Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Swim Skin Contraversy
Introduced at this year's Interbike Show, cycling's version of the Detroit Auto Show, a few wetsuit manufacturers including ourselves unveiled a new category of garment specifically designed for use in events that will not allow the use of wetsuits. This happens when the water temperature is too warm (78degrees for pros, 84 for age groupers) for using the wetsuits because overheating becomes a concern.
Skinsuits were designed as a lighter, thinner covering which still gives the benefit of having a slick surface for less drag, but without the insulation properties of the neoprene in wetsuits. In order to keep all things reasonably fair and even there has to be rules for what is considered a skinsuit. First and foremost is buoyancy. Skinsuits are not allowed to have any. One company has designed a fabric that has a special coating which is used for drag reduction, but has no buoyancy.
So how does USAT address the legality of what can and can't be used? Triathlon's test for legality is to place 61 grams of weight on a suit, wrung free of air, and placed a foot or two under the water's surface. If the suit sinks it's legal, otherwise it's not.
Unfortunately this is not a very scientific method of testing which can leave a lot of factors left for error. For instance, there is no way of telling how much if any air is still trapped in the garment which could affect it's buoyancy.
Marcin Sochacki, founder of Rocket Science Sports, aerospace engineer and triathlete has a better method for testing, using actual mathmatical calculations to figure the buoyancy of a material. By calculating the weight of a mass and the amount of space the mass takes up it is easy to find if it is going to be buoyant or not. Conceivably this method could be used for approving specific types of materials used by manufacturers for the construction of a skinsuit. Marcin has spoken with USAT's Commissioner of Officials Charlie Crawford about this method and it seems to be under advisement.
We hope to gain support from the rest of the triathlon community in this endeavor. You can voice your concern or support to USAT directly if you wish.
Cheers!
Skinsuits were designed as a lighter, thinner covering which still gives the benefit of having a slick surface for less drag, but without the insulation properties of the neoprene in wetsuits. In order to keep all things reasonably fair and even there has to be rules for what is considered a skinsuit. First and foremost is buoyancy. Skinsuits are not allowed to have any. One company has designed a fabric that has a special coating which is used for drag reduction, but has no buoyancy.
So how does USAT address the legality of what can and can't be used? Triathlon's test for legality is to place 61 grams of weight on a suit, wrung free of air, and placed a foot or two under the water's surface. If the suit sinks it's legal, otherwise it's not.
Unfortunately this is not a very scientific method of testing which can leave a lot of factors left for error. For instance, there is no way of telling how much if any air is still trapped in the garment which could affect it's buoyancy.
Marcin Sochacki, founder of Rocket Science Sports, aerospace engineer and triathlete has a better method for testing, using actual mathmatical calculations to figure the buoyancy of a material. By calculating the weight of a mass and the amount of space the mass takes up it is easy to find if it is going to be buoyant or not. Conceivably this method could be used for approving specific types of materials used by manufacturers for the construction of a skinsuit. Marcin has spoken with USAT's Commissioner of Officials Charlie Crawford about this method and it seems to be under advisement.
We hope to gain support from the rest of the triathlon community in this endeavor. You can voice your concern or support to USAT directly if you wish.
Cheers!
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Manufacturing.
So it's been a while since I last did a real post. Please forgive me. It's been a crazy few months with all the travelling, ending with Interbike at the end of September. The last couple of weeks have been dig out and follow-up time. Pre-season sales are being closed and new dealers around the country are being brought on board. What a great time for us!
Among other things Marcin is getting ready to leave next week to move his family to China. Yes, I said China! He will be back in a couple weeks for a short time but then will return to live there for a year or two. This is for a couple reasons. One is that we have a small office there and a full time production manager who is working dialy with our assembly plants. The other reasons are to personally oversee manufacturing of our newest high tech products and to hire and train a larger staff to help develop our manufacturing capabilities and quality control.
Just to clarify, we do not have anything made in China. All of our components are made in places like Italy, Australia, Japan, Israel, and imported to China for assembly. The reason we do this is to maximize the quality of the components we buy or have designed for us while keeping the end cost reasonable.
For those concerned with work ethics in in the factories we use, let it be known that Marcin surprise inspects each perspective factory to make sure no unethical treatment is present and to make sure that the atmosphere is conducive to employee happiness and good workmanship. The factories must also be willing to learn quality assurance practices and update equipment needed to keep up with Rocket Science Sport's technological advancements.
I believe we go well beyond designing and having products manufactured for us. In order to guarantee the best product we need to personally learn and be a part of all levels of the process. Marcin's commitment to the the quality and consistancy of our products I can assuradly say is unmatched in the industry. His tireless effort and attention to not only the details of the product, but to the process of design and production will surely be the root of Rocket Science Sports ultimate success as a business, and the advancements of technology in the industry.
Cheers!
Among other things Marcin is getting ready to leave next week to move his family to China. Yes, I said China! He will be back in a couple weeks for a short time but then will return to live there for a year or two. This is for a couple reasons. One is that we have a small office there and a full time production manager who is working dialy with our assembly plants. The other reasons are to personally oversee manufacturing of our newest high tech products and to hire and train a larger staff to help develop our manufacturing capabilities and quality control.
Just to clarify, we do not have anything made in China. All of our components are made in places like Italy, Australia, Japan, Israel, and imported to China for assembly. The reason we do this is to maximize the quality of the components we buy or have designed for us while keeping the end cost reasonable.
For those concerned with work ethics in in the factories we use, let it be known that Marcin surprise inspects each perspective factory to make sure no unethical treatment is present and to make sure that the atmosphere is conducive to employee happiness and good workmanship. The factories must also be willing to learn quality assurance practices and update equipment needed to keep up with Rocket Science Sport's technological advancements.
I believe we go well beyond designing and having products manufactured for us. In order to guarantee the best product we need to personally learn and be a part of all levels of the process. Marcin's commitment to the the quality and consistancy of our products I can assuradly say is unmatched in the industry. His tireless effort and attention to not only the details of the product, but to the process of design and production will surely be the root of Rocket Science Sports ultimate success as a business, and the advancements of technology in the industry.
Cheers!
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