Icelandic cycling culture has made a great leap forward in recent years. A nation that used to make fun of tourists cycling through horizontal rain are now gradually discovering biking for themselves.
Author: Arnar Fells / Photos : Lauf Forks & Arnar Fells
Bikes and cycling events are growing in popularity and the number of people cycling year round is continually going up. It isn’t clear what has caused the nation’s increased enthusiasm for biking, but improved cycling infrastructure and government public health efforts have had an influence. Most likely, however, the bug was brought back by students, returning home from those capitals of the bicycle, Denmark and Holland.
Lauf Forks is an Icelandic company that sprang out of this cycling revolution. Over the last three years they have successfully developed and marketed a revolutionary suspension fork that is now used by cycling professionals throughout the world. The fork is designed for so-called ’hardtail’ mountain bikes, which have shock absorbers at the front rather than the rear. It attracts attention not only for its unusual appearance, but also because it is maintenance-free and considerably lighter than other shock absorbing forks. At the office of Lauf Forks four young men sit surrounded by boxes and bike parts. They are immersed in their work, but the atmosphere in the office is relaxed. They take a break to tell us the story of the company.
From prosthetic feet to bicycle forks
The adventure began one dark December day in 2010 when two friends, Benedikt Skúlason, an engineer, and Guðberg Björnsson, an industrial designer, sat together over a beer after a cold and difficult bike ride. At that time, Benedikt was working at Össur, developing prosthetic feet, and as he was getting to know the properties of carbon fibre the idea for the fork began to take shape. Once Benedikt aired the idea with his industrial designer friend there was no looking back. They joined forces and began to develop the concept and build a prototype. In the meeting room at Lauf Forks you can trace the company’s development history from the beginning up to the present day. Darwin’s theory of evolution comes to mind, as the first fork was an eight kilo monster, while the most recent is as light as a leaf (or 980 grams). It is clear that only the fittest survive.
The company set themselves the task of getting the fork to under one kilo, without sacrificing quality or safety. Quality and strength are what matter most as it would cause them irreparable damage if a fork was to break during an international competition, causing a professional cyclist to be thrown on his head. To ensure that the fork could withstand fire and brimstone, it was sent for an endurance test with an international quality assurance company. It more than passed the test, receiving comments for its first-rate suspension properties and strength…
Read more on the revolutionary suspension fork design in the first issue of HA magazine.
Ljósmynd : Arnar Fells