The optional curved Terraplane seat stays are the result of years of development that started during my time at Serotta continuing to this day. While at Serotta I designed a road bike suspension that became know as the DKS and this was the main feature of the Hors Categorie road bike. I was awarded a patent for the design and while I’m very proud of this work, I knew it could be refined and made better. I wanted the system to be lighter, simpler, and to give a full race feel and performance and when I set off on my own I started work to achieve those goals – this work resulted in the Terraplane seat stay design.
The Terraplane seat stay design gives a very small amount of rear wheel movement that allows the rear wheel to better track over less than perfect pavement. With the wheel better stuck to the floor the bike will sprint, turn and brake better giving the bike a solid, predictable and hunkered down feeling like nothing else.
Many bikes can feel skittish and unstable in high speed corners because the rear wheel tends to unweight, bounce and skip ever so slightly and this reduces confidence in the bike and makes the rider feather the brakes while cornering. The Terraplane design keeps the rear wheel in firmer and more constant contact with the road and this gives the bike a more predicable and consistent feel that lets the rider lean the bike over and carve a turn like a skier on perfect groomed snow. There is no discernible movement to the stays under normal riding conditions – no bob, no bounce. The only time there is any movement is when the rear wheel has a sudden vertical acceleration caused by rolling over a road imperfection and it does not move as the rider pedals. While the Terraplane stays can give a slightly smoother ride they are primarily designed as a high performance option to give high performance riders an advantage during sprints, descents and high-speed corners.
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