Las Vegas (NV) – If you want the ultimate mountain bike that’s guaranteed to garner looks and stop traffic, then Delta 7 Sports out of Utah has perhaps the ultimate invention for you.  The company’s Arantix bike frame is a hollow matrix made of carbon fiber and Kevlar.  Company reps say the frame weighs just 2.75 pounds.

The matrix tube gives two advantages.  There is less air resistance on the front tubes because the air going through the matrix breaks up the back-end vortex (the thing that causes most of the drag) caused by the air going around the tubes.  Company reps acknowledge that the back tubes, the ones near the rear tire, currently cause a little more drag than conventional tubes because the air tends to swirl inside the matrix, sorta like a “wiffelball”, they said.

CES 2008 - Arantix carbon fiber matrix bike frame ...

The next advantage is obviously less weight without sacrificing tube strength – strength you definitely need if you’re jumping rocks and logs on a trail run.  Since the frame weighs under 3 pounds, a completely bike made with high quality components would weigh just 21 pounds.  Many people were easily able to pick up the demonstration bike at the Consumer Electronics Show with one hand.

The handmade frame takes 300 man-hours to make and costs $7000.  A complete bike with Shimano XTR components would total approximately $11,000 or more.

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