{"id":2457170,"date":"2020-04-14T20:24:00","date_gmt":"2020-04-15T02:24:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/reinventing-the-wheel-cdales-revel-bikes-craft-wheel-using-new-material\/"},"modified":"2020-04-14T20:24:00","modified_gmt":"2020-04-15T02:24:00","slug":"reinventing-the-wheel-carbondales-revel-bikes-crafts-wheel-using-new-material","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/local-news\/reinventing-the-wheel-carbondales-revel-bikes-crafts-wheel-using-new-material\/","title":{"rendered":"Reinventing the wheel: Carbondale\u2019s Revel Bikes crafts wheel using new material"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"swift-gallery p402_hide\" readability=\"6.125\">\n<ul id=\"imageGallery-324337-67\" class=\"gallery list-unstyled gallery-container\">\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/RevelBikes-gpi-041420-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/RevelBikes-gpi-041420-1-1024x684.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Courtesy | Adam Miller takes a break during a bike ride in Crested Butte with his dogs.\" class=\"swift-gallery-slide h-100\" readability=\"-2\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"7\">\n<p><strong>Adam Miller takes a break during a bike ride in Crested Butte with his dogs.<\/strong><br \/>Courtesy<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/RevelBikes-gpi-041420-1-1024x684.jpg\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/RevelBikes-gpi-041420-1-1024x684.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Adam Miller takes a break during a bike ride in Crested Butte with his dogs.\"><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/RevelBikes-gpi-041420-1-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/RevelBikes-gpi-041420-1-1.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Courtesy | Revel Bikes' RW30 wheel is made from a unique carbon fiber material called Fusion-Fiber.\" class=\"swift-gallery-slide h-100\" readability=\"-2\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"7\">\n<p><strong>Revel Bikes&#8217; RW30 wheel is made from a unique carbon fiber material called Fusion-Fiber.<\/strong><br \/>Courtesy<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/RevelBikes-gpi-041420-1-1.jpg\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/RevelBikes-gpi-041420-1-1.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Revel Bikes' RW30 wheel is made from a unique carbon fiber material called Fusion-Fiber.\"><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"caption-toggle\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/reinventing-the-wheel-cdales-revel-bikes-craft-wheel-using-new-material\/#\" class=\"show-captions\">Show Captions<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/reinventing-the-wheel-cdales-revel-bikes-craft-wheel-using-new-material\/#\" class=\"hide-captions\">Hide Captions<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText DropCap\">Revel Bikes owner Adam Miller found something special in Carbondale.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Now mountain bikers can find something special in his products.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Revel Bikes\u2019 RW30 wheel is made from Fusion-Fiber, a carbon fiber material unlike what bike enthusiasts may be familiar with.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Revel\u2019s website claims Fusion-Fiber is \u201ca toughened, high performance composite polymer that makes for a significantly more durable, lighter, and better riding wheel with a nice damped feel.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col\">\n<div class=\"row at-donation at-donation-mobile p-0\">\n<div class=\"col-xl-4 p-2\">\n<div data-bg=\"url(https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/AT-logo-white.png)\" class=\"p-0 mt-2 mb-2 h-75 text-center rocket-lazyload\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/AT-logo-white.png\" class=\"logo m-0 p-0 invisible\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-bg=\"url(https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/at-banner-paypal.jpg)\" class=\"col-xl-8 p-3 text-center rocket-lazyload\">\n<h3 class=\"d-inline mr-3\">Support Local Journalism<\/h3>\n<p><button class=\"btn d-inline\" type=\"button\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/donate\/?utm_source=article&amp;utm_medium=website&amp;utm_campaign=donation&amp;utm_term=&amp;utm_content=mid-article\">Donate<\/a><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">If you were to compare a piece of Fusion-Fiber with a piece of regular carbon fiber, \u201cThe weight is the same, but (Fusion-Fiber is) so much stronger that you can use less,\u201d Miller said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Fusion-Fiber was created by CSS Composites in an aerospace facility in southern Utah. Miller said what makes the material unique is the use of nylon rather than epoxy to hold the carbon fiber pieces together.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">For one thing, epoxy is brittle and can fracture, the website says, while nylon is flexible.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Epoxy is also not healthy for the environment or the worker, especially during sanding, when the resin can be inhaled, Miller said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">And as unlikely as it may sound, Revel\u2019s RW30 wheels are recyclable. Not in the sense of making new wheels from old wheels, but the website explains how old rims are chopped into small blocks that are then melted down and turned into other parts. \u201cThink stem, seat collar, chain guide. This is just the beginning, so we are experimenting,\u201d Miller said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Revel lucked into use of this material from Miller\u2019s friendship with Joe Stanish of CSS.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cJoe reached out to me to be their first partner. \u2026 I think about how lucky I am when there are so many bigger bike brands out there,\u201d Miller said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">For now, Revel is the only bike company using Fusion-Fiber, though \u201csome other brands will have some products made from this material later this summer,\u201d Miller said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The RW30 became available Feb. 27. Built wheels sell for $1,975 or $2,200, depending on the hub.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Miller is no stranger to the bike industry. After growing up in Anchorage, he went to school in Colorado Springs, where he founded Borealis Fat Bikes. He sold that business in 2015. After a move to Ogden, Utah, he founded both Revel Bikes and Why Cycles in 2016. He moved himself and his business to Carbondale in 2017.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cWhy Cycles and Revel bikes is the exact same company, just two separate brands. Why Cycles makes upscale titanium bikes, while Revel makes upscale carbon full-suspension mountain bikes,\u201d Miller said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Currently, Revel offers two bikes in addition to the wheels. Complete bikes range from $4,999 for the cheapest component build to $9,999 for the high end. Revel bikes can be ordered <a href=\"https:\/\/www.revelbikes.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">online at revelbikes.com<\/a><i class=\"fas fa-external-link-alt\"><\/i> and from four online dealers (found on the website) or at dealers spread across the country.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Why Cycles has six bikes for distinctly different purposes: a road bike; a bikepacking bike; a hardtail mountain bike; a dirt jump bike; a fat bike; and a road\/gravel\/cross bike that can also accommodate mountain bike wheels. The cheapest offering is $2,999 for the normal build on the dirt jump bike; most expensive is $8,299 for the high-end-build bikepacking bike. Why Cycles bikes can be ordered online at whycycles.com or through a dealer, including Aloha Mountain Cyclery in Carbondale.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The bikes are built in China at what Miller calls \u201can awesome factory.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The headquarters of Why Cycles\/Revel Bikes is at 770 Industry Place Unit B in Carbondale, where all the brain work takes place, and the public is (normally) welcome.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cWe have a showroom built out and an espresso bar offering free espresso \u2014 beans roasted from First Ascent Coffee Roasters in Crested Butte and shipped to us weekly; we\u2019re espresso nerds, too \u2014 to people shopping for bikes. Free demo rides, too. But during the COVID stuff we are shut down to the public. As soon as it all blows over, stop by to check out some bikes,\u201d Miller said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText Tagline\"><a href=\"mailto:cwertheim@postindependent.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">cwertheim@postindependent.com<\/a><i class=\"fas fa-external-link-alt\"><\/i><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/reinventing-the-wheel-cdales-revel-bikes-craft-wheel-using-new-material\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: The Aspen Times<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Adam Miller takes a break during a bike ride in Crested Butte with his dogs.Courtesy Revel Bikes&#8217; RW30 wheel is made from a unique carbon fiber material called Fusion-Fiber.Courtesy Show CaptionsHide Captions Revel Bikes owner Adam Miller found something special in Carbondale. Now mountain bikers can find something special in his products. Revel Bikes\u2019 RW30 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2457170","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-local-news"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-08-18 04:15:18","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSPN The Valley&#039;s Quality Rock","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2457170","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2457170"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2457170\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2457170"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2457170"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2457170"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}