SAN JOSE, CA (BRAIN)—Slidepad Technologies, maker of a new single-lever, automatic brake system, has formed an agreement with an established Taiwanese manufacturer to build Slidepad braking systems for OEM distribution.
"Having manufacturing channels in Asia is a huge step for us and creates a very cost-effective way for product managers to spec Slidepad systems on bikes," said Slidepad president and co-founder Brian Riley. "With our partner's extensive experience manufacturing brakes, we know we're providing a quality product that cyclists can trust."
Rhode Island-based Dynamic Bicycles is the first bike-maker to spec the new system, with select 2012 models hitting the market in January equipped with Slidepad brakes.
Optimized for comfort, electric, urban, folding, and youth bicycles, bike manufacturers including BMC, Breezer, Currie Technologies, Dahon, Electra, Giant, KHS, Marin, Raleigh, Specialized and Trek have also requested samples of the product for testing.
Select retailers around the Bay Area are already adding the braking system to bikes on their sales floor and offering the Slidepad-equipped bikes as a premium feature to consumers.
Slidepad has also recently outfitted fleets of rental bikes at Stanford University's Campus Bike Shop and The Bike Connection in Palo Alto, California, with the single-lever system, giving students and visitors to the Bay Area a chance to ride the simplified setup.
"Slidepad's technology is really cleverly done and quite simple and that's the beauty of it," said Chris Wiscavage, manager at Stanford's Campus Bike Shop. "It's a very clean way to actuate the brakes in a predictable and usable way that you don't have to be an expert cyclist to take advantage of. Most people don't event notice it, and that's a good thing."
Slidepad Technologies is the creator of a patent-pending brake system in which the friction of the rear brake actively modulates the front brake, giving the rider smooth, controlled stopping power. The system eliminates the risk of over-applying the front brake and causing over-the-bars accidents, all while simplifying the user experience by requiring only a single brake lever.
