Oval Concepts Unleashes A911 JetStream Aero Bar
Saturday, 1st October 2005
Oval Concepts announces they will begin selling the A911 JetStream aero bar starting October 1st, 2005. The custom bar, co-designed by Jordan/Midland F1 engineers and Oval Concepts founder Morgan Nicol is being built in the U.K. and will sell for the outrageous price of $2500 or 2500 Euro (VAT included).
"Our plan was to build this bar only for the Liberty Seguros Team and a couple of top Hawaiian IronMan competitors but the beauty of the final product, Roberto Heras' stunning TT improvement at the Vuelta, and the resulting demand has been so great we kind of have no choice but to start selling it." said Nicol. "When I also consider the high mold, unit and patent costs our little company has incurred to produce this product we really need to sell a few to begin to recover some of our expenses."
The A911 JetStream drop aero bar incorporates the split wing design first developed with the A900 JetStream aero forks three years ago. Whereas the fork wings direct air flow around the high-drag spokes ripping through the air above the hubs, the drop aero bar wings direct air flow around the rider's legs which are one of the biggest drag effects on the bike. The JetStream forks were quite radical three years ago but now the forks are used by three ProTour teams and posted two of the three fastest bike times in Hawaii last year.
In addition to being fast, the JetStream bars are 300 grams lighter (at 550 grams) than the lightest production bars on the market. They also test twice as stiff and twice as strong as the current Oval Concepts A900 carbon aero bar which set a standard for aero excellence the past three years.
"Our plan was to build the production version of the JetStream bar in China but the very thin shapes and exotic F1 carbon weaves are proving difficult for my China factories to match. It is possible we will be able to deliver a less expensive version in 12 to 18 months but well need to add 100 to 150 grams to the weight," added Nicol.
"I hate to see a product go out at such a price, I truthfully could never afford one myself, but it seems there are people willing to pay for this level performance so we will try to accommodate them. Most interested customers so far are happy A900 aero bar owners who have been to the wind tunnel and have their Optimal Aero Position (OAP) locked so we can dial this bar and deliver the next level of performance."
To order the bar you must fill out a custom order form choosing stem and extension types, colors, lengths, and angles and then wire transfer the money to the specified Oval account. Oval estimates delivery freight, duty and VAT prepaid in 45 to 60 days.
Article Source: Press Release, 19 September 2005