BRAND INTRODUCTION – CONVOLUTION BIKES

A bicycle is no longer “just a bicycle” with cyclists buying into emotion and having a unique bond with their machines – a machine that can instill an unimaginable amount of joy. For many riders, the day they buy a bicycle is one of the biggest and most significant days of their lives. That’s how much rider and bike chemistry has evolved over the years.

Until now Indian riders have opted for international brands such as Trek, Merida, Specialized, etc with the belief that these brands offer a superior product compared to Indian bicycle manufacturers.

This is the mindset that Convolution Bikes – a homegrown bicycle brand aims to change.

Based out of Pune, Maharashtra, Convolution is looking to deliver high quality, lightweight bikes at reasonable price points. They also have the ability to create bespoke, fully customizable bikes that are perfectly suited to Indian riders.

All Convolution bikes are built with state of the art equipment, specific to every rider’s body.

The perfect bike requires perfect manufacturing processes and extreme attention to detail. Sophisticated C.A.D and analytical tools are used to design the bikes and the bike is heavily tested. This is followed up by real-world testing by professional athletes.

“Make in India” is something that the company strongly believes in as all R&D including frame building and customization takes place on home turf.

Convolution is a platform where engineers and designers from some of the most prestigious institutions around the world have helped build, design and delivery Convolution bikes.

INTRODUCING THE ASPERA ROAD BICYCLE

The Aspera is an all-season speedster that can get you moving at adrenaline-pumping speeds in no time. It’s the perfect all-rounder.

Expect exceptional power transfer with excellent lateral stiffness in virtually all weather and road conditions. The Aspera is one of the lightest road bikes manufactured in India standing at a mere 9kgs for a Large-sized full bike (pedals included).

Groupsets start from an entry-level Sora and go all the way up to an Ultegra for performance riders.

Customization options are aplenty. From variable frame geometries, all the way to customizable paint schemes and groupsets. The Aspera can be made into anything the rider desires.

FEATURES

1. LONG DROP FORK

Custom carbon forks with RCRP (Right Carbon @ Right Place) technology ensure a plush ride and optimal rigidity. There’s also enough space for 32mm tires, mudguards, and front pannier mounts. The headtube on the Aspera is tapered for extra stiffness.

2. FRAMESET

Tripple butted hydroformed aluminum tubing used for the frames weighs in at just 1.3kgs. All tubes are double pass tig welded for superior strength and fatigue resistance.

3. PAINT FINISH

A high-quality polyurethane paint which is cured in an oven is used for a smooth and long-lasting finish. Custom paint finishes and graphics are on offer for those who want a truly one of a kind machine.

4. SIZING

While Convolution offers a custom bike offering, they also have a standardized sizing chart to make it uber-simple for riders to choose a bike that will fit them using their hight as a parameter.

CUSTOM BIKE OFFERING

“we observed how different every individual is, anatomically and literally. We went back to the drawing board, Intending to make riding more comfortable than ever. This is when we rethought the whole process of designing a bike.

As per Convolutions’ Mantra of “DESIGN.RIDE.CONQUER” they started as a boutique brand, selling one-off bikes in April 2018 – offering customized frame design, where rider’s body measurements, his/her weekly activities, riding style, past injuries are noted.

The design team recreates the rider’s body in CAD as a 3D mannequin, which acts as a base for the development of a full custom frame. The team also considers the rider’s usage and average power output while selecting the components. This makes the custom bike more accurate as things like crank length, gear ratios, stem lengths are also in consideration before modifications are made.

Convolution currently offers two levels of customization

1. Customized color, name/signature for a bare minimum additional cost with standardized geometry frameset and components. This is a semi-customizable option.
2. A full customized frame geometry as per one’s body dimensions.

LOOKING INTO THE FUTURE

The brand is currently working on two more bicycle platforms that are currently in the testing stage that they are hoping to launch to Indian cyclists soon. Apart from this, they are also bullish about improving their customization option as a brand differentiator.

COMING SOON – ALLAY PRO

A premium hybrid for city commutes or even long-distance rides. The Allay Pro is one of the lightest hybrids in the market with a super comfortable ride over even some of the roughest roads.

COMING SOON – ASPHALT

The Asphalt is a high-performance roadster – ideal for those of you who are looking to compete in races and looking to go really fast.

Q&A WITH CONVOLUTION BIKES

Q: How was Convolution founded?

“Both me and my partner Ashish were housemates in the UK, pursuing our Master’s programs. London is an expensive city – cycles are the most convenient way to get around the city and freely explore. Over our rides, we connected with many cyclists and followed the cycle races in the 2012 London Olympics; the pro cyclists were whizzing right past our backyard!

After our studies, we wanted to start something on our own, something related to high-end design and manufacturing. We came to realize that there were no Indian cyclists in the London Olympics, not a single Indian bike brand decided to develop a performance-oriented product for our athletes.

So in the Summer of 2013, when we came back to India, we started working on a road map for our company that eventually ended up with us laying the foundation for Convolution.”

Q: Why would a cyclist prefer a Convolution over better known international brands?

“User-centric design is our base, with a strong engineering and manufacturing team in India and the UK. We use the same quality materials, sophisticated CAD and FEA analysis tools like any good brand to build our products. We don’t rely on our vendors to control quality for our frames. Our very own specialist team conducts metallurgical analysis, hardness and strength-stress testing on our Aluminium frames, which are manufactured here in India. Our forks and other components are thoroughly tested as per ISO standards by us and our trusted OEM’s who also have a reputation of working with top bicycle manufacturers around the world. This gives us control over what we are selling.

Convolution is still more cost-effective than most of the premium brands out there, without compromising on the quality of the product.

Most customers choose us for the same reason. Our presence in India makes us unique, as we are a phone call away in case a rider has queries about the product.

We are also building a strong network in India by working with trusted retailers like BUMSONTHESADDLE to provide quality customer experience throughout the country.

Q: What are Convolutions’ plans for the future?

We want to have a stronger foothold in India in 2019. Two new models are in the making, one based on a hybrid/commuter platform and a second on a professional Aluminium-carbon race platform for serious racers. We are also planning to launch our first product with a flat mount disc brake in 2020, details of which will be shared very soon.

We also want to serve more Indian athletes in the near future., by forming our very own professional team.

Currently, we offer free customization to all the pro athletes and all women. We want to have a standardized chart for women in every range of our products. This is our initiative toward making cycling as a sport more welcoming for everyone. In the design and manufacturing domain, we are going to offer more research-oriented graduate programs to fresh graduates, which offer in-depth knowledge about high-end bicycle manufacturing. 

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Convolution is a fresh entrant into the Indian market and is constantly working on improving its products through repeated trials and testing. New models are currently under development and will soon be added to their lineup. All Convolution frames come with a Lifetime warranty covering any manufacturing defects.

If you’re looking at getting serious about road cycling, the range of bikes offered by Convolution is a great investment. High-quality, lightweight bikes that come in at an affordable price point along with full customizability.

Convolution has got you covered at all times.