who is at corebike...

Carmichael Training Systems

Chris Carmichael is a name synonymous with success in endurance sports. From coaching Lance Armstrong to seven Tour de France victories, to race winning athletes in triathlon, running, adventure racing and motor sports. The CTS line is now an expansive range of 10 indoor trainer based workout DVDs designed specifically for the many disciplines within cycling. Also available are the 4 titles in the 5 Essentials Workout series, a unique all-round fitness DVD series especially designed for athletes to maximise their commitment, strength and performance.

Fast Forward Wheels

Based in The Netherlands, FFWD Fast Forward ® is a young high-end brand, specializing in high speed wheels. Carbon only. Period.
FFWD's goal is to deliver fast, lightweight and durable wheels to the Road, Cyclocross, Track & Triathlon market. Our primary focus is on outstanding craftsmanship, quality and design. All spoked wheels are laced and hand built in Holland by master wheel builders. Only the best of ingredients are being used. High Tensile TC35 Carbon rims, FFWD or DT Swiss hubs, Sapim CX Ray or DT Aerolite spokes, Brass nipples together with a lot of intrinsic wheel builder finger skills ensure top quality and long term serviceability. Current range of high end products consists of high performance Road, Triathlon and specific Cyclocross wheels, 3 spoke, disc and Track wheels in all major sizes and variations (i.e.700c and 650c, tubular/clincher types).

Kona

The Kona Bicycle Company designs, manufactures and distributes more than 80 models of purpose-built, high-performance mountain, road and urban bicycles. Founded in 1988 and headquartered in Ferndale, Washington, USA, Kona bicycles are distributed worldwide in more than 60 countries through independent specialty bicycle dealers. Kona funds several professional road, mountain and cyclo-cross racing teams that include World Cup Champions, World Champions and National Champions.

Litespeed

Litespeed's launch pad was the family run exotic material specialists 'Southeast Machine'. After a son of the owner suffered a running injury and was forced to take up cycling to maintain his fitness, approaching his local cycle shop and disappointed by what was on offer he utilised his workshop expertise to build his own frame. Word soon got around about the families lightweight titanium frames and they were approached by several local athletes. Suddenly weekends were swallowed crafting frames from this wonder metal. After showcasing their frames to the trade in the mid eighties Litespeed quickly secured a favourable reputation in the industry and soon were creating titanium frames for many of the big brands. The reciprocal feed of knowledge in cutting edge bicycle design and technology all proved highly beneficial for the burgeoning company. Chattanooga's Litespeed is now touted as the world leader in titanium manufacturer as they push the materials shaping beyond traditional constraints. A recent collaboration with NASA has allowed Litespeed to produce bikes with a level of performance which was once thought impossible, surpassing even the best carbon fiber offerings.

Merlin

20 years ago, Merlin built the 'Original' contemporary titanium road and mountainbike, whilst Litespeed's offerings appeared around the same time Merlin remained and to this day still remain the holy grail of titanium framesets in the public consciousness. The standards that Merlin set to build the finest titanium frames possible still exist today, each frame drawn from aerospace grade raw materials to exacting standards culminating in a Merlin's magical riding characteristics.

Muc-Off

"Bike cleaning made easy" is the Muc-Off motto! Every product in their range is developed to be the most advanced of its type and to be as fast and effective to use as possible - cleaning is no longer a complex job! Since 1994 the Muc-Off brand has grown from just one cleaner into the UK's number one bicycle maintenance range. This rapid growth has been fuelled by a massive consumer demand which seems to grow with every clean bike!

"We just love making products that our fellow riders enjoy using" states Muc-Off MD. Alex Trimnell. "Everyone that works in our company is completely mad about at least one of our markets. We feel this passion makes our products 'best of breed' because we are totally dedicated to our products performance, you just can't beat getting out of the lab and doing real world product testing!"

We also work extremely hard to strike a fine balance between producing products that excel at the highest levels of competition while being as eco-friendly as possible. All of our aerosols are CFC free and fully recyclable and the majority of our formulations are biodegradable and our new range of lubes have been developed using naturally derived ingredients. All of our packaging is also fully recyclable.

No-Tubes

No Tubes have made a name for themselves for numerous smart innovations in the bicycle industry. Especially their original tubeless system quickly converting a regular wheelset to tubeless. Their products now extend beyond tyre sealant and rim strips to the likes of wheelsets, tubeless rims, rotors and tyres. Their tyre sealant can also be used in ATV's, wheel barrows and trailers. No-Tubes products are used worldwide from Olympians, and recreational riders seeking the products weight advantage through to gardeners seeking a flat free run to the compost heap.

Quintana Roo

Quintana Roo was founded by Dan Empfield who competed in the very first Ironman, back in 1981. He went on to create the first tri-athlete specific wetsuits. Quintana Roo has continued to expand and evolve with the sport of triathlon, and behind all of their innovations, craftsmanship, detail and engineering, you'll find one single mission; to make the user a winning triathlete in the water, on the bike and through the run. Quintana Roo wetsuits are handcrafted in the US with the most technically advanced materials and designs and come in more sizes than any other brand on the market. They've also been worn by more Ironman winners worldwide than any other triathlon wetsuit on the market. Quintana Roo produced their first tri-specific bike in 1989. Their bicycles are created specifically for Triathlons, designed, built and tested for and by seasoned triathletes. Design features include geometry that places riders in a more aerodynamic position reducing chest exposure and encouraging a flatter back and more efficient pedalling position, thus preserving legs for the run.

Ritchey

Tom Ritchey first wielded a welder at the tender age of 15 creating hand crafted road frames. In 1980 he turned his attention to building mountainbike frames, where he quickly became the number one hand builder, servicing several XC pros with championship winning steel. His steel frames were notorious for being ultra light, aggressive designs. After many years of frame building he turned his attention to component design, most famously an early innovator of the threadless headset, producing them years before other companies patented the configuration. He continues to be a leader in bicycle design and engineering and has always been focused on saving weight without compromising the strength and reliability of racing bicycles. His most recent creations are focused around the Break-Away Bike, integrating the legendary handling of a hand-built Ritchey, with a collapsible bike. A revolutionary coupling system allows you to split the bike in two and pack in to a hard suitcase for travelling. Ritchey has a reputation as one of the most prolific component manufacturers in the industry, and this is thanks to Tom's knack for developing and refining manufacturing processes and using the best resources available. As a result many Ritchey designs and methods have become industry standards. Tom still clocks up 10,000 miles a year on his bike, generating new ideas and creations as he quenches his all consuming two wheeled passion.

Saris, CycleOps, PowerTap, Indoor Cycle

Saris Cycling Group's origins are firmly rooted in bike racks, the first of which was invented way back in 1973 by the Graber brothers. In 1989 Chris and Sara Fortune purchased Graber's rack company and the Saris brand surfaced in 1992. CycleOps static trainers joined the family in 1999 followed two years later by PowerTap. Constantly innovating, in 2004 they introduced the first PowerTap-equipped indoor cycle. Saris believe in pushing the technological boundaries, striving to bring the most intuitive, innovative and performance-oriented training products to the market.

Sombrio

When three seasoned Vancouver pros, Dave Watson, Andrew Shandro and Gabe Fox put their heads together to create a clothing line that would break the conventional mould, they came up with Sombrio. Their mission statement-to produce some of the most technically advanced and stylish riding gear available on the market. And not without some eco savvy. Sombrio strive to incorporate less raw materials, energy and volatile chemicals within their clothing production whilst also not inhibiting people from meeting their basic needs. A plan is also a foot to undergo a sustainability assessment identifying Sombrio's main environmental and social impacts, communicating the company's results on a yearly basis. Sombrio Clothing has pioneered a particular dress code for freeride mountainbiking through its diverse catalogue of active and lifestyle apparel. Differentiated from clothing also-rans not only by bold palettes but by performance-inspired design, technically advanced construction and unique styling.

Torq

Torq was launched in 2000 by Matt Hart, who after graduating in 1993 from Manchester Metropolitan University with an honours degree in sports science, worked in the health and fitness industry for 10 years. As an avid mountainbiker and XC racer, he decided to investigate the reasons behind good and bad days during competition, specifically researching methods to legitimately boost performance. What he came up with as a side to Torq's comprehensive coaching and performance consultancy was a range of energy products to address a racers essential turbo boost. Specializing in drinks, bars and gels; all products have been painstakingly formulated from all-natural ingredients, including Fair-Trade fruit and are also made in the UK. Nutrition for 'health' is at the heart of Torq's philosophy, despite uncompromising standards, they have a conscience. Torq are completely free of artificial additions, using only ingredients derived from a natural source or ones that occur naturally in the human body.

X-treme

X-Treme Video is a French based company producing a wide range of mountainbike BMX and legions of other adrenalin themed DVD's.