The personalization of everything

Over the phone from the Garmin development office in Cochrane, Alta., Ross Stirling, director of engineering, is reluctant to share too many details about his work. Engineers, he admits, notoriously dislike speculative conversations.

Rather than talk about gps devices, smart lights, power meters and bicycle radar – tech for which Garmin is well-known – he steers the conversation to what the company is doing with data: how they are as focused on making the data streaming in from Garmin Connect uploads useful as they are on hardware development and how that data might inform the next generation of bike tech.

Many in the industry believe the company will soon introduce personal aero meters – one of the few things Garmin devices currently don’t measure (in-ride, at least) – because the company acquired Montreal’s Alphamantis Technologies in 2017, then a privately-held aerodynamics testing and measurement technology company. While Stirling won’t say specifically whether a drag-measuring device is coming, an aero meter or something of that ilk seems most likely to be the next data screen appearing on an Edge 1030 near you.

But for Stirling, whatever technology comes next will only be useful if a rider is able to make sense of the data.

“Even if someone doesn’t understand VO2 or ftp, data needs to be safely presented, but also easily compared to other user data from within a cyclist’s community,” Stirling says. “We’ve already rolled out some of the technology from Alphamantis in our internal aerodynamic testing. There will be a lot of companies interested in bringing this kind of measurement technology to the user.” With the Edge 1030 – the company’s flagship computer – Garmin is displaying personalized data (such as power, ftp, VO2 and pedal efficiency data) and product integration that not long ago was available only to pros. The company will continue to focus on the interoperability of its products both to make bikes perform better but also to aid in esthetics. (The substantially enhanced Vector 3 pedals are a good example of Garmin’s dual design and data focus.)

Beyond Garmin, personalization is driving product development within several industry giants, including Oakley. Oakley sees plenty of its own optic design being propelled by the intersection of personalized data and newly available technologies.

Take, for example, the company’s partnership with Belgium’s Bioracer. With that deal, Oakley now makes kit in addition to helmets and the shades for which it’s well-known. The designs are rooted in Bioracer’s applied technologies, and very much inspired by advanced fabrics. Oakley’s rubberized gilet, for example, released in 2018, is as futuristic as some of Oakley’s past and present eyewear designs.

Beyond some of Oakley’s current shades and tech, such as the Advancer that regulates airflow to the face on the 2018 Flight Jacket design, the company believes personalization will have a significant influence on what it releases next.

Alison Jones, director of Oakley global product marketing, explains how glasses could be born from cranial scans and 3D printing – an application already being explored by London-based helmet startup, Oxhex, which offers bespoke head protection using 3D technology. Once that technology is refined, it’s easy to imagine walking into a brand store for a pair of Flight Jacket glasses that are fit exactly for your face, painted on site in team colours. Throw in a matching bespoke helmet, too.

With companies such as Oakley interested in trends like customization and personalization, the possibilities for the broader cycling soft-goods market seem endless. Castelli, the Italian kit maker, has recognized how demands from individual riders can advance development. Having already pioneered tech like the Gabba rain jersey that uses the Nano Flex fabric for water resistance, the company believes greater levels of personalization will yield kit that is no longer specific to wet or dry weather. In the future, Castelli plans to sell single solutions that adapt to the rider and conditions.

Where data will factor in, says Steve Smith, brand manager for Europe, is in the development of thermoregulating clothing that is far more aerodynamic – furthering the work of others in the industry who are also chasing better ways to cheat the wind.

“Aerodynamics is still in its early stages when it comes to cycling clothing design. We don’t yet have the tools to measure and modify wake dynamics, but this is coming,” Smith says.

“SHE EXPLAINS HOW GLASSES COULD BE BORN FROM CRANIAL SCANS AND 3D PRINTING.”