THIS WEEK IN PRO CYCLING
VeloNews Q&A: Time's Roland Cattin looks to the pros
Time Sport International, founded in 1986, is a comparatively young company, but it has been at the forefront of the pro racing scene ever since the debut of its revolutionary TBT pedal in late 1987.
The TBT was the first modern clipless pedal to allow rotational float, a common feature on high-end pedals today but one that was unheard of at the time. Despite the system’s unusual approach, the TBT was an immediate success, garnering victories in the men’s and women’s Tour de France in 1988 with Pedro Delgado and Jeannie Longo.
Shortly thereafter, Time developed a clipless mountain-bike pedal, the ATAC, which to everyone’s surprise looked nothing like the TBT. In place of the road pedal’s almost invisible internal mechanisms, the ATAC sprouted raised retention rails emerging from a warty composite body. It was weird to look at but highly effective, and the ATAC became a fast favorite among the serious off-road set.
In 1993, the company took another bold step with the introduction of its first carbon fiber road fork, which was notable not only for its sleek design but also for its use of Resin Transfer Molding technology, an expensive construction method that allowed Time to blend an unusual mix of carbon, Kevlar and Vectran fibers and arrange them consistently from fork to fork.
Time’s product line today encompasses not only a highly refined version of the ATAC and a brand-new road pedal, the RXS, but also a line of composite frames that are built with the RTM method. Although Time’s frames, pedals and shoes are more conventional in appearance today than they once were, the company’s products still boast a highly technical approach that is uniquely Time. We spoke with Roland Cattin, Time’s founder and president, about the company’s philosophy and its unusual approach to product development.
VeloNews: Time has always been committed to production in Europe, and you have a high level of technical content in your products, and yet you compete with many companies whose manufacturing costs are much lower. How do you do that effectively?
Roland Cattin: We have two ways to compete. One of course is to work on advanced technology and to improve our technology and to try as much as possible to own some patents and some proprietary technology. For example, what we call the Quick Set, which is a way to adjust the stem without changing the preload of the headset, that’s a patent that we own. The multidiameter steering tube is also a Time patent, which makes a stiffer and safer fork. So of course our R&D department is always trying to find new technologies and concepts, and that’s a way to compete against the others.
The other way is to diversify our production facility, and two months ago we opened a new facility of our own in Slovakia. We created a factory over there to manufacture some carbon pieces. It’s not a subcontractor, it’s our technology which as you know is very different. We use RTM technology — resin transfer molding — which is the only way to be very accurate in manufacturing to give the characteristics you are looking for in a frame. For example, to create a smooth ride, you need to use some specific fiber in a very accurate location and only RTM can allow you to be that accurate, compared to prepreg.
So in Slovakia it is our own technology and our machines. That’s the only way to reduce the costs of the labor. In France, of course, we are still doing all of the R&D, but we’re also doing the pre-manufacturing steps, organizing the way to take an R&D idea to an industrial process. After the product is industrialized we will transfer it to Slovakia in order to get the best labor cost. That’s the only way really to be competitive.
VN: What about the availability of raw materials? For the carbon fiber and resins, is that a well-developed industry in Europe?
RC: Well, we are working with a subsidiary of a Japanese company in France for our carbon fiber, and that’s our main supplier. We are also working with a German company and also an American company for some fibers, such as Vectran, which we purchase from the U.S.
So today it’s okay, we don’t have any shortage in carbon fiber, but even if it’s a bit difficult — you know, it is moving and changing, because one year you might face some shortage because the aircraft industry is doing very well, but I think the big carbon manufacturers are increasing their capacity because they are facing big growth in the market. Carbon is very fashionable now, it’s recognized finally. It should have been recognized before as the best material for the bike. It’s the only material which keeps its characteristics over the years, compared to metal, which deteriorates a lot faster.
VN: What is the time from an initial concept to a finished product?
RC: It really depends on whether we are using a new concept or just improving an existing design. If we are improving an existing concept I would say it is a two-year process. If we have to find a new concept it might be one year or two years longer. For example, we are already starting to work on a new pedal concept which will be there in three years but not before.
VN: You finish one and start another.
RC: Yes, you never stop. It’s terrible!
VN: Time sponsors a number of professional teams, and it looks like the ProTour will go forward for 2005, with fewer teams and more riders. How does this affect your sponsorship plans?
RC: Well, it is a little bit more expensive, but not as much as it could be, because of course we have partnerships. So our commitment is rising, but the partners’ commitment is also rising. So it’s a bit of an additional expense, but it is reasonable compared to what we had in the past. So we’ll have two teams in the ProTour next year, the Quick Step team and also the Bouygues Télécom team.The most expensive part is really to develop new products. We’re working on a new time trial bike for next year, and it is quite expensive. The financial burden is heavy, but we’re also requesting our partners to help and to participate.
VN: You get the sponsorship benefit of the exposure and brand building, but do you also receive product development benefits from racing?
RC: Oh yes. Absolutely. As you know, each team has two levels; there is the pro level and also each team has kind of an elite or development level. And this development team is very useful because we can test new products. We don’t test new products with the pro teams. We have to make sure that the product is good for the pro team. But the secondary team helps us develop new products.
Of course, the pro teams are also a way to get a lot of information about a product. Somebody like [Tom] Boonen, for example, is a very strong guy, and you can have some information from a guy like this that you cannot get from [Paolo] Bettini, for example, who is a much lighter guy. So a pro team is a source of inspiration, because they are always pushing us to be better, to be lighter, but also to be stronger.
You know, the bicycle is a tough business, because you need to have the lightest product but you also need to be secure and have the safest product, because you can’t take any risk with a cyclist. If you have a carbon tennis racket crack, for example, if you break your racket, it’s not a big issue, eh? But you cannot break a frame, it’s too dangerous.
So it’s a very high-tech technology. Lightness is — we have a very light frame and it is one of the lightest [pro frames], but weight is only one parameter. And eventually everybody will get to about the same weight. So that’s not where the difference has to be made. The difference has to be made in how good is the ride, how efficient is the ride, how smooth is the ride, while at the same time being sure the frame is very rigid and efficient. Those are the real decisive parameters.
The bottom line is the feel of the ride. We put in Vectran fiber in order to add comfort to the ride without affecting the lateral rigidity, but Vectran is not only for comfort, it also brings better road-holding, a better connection between the wheel and the road. You can corner better. If you don’t have a smooth ride, you don’t have a good connection between the bike and the road. So it’s not only comfort, it’s also efficiency.
