earned
his stripes in his early years working as a mechanic for Bernhard
Hinault, Laurent Fignon and Greg LeMond in the 1980s. He soon moved into
the frame-building arena, where he lent his expertise to the
development of the early TVT carbon frames ridden by LeMond in his
post-accident prime. Descroix joined TIME in 1987 when the firm was
created and has been faithful to the brand ever since.
Precast
molds await carbon and resin to forge new frames.
Taking time
out of a busy morning, Descroix led us around the expansive and modern
manufacturing facility offering up details on TIME’s design approach and
the materials and methods that combine to create some of the most
distinctive racing frames in the peloton.
Extensive
stress testing ensures quality and durability.
When it
comes to producing its sleek road frames, TIME is all about carbon. The
Vaulx Milieu facility is a soup to nuts operation; tubes don’t come
pre-fabricated here. TIME begins with countless spools of carbon fibers
varying in strength and rigidity, weaving them in different
combinations, depending on the demands of specific tubing. Fibers
allowing more flex for comfort are woven strategically with those
designed for maximum strength to give TIME’s frames vibration dampening
where it’s needed for comfort and stiffness, where power transfer is
key. TIME uses strands in four different qualities of fibers and
comprising 3000, 6000 or 12,000 filaments. The weave and layup of these
threads also incorporates different angling of the filaments to give
tubes their desired strength characteristics.
Wind-slicing time trial bikes are a TIME speciality.
A
limp, woven “tube” of carbon doesn’t look pretty when it’s in its
preparation stages, but once the components are thoroughly hemmed
together and the shape of a frame begins to emerge, the critical moment
comes when the floppy frame-to-be is put in a special mold and injected
with high-pressure resin to give it structure. Resin is what fills the
spaces between the fibers and allows the frame to solidify into its
final form. TIME dubs its manufacturing technique Resin Transfer Molding
(RTM) and has continued to advance its ability to give each tube and
part of the frame unique characteristics in terms of strength and
desired flex.
The NXR Instinct is TIME’s first monocoque frame.
While it has
traditionally built carbon frames with lugged construction, this year
TIME is introducing its first monocoque carbon frame, the NXR Instinct,
slotting in just below the flagship RXR frameset at a price of $5,000.
The frame is BB30-ready and features a reinforced steerer tube and three
different carbon weaves, maximizing both strength and resilience.
Descroix shows how the new NXR Instinct takes shape.
Also new
to the TIME lineup in 2010 is the exciting I-Clic pedal. TIME first
burst onto the scene in the late 1980s with a series of clipless pedals
offering an unprecedented range of float, freeing cyclists’ knees from
the rigors of fixed-position cleats. Now, some 12 years later, the
company remains at the technological forefront with an all-carbon (minus
the axle) pedal that does away with springs and tensioners. A small
carbon blade flexes to act as a spring, allowing the rider to clip in
with a light click (which Descroix likened to the click of a computer
mouse), yet providing enough tension and strength to keep him solidly
engaged. With the top-of-the-line I-Clic Ti Carbon advertised at just
183 grams, these pedals offer an exciting advancement of traditional
clipless construction with fewer parts and predictable performance. Four
other I-Clic models offer a range of axle materials at different price
points.
Paolo Bettini’s winning bike from the Athens Olympics on display in the
company showroom
Another new venture for the French company
is its first line of wheelsets, featuring carbon hubs paired with
20-spoke front and 24-spoke rear rims. Two models, the Hi-Tense and
Equal wheelsets, give a hint at TIME’s ambitions in the wheel
department. Meanwhile, the company continues to offer a full line of
road and mountain pedals shoes, including touring, recreation, triathlon
and racing models. Other accessories rounding out the collection
include stems, cranksets, handlebars and saddles. | |
Visite de l'usine par Road Bike Action