Slidepad
| Founded | 2009 |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Palo Alto, California |
Key people |
Brian Riley CEO, co-founder, Andrew Ouelett Co-founder, Al Nordin Executive Advisor |
| Products | Bicycle brakes |
| Slogan | Safer, easier braking |
| Website | Slidepadbrake.com |
Slidepad is a bicycle brake technology company located in Palo Alto, California.[1] It was co-founded by Brian Riley and Andrew Ouellet in 2009.[2]
History
Slidepad was started by Riley and Ouellet while students at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.[2] Ouellet received inspiration for the product after he crashed his bicycle when applying too much pressure on his front brakes, resulting in front wheel lockup.[2] In 2009, Riley and Ouellet entered their initial design in Cal Poly’s Business Plan competition and won 1st place.[3] In 2013 Alan Nordin, former president of Fallbrook Technologies' bicycle division, joined the company as an executive advisor.[4]
In 2011, Slidepad Technologies formed an agreement with a Taiwanese manufacturer to build a Slidepad braking system for OEM distribution.[5] Jamis Bicycles was the first bike-manufacturer to specify the technology on their 2013 models.[6] Stanford University and Jamis Bicycles currently use Slidepad technology.[5][7]
In November 2012, the company took a 40-day, 11,000 mile, "Save Your Teeth Tour" across 90 bike shops from Palo Alto, California to New Jersey.[6]
Description
Slidepad is an Intelligent Brake Distribution (IBD) technology, aimed at making braking easier for novice or casual cyclists, integrates into V-brake systems to provide single-lever braking.[4] It modulates the front brake force in real time, based on the road surface and rider weight position, and avoids front wheel lockup accidents when applying the front brake.[1][8] It was designed to prevent riders from flipping over their handlebars when applying the front brake.[1] Once the brake pads make contact with the rear wheel, the Slidepad slides forward, which pulls a cable that is connected to the front brakes.[1] Similar to the anti-lock brake system in cars, the mechanism prevents the front wheel from locking, no matter how hard the brake is pressed or how slippery the road conditions are.[6][9]
References
- 1 2 3 4 O’Conner, Brian. Slide Into More Control with Slidepad. Kinetic Shift. June 22, 2011.
- 1 2 3 Jurries, Amy. Endo Crashes A Thing Of The Past. The Gear Caster. March 17, 2011.
- ↑ New Company Launches Brake System. Bicycle Retailer and Industry News. February 25, 2011.
- 1 2 "Nordin joins Slidepad Technologies as advisor". Bicycle Retailer.
- 1 2 Slidepad Secures Taiwan Manufacturing. Bicycle Retailer and Industry News. June 10, 2011.
- 1 2 3 "Slidepad wraps up 'Save Your Teeth Tour'". Bicycle Retailer. November 30, 2012.
- ↑ Smith, Chip and Alex Strickland. Jamis Bicycles Latest Manufacturer to Feature Slidepad. SOAR Communications. November 9, 2011.
- ↑ Reid, Carlton. Single lever break system gets Asian production slot. Bike Biz. June 8, 2011.
- ↑ Overholt, Zach. One Lever, Two Breaks: Slidepad. Bike Rumor. May 16, 2011.