Fusion Fiber

Fusion-Fiber^TM is the name for this technology, which encompasses the material and the process. And it’s unlike any composite material the bicycle world has ever seen. We partnered with some friends who developed this technology in one of the world’s leading aerospace manufacturing facilities in America to come out with the first product made from it- the RW30 rim. At a basic level, the crew at CSS removed all epoxy from standard pre-preg carbon and replaced it with advanced polymers- think nylon, but on a whole new level. The raw material is a blend of unidirectional long fiber German and Japanese carbon impregnated with this polymer. In its raw form, it is completely stable, has an unlimited shelf life, doesn’t need to be stored in a refrigerated room like standard epoxy prepreg carbon, and all of this stable and consistent production. Besides the material, the manufacturing process is where things get really crazy. The rims are laid-up and cross-plied robotically, leaving no space for human error or inconsistencies. The rims are then flash welded together, with an exponentially faster cure time than current rim technology so cure times go from around 45 minutes for a standard thermoset carbon rim to 20 seconds with this system, in a completely controlled environment so every rim comes out the same, every time. When the rim pops out of the mold, there is no epoxy resin to be scraped or sanded and it needs no clear coating. These two steps expose most harmful chemicals to the worker and the environment. Fusion-Fiber^TM has multiple patents pending and is stronger and has much better impact resistance per gram than standard carbon fiber. Where epoxy is brittle and can fracture, nylon is flexible and makes for a quiet, damped ride feel, and better impact resistant rim..