Cruz Industries Launching Road Bike Line

Born from the ashes of Rock Racing, the Long Beach, California based Cruz Industries is launching a line of road bikes that boast top level engineering, partnered with stylish, limited edition graphics.  With eyes on club, domestic and eventually ProTour sponsorship, Cruz is company to keep your eye on. Read details on the first batch of bikes, plus the official press release, after the jump.

There are currently three models being released:

1. Arenberg CSL-1 (MSRP $8,500); superlight 3k carbon frame, full Shimano Dura Ace.
2. Arenberg CL-1 (MSRP $5,600); carbon frame, Shimano Ultegra/Dura Ace mix.
3. Arenberg Comp (MSRP $3,500); aluminum frame, full Shimano Ultegra.

The bikes are all spec’d with PRO or FSA components, PowerCordz cables, Prologo saddles, Vittoria tires and Cruz’s proprietary Phoenix carbon clincher wheels (in 38mm, 50mm and 60/80mm profiles).

The bikes will also be the first in the industry using QR codes on their salesfloor hangtags. Shane Fedon, Research & Development Engineer and Co-owner, explains, “Each bike will come with 4 hangtags; one for company profile, description of the bike/technology, one for sizing, and one for product registration…  We are a premium brand and are extending this not in just saying it, but from our products construction, to the quality of the paint and astetics, packaging and in support for dealer sales teams.”

PRESS RELEASE –

FORMER PROFESSIONAL CYCLIST ANTONIO CRUZ LAUNCHES NEW BIKE COMPANY
Cruz Partners With Renowned Design Engineer Shane Fedon to Push the Limits of Bicycle Design and Technology

Long Beach, CA – Antonio Cruz, One of America’s most prominent professional cyclists over the past two decades, today announced the launch of Cruz Industries, a new bicycle company focused on re-defining high-end bike innovation and design for professional cyclists as well as cycling enthusiast. Partnering with one of the industry’s top research and design engineers, Shane Fedon, the designer behind the lauded Fuji D6 tt/tri bike, and Fuji SST, as well as Rock Racing’s X-1/X-2 and 4815. Cruz will take aim at the high-end boutique bikes with designs that “are out of the box with no compromises.”

Cruz, who was signed to the Rock Racing professional cycling team for the 2010 season was forced into early retirement after the team folded, and seized the opportunity. “The change in plans created the perfect situation to launch the company,” says Cruz. “Shane and I were both looking for a new challenge and we both have a lifelong passion for the sport. I knew that together, we could create something incredible and push the limits of bike design and technology.”

The new bikes are designed under the Cruz Industries banner; however the racing division will be called Cruz Racing. It will include models from a top of the line carbon road Arenberg Series to an entry level, sensibly priced, aluminum Arenberg comp.  The bikes will be limited to 500 carbon/1000 aluminum for a particular model year before we retire that model years color way and graphic design.  “After we sell our stock, we start working on producing the next year’s stock, we really want to push our aesthetic design to the fullest, to give the consumer the most”, says Fedon. “In this economy you need to be smart,” says Cruz. “We are going to be strategic about where we place the brand. It needs to be in shops that fit the image and demographic of the brand.” He adds, “The Cruz Racing frames look great and people are expecting that.”

Beyond the visual appeal, Cruz says performance is even more important. With Fedon designing the frame, Cruz says there are no compromises taken.  Getting feedback from Cruz and many other professional riders Fedon has designed a bike that isn’t just another open mold frame or that just follows someone else’s trends. “I’ve worked for one of those companies before and I don’t want to do that again,” says Fedon. I’ve got great ideas that will make people take another look at how a bike is designed.”

So what separates a Cruz Racing frame from the rest of the peloton? Fedon enthusiastically explains that that the Cruz Racing frames had to have most of what consumers expect, such as BB30 bottom bracket, tapered 1-1/8~ 1-1/5 head tube, easy fast cable routing, but it’s in the construction that other companies can’t beat us. “We spent a lot of time on research with the layup, using techniques from signal processing called Morlet Wavelet Transformation,” says Fedon.  “Wavelet Transformation not only breaks down the harmonic component of a signal (freq and amplitude) but correlates and covariates data with the time domain.  That’s what’s important.  Seeing exactly at what point during a ride vibrations occur, how they occur and what was the physiological response to these perturbations.  In truly understanding vibration analysis, we can tune the carbon for real world needs.” This analysis helps Fedon design a frame that is responsive as well as light weight. “It’s easy to make a bike stiff and light, it’s pushing the boundaries in ‘real’ manufacturing, actually analyzing  what’s happening to a frame during testing, not just seeing when a frame breaks or if it doesn’t but why, how and what can we do to enhance ride quality.  ,” he says.

Over the next 12 months, Cruz believes the line will be firmly established in the market with many clubs racing on the bike. He also plans to sponsor a domestic cycling team in 2012. And within five to seven years, having his bikes under a ProTour team.

While Cruz is known worldwide as a professional cyclist, in Southern California he is also known as the bicycle ambassador for the city of Long Beach, California. He has been instrumental in cycling related issues such as bike boulevards and lanes as well as helping develop bike programs for the local schools. Cruz has become an advocate for the sport – helping develop a younger generation of riders with coaching and mentoring.

For more information about Cruz Industries, please visit: www.cruzindustries.com or contact Sonia Cassatt at 562.508.3137 soniacassatt@cruzindustries.com.

ABOUT CRUZ INDUSTRIES
Founded in 2010, Cruz Industries creates innovative cycling products that enlighten each customer’s experience through forward-thinking, functional, and expressive cycling designs. Cruz Industries’ founders, Tony Cruz and Shane Fedon, are cycling industry veterans who are committed and passionate about bringing a design and audience centric approach to Cruz Industries’ customers. Cycling, whether for pure enjoyment, expressive “tricks”, or serious competition is a unique sport and requires equipment that has been designed to withstand weather, wear-and-tear, and also be an extension of a rider’s own creativity and personality. Cruz Industries is designing bikes and cycling equipment to meet these goals; cycling is about freedom and a cyclist on a Cruz bike is someone who enjoys life, embraces his/her uniqueness, and is passionate about his/her cycling experience.

ABOUT ANTONIO CRUZ
Prior to founding Cruz Industries, Tony Cruz was a USA Crit Champion and 2000 USA Olympic Team Member. Tony raced for some of the best cycling teams, both nationally and internationally, such as Saturn, US Postal, Discovery, Toyota-United and BMC Professional Cycling Teams. Tony has continued to spread his passion for cycling along with his two sisters, by creating Cruz & Associates, an advocacy cycling group that creates programs for kids such as Century Kids in the City of Long Beach. Tony has been awarded the 2010 Long Beach Latino Community Marshall award for his work as the Long Beach Bike Ambassador.  His forward thinking ideas have helped Long Beach to achieve a bronze level bike friendly status from League of American Bicyclists, as well as other cycling programs both in and around the Long Beach, California area.

ABOUT SHANE FEDON
Shane’s tenure in the cycling industry has gained him respect among the bike development and design industry.  Through his career he has held a variety of leadership positions including his most recent appointment as the Director of Research & Development for Rock & Republic Enterprises. While at Rock & Republic, Shane oversaw the design and development of all hard goods, including the creation of the Rock Racing Bicycle Brand. Prior to Rock & Republic, Shane designed bikes and been on design teams designing and providing feedback on cycling products for USA Cycling, Fuji Bicycles, SE, Kestrel Bicycles, Colnago and other cycling brands. In addition to his experience as designer, Shane also has worked directly with manufacturers and as a mechanic and product manager for Pro Cycling teams Lotto, Barloworld, Toyota-United, Navigators, and several others.