April 5, 2007 – Fuji’s new SL-1 placed in the prestigious Innobike Design Competition held by the Taiwan Bicycle Export Association (TBEA) on March 3, 2007. From the seven finalists in the Complete Bike Category, only four were selected for an award, with Fuji’s carbon monocoque superlight race bike, the SL-1, bested only by Giant’s City Storm, a commuter-style city bike.

The panel of judges, comprised of members of the Taiwan Bicycle Industry, were honoring products that presented an appealing design on many levels including aesthetics, innovation, precision engineering and overall performance. Awards were presented at the Taipei International Cycle Show.

Using the hexagonal honeycomb shape — the strongest and lightest structure in natural world — in its tube cross-section, Fuji has achieved the perfect blend of stiffness, strength, lightness and comfort in its bicycle design.

Part of the innovative design incorporates joining the top tube, and passing directly through the seat tube in an eye-pleasing arch to the rear seat stay. Not only does this decrease the stress load, it increases riding comfort.

Using super high modulus carbon fiber combined with the patented technique of the Continuous Fiber Technology (CFT), the Fuji SL-1 utilizes minimal material and simplified lamination for production. Additionally, the Fuji-original design, the “Energy Transfer Chainstay,” was touted for its unique ability to deliver drive-side power by adding stiffness and strength to the bottom bracket and chain stay area. This design is found on all of Fuji’s high-performance models.

The judges also took into account the SL-1’s minimal usage of decals and paint – not only does this save weight, it also decreases the environmental impact that manufacturing processes often incur.

Under the rigorous protocol established by the national standard of the Cycling and Health Research Center, the SL-1’s frame was tested using the requirements of the newly established CEN fatigue testing. The frame passed with flying colors and established itself as a sound and safe product.

Along with the expertise of William Cheng, Lead Engineer at Ideal Bicycle Corporation; Mark Smith, Senior Product Manager at Advanced Sports, Inc.; Kenneth Yen and Alex Chen of ADK; Fuji’s design team received input from professional athletes from the U.S. and Germany.