When a bike company talks about research and development, most people think in terms of products, new bike models, new components. But when we look at our R&D plan, the discreet projects are much smaller. For example, we have redesigned the drop outs on our road bikes a dozen times over the life of the company, evolving, refining and improving with each iteration.
New bike models, such as they are in the world of custom building, mostly come out of these smaller projects, the accumulation of progress coalescing into a vision for a new bike. Very seldom have we set out to design a bike from the ground up. Innovation, in our experience, takes the form of a series of breakthroughs that can be put to good use. There is no flash of lightning, no thunder clap.
It’s not unlike the experience of a long, testing ride. You can’t cover 50, 100 or even 200 miles all at once. You have to ride each mile as best you can, and see how it all comes together at the end.