Hirobel LLC, a new Cleveland, Ohio-based bicycle tooling and accessories company, has developed a tool that allows for safer clamping of bicycle frames made of sensitive materials, such as carbon fibre. The Carbon Frame Clamp is being introduced on Kickstarter after a debut at Interbike 2014.
The Carbon Frame Clamp holds bicycle frames securely, but without damaging the frame, by spreading pressure across multiple contact points. The clamp can be used with any basic work stand. The bike frame itself rests atop carefully designed grooved rubber wheels and is held secure by rubber bindings.
The Carbon Frame Clamp (trademark and patent pending) is designed for mechanics of all levels and allows for the bike to be fully rotated while in the work stand, giving easy access to all areas of the bike. All of the major components of this clamp are proprietary designs being produced in northeast Ohio.
The clamp was developed by the founders of Hirobel, Brandon Hirokawa and Marc Bellett. Brandon, a well-regarded bike mechanic with 20 years’ experience, developed the idea 5 years ago while watching a fellow mechanic try to work on a bike without damaging the carbon fibre frame.
Brandon saw that there was not a sufficient or efficient way to secure the bike to keep it steady while working on it. After much market research, Brandon realized that many bikes are being clamped with tools that could do severe damage. Business partner Marc Bellett was able to provide the needed design expertise to create a solution that is ‘easy to use and clamps bicycle frames in a way that cradles the frame securely with minimal compression on the frame tubes.’
The Carbon Frame Clamp is initially available on Kickstarter.
