The firm Duratec introduced its PHANTOM road bike, the heart of which is the PHANTOM full carbon frame made from the world's strongest fibre.
The frame weighs a mere 760 grams. For production the firm developed a new technology which means that the frame is hardened completely from a single piece. It contains no glued on parts, no subsequent joins. The use of the latest type of carbon fibre and special layering of material pushes the frame's technical parameters and handling to the very limit of the material's technical possibilities and to the absolute global cutting edge.
The Phantom frame was officially introduced and presented by Jiří Ježek, the world's most successful disabled cyclist, who has been racing on DURATEC bikes for 15 seasons now and has become an established face of the DURATEC brand over his career.
The Czech manufacturer of bike frames presented the Phantom road carbon frame, developed and built in the Czech Republic, through the eyes of Jiří Ježek.
The Czech bike manufacturer, the firm DURATEC, has been making frames since 1997. Milan Duchek, head of development and founder of the brand, has had a clear philosophy since the very beginning based on the production of quality bikes made of the best materials, all directly at the firm's headquarters in Město Touškov, not far from Plzeň.
„Coming up with a functional production technology is far more demanding in terms of time, finance and technology than designing the frame itself and its shape," says Milan Duchek
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For the new model Duratec has relied on first-class materials and demanding technical parameters in order to achieve low weight and also ensure a high level of the product's rigidity. The fibres Toray T1100 and Granoc, which are used to make the Phantom, are made in Japan, and they are the most advanced materials, with excellent technical parameters. Combined with Nanoalloy resin, the fibres are considered to be the strongest in the world. The same material is also used to build Formula 1 cars. |
Picture Precision working of carbon fibres
High-quality material is the foundation, but shaping it into the form of a racing bike frame without a single join is a technically highly-demanding matter. Just to give you an idea of the complexity, the composite unit consists of four hundred pieces, each one of which has its precise position, alignment, shape and level. The fitting of the fibres is a factor which fundamentally influences the resultant product. Duratec developed its own AFCF fitting technology back in 2010. The principle is simple: to fit the fibre in the longest possible section without interruption - in this way the leading-edge supersized fibre transfers the maximum of its properties to the product.
Picture Full carbon one-piece Phantom frame weighing 760 grams.
The unique nature of the Phantom frame results primarily from its production ONEPIECE TECHNOLOGY, which is valuable know-how of the firm DURATEC. As a result the frame is manufactured AS A SINGLE PIECE, without any joins. It took several years to develop the technology, and the fact that Duratec has been working with carbon fibre since 2001 and has extensive experience in this field has also contributed to the result.
In early April Phantom is beginning its exhibition tour in Great Britain at the cycling exhibition Bespoked 2017, intended for smaller manufacturers with a high level of craftsmanship. This Czech product will deservedly find a place there, and we are convinced that it will attract great attention.
Picture Duratec Phantom bike with SRAM Red eTap wireless gear shift and ZIPP 404 carbon wheels. The entire bike weighs 6.15 kg.
More information phantom.duratec.eu