News

Saint-Gobain & NORCO Get Thumbs up

May 9, 2012

Press Release

Mountain bike athlete Catherine Vipond chose the Phaser model bicycle from Norco Bicycles, designed and engineered with Saint-Gobain’s lightweight NORGLIDE® composite bearings, for use in the 2012 cycling championship season, and fellow cycling champion Andrew Watson chose the new model for training in 2012. Vipond is the 2011 winner of the Women’s Canada Cup cycling championship, while Watson has won the national Men’s Canada Cup series Under-23 competition three times.

The Phaser model is characterized by its extremely lightweight, high-performance design, making it ideal for racing at professional levels and for recreational activities. The NORGLIDE® composite bearings, used in the Phaser’s rear suspension, are a crucial factor in this performance. At 1.2g, the composite bearings are one-tenth the weight of traditional rolling element bearings. These lighter components reduce the overall weight of the bicycle, enabling cyclists to reach higher speeds than with heavier models.

NORGLIDE® composite bearings are manufactured with a thick coating of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), a high-performance lubricating material, which has the lowest coefficient of friction of all known solid materials. This PTFE coating offers reduced stick-slip effect, optimising the performance of the Phaser’s rear suspension by ensuring that the rear wheel is almost always in contact with even the roughest track surface. This increases the cyclists’ control over the bicycle and enables them to enjoy a smoother, more comfortable ride. With its excellent wear resistance, NORGLIDE® composite bearings do not require maintenance, guaranteeing constantly low friction values and smooth suspension throughout the lifetime of the component.

“To meet performance needs, we worked extensively with Norco to help improve the lightweightness of its cross-country racing bike for elite athletes by producing high-quality, low-friction composite bearings. We have been researching and developing component solutions for bicycles for many years now and we were excited to leverage our expertise to help find the ideal solution for Norco’s needs”, said Paul Humphreys, Market Manager Bicycle, Saint-Gobain.

The Phaser’s lightweight, responsive components ensure the cyclist feels in control of the bicycle even over the most uneven terrain. These properties make the Phaser the bicycle of choice for some ofCanada’s top athletes.

“As a professional athlete, I need my bicycle to respond quickly and efficiently during a race”, said Catherine Vipond. “A mountain bike trail can prove challenging. A mountain bike racer needs to be lightweight and highly responsive to changing terrain to ensure maximum control and maximum speed”.

Able to be customised to meet specific requirements, NORGLIDE® composite bearings also work as a high-performance corrosion-resistant option for brake pivots as the composite bearings are immune to outside forces such as rust or temperature. For pedal assemblies, NORGLIDE® composite bearings can be used in place of axle-shaft rolling element bearings and plastic bushings in order to provide a smoother pedaling experience.

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About Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics Bearings and Tolerance Rings SBU:

Saint-Gobain is a global leader in the design, production and distribution of innovative, high performance materials for industry and employs nearly 190,000 people. With operations in over 64 countries, Saint-Gobain is the 60th largest employer and among the top 50 global industrial companies worldwide. Saint-Gobain is listed on the stock exchanges of Paris, London, Frankfurt, Zurich, Brussels and Amsterdam. Saint-Gobain’s global strategy is focused around three core markets: Construction Products, Innovative Materials, and Building Distribution; and, the company is committed to play a leading role in developing energy efficient innovations for the housing and construction sectors, protecting the environment, and managing growth in a sustainable fashion.

With 15 sites and six R&D centres globally, the Bearings and Tolerance Rings Group, a division of Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics, provides ‘engineer-to-engineer solutions-in-motion’ to high volume international OEMs in the automotive, leisure, energy, industrial, and other markets. Backed by a heritage of product innovation, technology, advanced materials and market leadership, they are dedicated to working with customers using their extensive engineering expertise to deliver standard and custom solutions in NORGLIDE® composite bearings, RENCOL® tolerance rings, SOLGLIDE® composite bearings, JOINSHIM® rings, and NORSLIDE® cable liners that meet the most demanding applications.

For further information, please visit:

Website: http://www.bearings.saint-gobain.com

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