K2 Bike T:Nine Alliance

What’s in a name? That which we call a women’s bike, by another brand’s name might not ride as sweet

Why do we believe that distinctly different models, names and sometimes even prices than our K2 Bike men's line are so critical to the success of our women’s bicycle collection?

• Pride of Ownership – We all feel a stronger emotional connection to products whose names speak to us.  Conversely, we may choose to ignore items with names that don’t appeal to us, or actively avoid those that offend.  Our Alliance Team feels, and we think you’ll agree, that you’ll be more likely to share your enthusiasm about your new T:Nine Ridgeline or T:Nine Whirlwind than a "W" or "WSD" version of a men's bike from another brand.
• Priced by Design, not by History – Women value different features and benefits from their bicycles than men, and to properly address these separate desires in a women's model, it may cost either less, the same, or more than an existing men's bicycle depending on the particular style of bicycle.  Using separate names allows us the freedom to position our T:Nine bicycles at different prices than our traditional men's models to deliver what women have told us is most important to them, without either compromising to meet an existing price point or charging too much for features that aren’t desirable.
• Authenticity Above All – These days, too many products marketed as being women’s-specific follow the “pink it and shrink it” strategy, which is simply not good enough for us here at K2 Bike.  The T:Nine brand, along with our separate models and names, is your guarantee that we design the frames for every T:Nine bicycle to achieve balance with carefully selected, properly sized components, resulting in fit and performance characteristics truly appropriate for women riders.

I’m tall enough that I fit on many unisex and men’s bike designs pretty well. Why should I consider a T:Nine women’s bike?

The three keystones to every K2 T:Nine bicycle design are fit, performance and aesthetics that are we feel are more appropriate for women riders.  While many riders may find an acceptable fit on bikes not designed specifically for women, our T:Nine models offer a number of weight, comfort, ride quality and visual appeal advantages over traditional designs.  Here are a few examples why.

Weight

Unisex and men’s bikes are designed with more material to safely carry loads far greater than models designed specifically with lighter women riders in mind.  Why spend more effort carrying this extra weight up hills than you need to?

Comfort

In addition to excess strength, men’s and unisex frames are usually stiffer than a well-executed women’s design, to resist taller, more muscular average riders.  Extra, unwanted stiffness results in less control over rough surfaces and more rider fatigue over longer distances.

Ride Quality – Mountain Bikes

Proper tuning of the suspension is key to increased comfort, control and confidence when riding off-road.  A typical men’s or unisex bike is likely to use stiff springs designed to support male riders that are 20-40% heavier than women of similar heights.  Women riders rarely experience the same quality of suspension performance on men’s bikes, and almost never benefit from the full quantity of suspension available.

Ride Quality – Road Bikes

For road bikes, women can often switch to a shorter stem on a men’s bike and approach a good fit, but this inevitably compromises performance.  The shorter the stem, the twitchier the steering will feel, resulting in a less stable handling and increased rider fatigue over long distances.  T:Nine road bikes are designed with special forks that allow the frame to be designed for appropriate reach with a standard length stem, ensuring consistent, reliable steering.

Visual Appeal

Many men’s and unisex bicycles approach the looks of racing cars, with wildly contrasting colors, sharp transitions between hues and blatant, billboard-like graphics.  K2 T:Nine bicycles are styled to blend, not offend.  We use complimentary colors that fade across long transitions, with subtle graphics that disappear into the paint at the edges.

In some cases this subtlety may mean that it may be difficult to determine at a quick glance what brand of bike you’re riding, but that’s OK with us.  We’re confident that you’ll love the way your T:Nine bike weighs, feels, performs and looks so much that all of your friends will eventually hear about it.

Who is T.K. Malone, anyway?

When, at 3 years old, I crashed my Big Wheel down the stairs of my parents' house, I realized that I needed to move my pedaling pursuits outside and graduate from three wheels to two in order to achieve the sensations of freedom and speed that I was looking for.

About a year later, when the training wheels came off my first two-wheeler, I learned my first lesson about how men's and women's bicycles could be different. Having a "girl's" bike's much lower top tube was helpful while learning to ride, but lost me serious style points once I started to explore the neighborhood on my own and make friends.

Thankfully, once I skidded through the solid tires on that first bike, I started a lifelong series of upgrades in pursuit of the perfect ride. The used Stingray with air-filled tires and "boy's" frame helped me feel faster, but my best friend Kristin still managed to beat me up the hill from her house more often than not.

Ever since, I've made it my goal to help others enjoy the freedom and speed that I've always enjoyed on two wheels. I've never lost track of those early races where I learned first hand (and in last place) that women, although different, ride equally as enthusiastically as men.

Now, I'm fortunate enough to be in a position to make helping people enjoy the cycling experience more often my profession. I've also been lucky enough to be associated with K2 Bike since the beginning of our T:Nine women's cycling initiative.

With the help of our Alliance Team, I'm committed to providing women athletes of all ability levels with bikes that help them achieve their cycling goals and put smiles on their faces. It has been a great ride so far, and I look forward to many happy miles together with you all in the future.

So, Kristin Matthews, if you're reading this, get in touch with me. After I provide you with the T:Nine bike of your choice, I demand a rematch! :)

T.K. Malone

3-15-06

Dongguan, China

I’m significantly smaller than most women. Why isn’t there a T:Nine size that fits me?

We are very aware that not all women riders fall between 5’ and 5’10” in height, and that some riders at the bottom of this range and beyond may not find optimal fit and performance on our smallest current T:Nine size, which we call Extra Small.  Here’s what we are doing to address the unique fit requirements of smaller women going forward.

Making an authentic T:Nine bike smaller than our current sizing range isn't easy, but we are closely investigating this possibility.  Many bike brands use smaller wheels on some of their women’s-specific models.  Instead, we've carefully designed our current T:Nine bikes so that they all use standard-sized wheels.  Why?

• Many women told us that they prefer the looks of bikes with standard wheels, and that considering bikes with smaller wheels made them feel as if they were riding a children’s bike.
• Bikes that use the most common wheel sizes are far easier to source replacement parts for.  A road rider using a smaller 650c wheel will find it much more difficult to find appropriate tubes, tires and wheels if they experience a flat, accident or stolen wheel.
• Using smaller wheels often involves accepting compromises in function.  For instance, smaller wheels require bigger front gears to cover the same ground as standard sized wheels.  Larger front gears on a mountain bike compromises ground clearance, and larger chain rings on a road bike may exceed the design parameters of the shifting system, reducing shifting ease and reliability.
• The overall number of small-wheeled adult bikes is relatively small.  As a result, the selection of components in the smaller sizes is limited, and the available parts are often more expensive than parts built in far greater numbers for standard wheels.

With these concepts in mind, we worked hard with our vendors to design complete bikes for a wide range of women riders that use standard-sized wheels.  But what about riders at or below the limits of our current XSM size, at about 5’ tall or less?

We are looking into developing an even smaller size for selected T:Nine models in the future, using smaller-sized wheels to achieve this goal.  However, the limitations described above make it unlikely that we will offer this new size across every model in the collection.

I’m significantly taller than most women. Why isn’t there a T:Nine size that fits me?

We are very aware that not all women riders fall between 5’ and 5’10” in height, and that some riders at the top of this range and beyond may not find optimal fit and performance from our largest current T:Nine size, which we call Medium.  Here’s what we are doing to properly address the fit requirements of taller women in the future.

We are currently developing an additional size that should better meet the fit requirements of women from 5’10” to 6 feet tall.  In order to make sure that you can trust that this size will work if you are significantly taller than the average woman, we are thoroughly testing the fit-related data and resulting bike designs before adding this size to our collection.

Once we are convinced that we have the fit dimensions and performance characteristics of this new, taller size correct, it should eventually be offered in all T:Nine bicycle models.  We hope to introduce this new size during the 2007 model year.  Thank you for your patience!

How does our sizing science behind the scenes helps most women find proper fit and comfort?

Many women are intimidated and confused by the charts, drawings and terms traditionally used to describe how bikes are sized.  However, finding a bike that fits properly can dramatically improve the cycling experience through enhanced comfort, confidence and efficiency.

Through scientific sizing research and a dash of common sense, we’ve pushed the confusing figures into the background of the bike buying experience.  As a result, most women can easily and accurately detemine the correct sized T:Nine bicycle at a glance.

The K2 Bike Fit System for T:Nine currently includes three frame size ranges, based on a dimension that every woman is familiar with – her height.  You'll find a sticker on the seat tube of every T:Nine bike that indicates which of the following three height ranges it best addresses.

• XSM sized T:Nine bikes are designed to fit women between 5’0” and 5’3”.
• SML sized T:Nine bikes are designed to fit women between 5’3” and 5’6”.
• MED sized T:Nine bikes are designed to fit women between 5’6” and 5’10”.

We developed this sizing system based on custom fit sessions with women of many heights, proportions, riding styles and ability levels.  Once we had accumulated enough data, we sized our bikes to perfectly fit the average rider in the middle of each size range.  What does this mean to you?

• If you are within 1 inch of the middle of one of our size ranges, there’s a very strong chance you’ll fit well on all T:Nine bikes in that size with no modifications.
• If you’re within 2 inches of the middle of a T:Nine size range, you’ll probably still find an appropriate fit, but may need to make some minor changes.  Working with your K2 Bike dealer to select a stem length up to 15mm  shorter or longer might improve your fit and comfort, while maintaining proper performance and stable handling.
• If your height falls near the transition height between two of our size ranges, try both of them and go with the one that you feel more comfortable and confident while riding.  As a generalization, riders at the transition heights with longer legs and shorter torsos than average may feel more at home on the smaller size, while riders with shorter legs and longer torsos may appreciate the longer reach of the larger size.

Of course, since our fit system is based on averages, there will be a few exceptional women for whom our sizing assumptions don’t hold true.  However, we’ve found that most women between 5’ and 5’10” find an appropriate sized T:Nine bike much easier and more accurately than with bicycles from other brands – women’s specific or otherwise.

It doesn’t seem like there’s a T:Nine bicycle that sells for more than $2,000. Why don’t you offer any high-end models for real cycling enthusiasts?

The accomplished cyclists that make up our T:Nine Alliance Team own many other brands of bikes, including Trek, Hampsten, Bianchi, Seven and many others.  While we do outfit them with K2 T:Nine bikes at reduced or no cost, we do not pay them to ride our bicycles, nor do we prevent them from riding other brands for any reason.

Despite the high-end hardware that graces their garages, our Alliance Team chooses their T:Nine bikes more often than not.  Why?

Even for serious cycling enthusiasts, not every ride is a race to be run at ten-tenths effort.  When you own a T:Nine road bike that’s noticeably more relaxing and rewarding to ride than a $5,000 race-day rocket, yet weighs only about 5% more, then you simply end up riding it more often than your other bikes.

Also, who says that cycling enthusiasts can’t enjoy less serious bicycles?  Have you ever come home with less than an hour left before dark and decided to skip today’s ride because it will take you too long to get dressed and geared up for a “serious” ride?  Why not just jump on a T:Nine Breeze that’s comfortable and convenient to ride in street clothes and explore your neighborhood?  Owning a more accessible bike helps even the most die-hard cycling enthusiast enjoy riding more often.

Does this mean that we will never offer a T:Nine bicycle model more expensive than $2,000?  Eventually we may.  However, we will only do so when our Alliance Team feels that we can offer unique and compelling T:Nine technology that provides distinctly higher performance specifically for women riders.  We won't simply specify more expensive parts on our existing frame designs to create a marginally higher performance, yet significantly more expensive model.

At K2 Bike, while we all love the feeling of speed on two wheels, we prefer to measure performance in smiles per hour.  We feel that in this regard, our T:Nine bikes are the highest performance women’s-specific models available at any price.

Where did the K2 Bike T:Nine Alliance concept come from?

Five years ago, the K2 Ski group gave birth to an idea that has changed the way that women’s sporting goods are developed.  Right from the start, K2 T:Nine products delivered on the promise of outdoor sporting goods that are:

• Designed specifically to fit women, engendering a better sense of confidence and control
• Tuned to provide more performance and comfort for female athletes, helping them build skills and progress in their sport
• Styled to excite the senses with distinctly different shapes, colors, textures and evocative names

How did they manage to achieve these goals from the start, build upon their successes in every year since, and continue to stay true to the T:Nine concept's core values even today?

They carefully selected a K2 Ski Alliance Team – five unique female personalities from a wide variety of ages, sizes, backgrounds, abilities and interests with two key traits in common: they were all women who truly love the sport of skiing.  These women both drive the product development process and help communicate the T:Nine story to the public.

In the years since, the K2 T:Nine ski collection has grown into the best-selling line of women's products in the fastest growing market segment in their industry.  Skiing enthusiasts around the world now enjoy the benefits of T:Nine skis, bindings, poles, goggles and helmets that are faithfully developed by women, for women.

Inspired by their achievements, in 2004 K2 Bike started our own T:Nine initiative to develop a completely separate line of bicycles for women outdoor enthusiasts.  We brought together our own Alliance Team to help us foster the growth of this new venture, and got right to work.

Later that year, we introduced the very first T:Nine bicycle collection, a complete and separate line of women's K2 bicycles for 2005 that honored the high standards established before us by our skiing sisters.

What does T:Nine stand for, anyway?

In 1972, the United States Congress passed Title IX legislation that mandated equal funding for women’s athletics at this country’s colleges and universities.

Inspired by the eventual Title Nine law's spirit of “equal, but different” support for female athletes, K2 Sports introduced its first T:Nine alpine ski line in 2002.  Since then, this empowering women’s outdoor sports initiative has grown to also include telemark skis, ski poles, ski helmets, ski goggles, in-line skates, and bicycles.

Across the many products offered under the K2 brand, T:Nine more specifically stands for authentic sporting goods that meet the unique needs and desires of women.  This authenticity is ensured in each category by an Alliance Team of women that not only directly guides the development of the product line, but also actively participates in bringing their message to the public.

An interesting note: the K2 Snowboarding group also relies on an Alliance Team to guide their women's product development process, but chooses not to use the T:Nine name.  Many snowboarders apparently feel that Title IX’s connection with organized team athletics runs counter to the individual spirit of their sport.

To learn more about the wide variety of K2 products built to help women better enjoy their outdoor experiences, visit the K2 Women website using the following link.

http://www.k2women.com/default.asp