ACX Announces Innovative Electronic Suspension System for Mountain Bikes: Available Immediately on Most High-End Models from K2 BIKE.CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 3, 1997--Active Control eXperts Inc., (ACX ACX Available Chemicals Exchange ACX Advanced Combat Experimental ACX Asynchronous Cross Connect ) announces the introduction of a revolutionary electronic, microprocessor-controlled compression damping damping In physics, the restraint of vibratory motion, such as mechanical oscillations, noise, and alternating electric currents, by dissipating energy. Unless a child keeps pumping a swing, the back-and-forth motion decreases; damping by the air's friction opposes the shock for mountain bikes. Dubbed dub 1 tr.v. dubbed, dub·bing, dubs 1. To tap lightly on the shoulder by way of conferring knighthood. 2. To honor with a new title or description. 3. the K2 "Smart Shock" and developed in conjunction with K2 BIKE and Noleen Shocks, this marks the first high-volume, commercial application of electronics to mountain bike suspensions. The Smart Shock uses ACX's Piezo "Piezo", derived from the Greek piezein, which means to squeeze or press, is a prefix used in:
The Smart Shock provides a radical performance improvement over conventional manually-adjusted shocks in which the rider pre-sets the comprehension damping level between "soft" and "hard." Because they must be pre-set, conventional mountain bike shocks must compromise performance in various riding conditions. When set "hard," traditional shocks perform poorly in trail chatter. When set "soft," traditional shocks waste energy and bottom-out on high speed impacts. The Smart Shock, using a speed and position sensor A position sensor is any device that enables position measurement. It can either be an absolute position sensor or a relative one(displacement sensor). Position sensors can be either linear or angular. , miniaturized electronics, and ACX's QuickPack(R) piezoelectric The property of certain crystals that causes them to produce voltage when a mechanical pressure is applied to them such as sound vibrations. This technique is used to build crystal microphones, phonograph cartridges and strain gauges, all of which turn mechanical movement into voltage. actuator A mechanism that causes a device to be turned on or off, adjusted or moved. The motor and mechanism that moves the head assembly on a disk drive or an arm of a robot is called an actuator. See access arm. to control a hydraulic valve (Mach.) A valve for regulating the distribution of water in the cylinders of hydraulic elevators, cranes, etc. (Gas Works) An inverted cup with a partition dipping into water, for opening or closing communication between two gas mains, the open ends of which protrude , provides a suspension that automatically and continuously adjusts the compression damping levels, providing optimized performance over the complete range of terrain conditions and riding speeds. "ACX's Piezo Control technology is perfect for high-performance suspension mountain bikes," said Adam Bogue, ACX's vice president of marketing. "For mountain bikes, performance and innovation are king. The Smart Shock provides the kind of performance found in Formula One race cars and uses technology previously found only in advanced military applications. We are expecting a huge market response to this product." The Smart Shock has three modes of operation: soft, hard and "smart". Soft mode provides lower damping, giving a plusher ride at lower speeds. Hard mode provides greater damping, giving a firmer ride at higher speeds or while climbing. Smart mode is the best of both worlds, automatically and continuously switching between hard, soft and in-between based on changing terrain conditions and speeds. The Smart Shock provides a greater than 50 percent change in damping forces over a wide range of riding conditions. That means when the shock needs it most, damping force can be increased or decreased dramatically. The Smart Shock is powered by a single 9 volt volt [for Alessandro Volta], abbr. V, unit of electric potential and electromotive force. It is defined as the difference of electric potential existing across the ends of a conductor carrying a constant current of 1 ampere when the power dissipated is 1 watt. battery. Matt Miller, marketing services manager at K2 BIKE, explained, "The design and flexibility of the Smart Shock gives us a distinct advantage over our competition that uses conventional manually-adjusted shocks. With conventional shocks, once you set it, you're stuck - unless you get off the bike to change it. With the Smart Shock, however, no adjustment is necessary because the microprocessor does it for you instantaneously and on-the-fly." "The way it works is remarkable," explained Bogue. "A sensor in the shock reads piston speed and position and sends data back to a smart circuit. The circuit sends a signal to a piezoelectric actuator in the valve, flexing it in milliseconds. The piezo actuator regulates the flow of oil through the valve, which adjusts the shock damping. The end result is a smoother ride and increased tire-to-ground contact, allowing the rider to go faster over changing terrain and while remain in control." The benefits of the Smart Shock were summarized by James Vandergrift, vice president of R&D at K2 Corp. "Because terrain and speed constantly change while riding off-road, a single shock setting rarely provides optimal damping. The ideal scenario is variable damping, where the shock can respond instantly to changes in the environment. What riders want is a suspension system Noun 1. suspension system - a mechanical system of springs or shock absorbers connecting the wheels and axles to the chassis of a wheeled vehicle suspension that is 'Smart.' ACX's Piezo Control technology allowed us to make the Smart Shock a reality." ACX's President and CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. , Kenneth B. Lazarus, Ph.D., reflected, "Our relationship with K2 BIKE comes on the heels of our recent success with K2 and the Smart Ski that uses ACX's piezoelectric vibration control module. The Smart Ski is now the No. 1 selling ski in the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. , and we hope to bring the same level of success to K2 BIKE and the Smart Shock. These successes demonstrate the broad application potential of piezoelectric technology and the large market opportunities for ACX products, both in the sports equipment industry and other high-volume commercial markets." -0- Active Control eXperts Inc., is a leading supplier of smart material and active control components and systems, including piezoelectric actuators, sensors, vibration suppression, and motion control systems. K2 BIKE, formerly Girvin/Pro-Flex, has been designing full suspension bikes for over 8 years. Since the introduction in 1990 of the world's first high-volume full suspension bike, the company has remained No. 1 in full suspension bikes. The company has grown significantly with innovations like Microcellular Urethane urethane (yoor´ithān´), n ethyl carbamate used as an anesthetic agent for laboratory animals, formerly used as a hypnotic in humans. springs and coil-over-oil damped nitrogen charged shocks. CONTACT: Active Control eXperts Adam Bogue, 617/577-0700 http://www.acx.com or K2 BIKE Matt Miller, 401/765-0130 http://www.k2bike.com |
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