C.b.t. italia launches artik-09

Let your heart take control: here comes the racing e-bike with a fully extractable battery pack, effective 430 Wh and heart rate controlled power output.

C.B.T. Italia is the Italian “boutique” headquartered in Cuneo, specialized in the production of racing bikes and carbon fibre frames. It is currently launching an e-bike on the European market which is destined to set a precedent. Going under the name of ARTIK-09, it is fruit of years of development which have led to the design, engineering and all-Italian production of a (patented) high-tech rechargeable battery, a highly efficient motor positioned on the wheel hub and an #app that is able to control output based on the rider’s heart rate and the gradients being tackled.

ARTIK-09 has a carbon fibre frame with the popular geometric shapes of traditional #cbtitalia models. The battery of the new e-road has been entirely designed and produced in Italy, at Cuneo, using 3D technology. Perfectly incorporated in the sloping tube of the frame, it is easy to remove and may therefore be recharged anywhere, without having to carry the bike around. Despite a reduced weight of 2,300 grams and thanks to an aluminium case of just one and a half millimetres in thickness, its powerful energy charge places it at the top end of the market: in fact, the new rechargeable battery by C.B.T guarantees a nominal 378 Wh and an amazingly effective performance of 430 Wh. This means 52% extra charge compared to the traditional models on the market; with autonomy like this, you can even allow yourself to leave the supplementary unit at home. Built with high-end components, Samsung (or Panasonic) cells and battery charger with Phoenix contact, the battery of the ARTIK-09 is a proper little technological gem, designed together with the frame of the e-road to ensure a harmonious and functional integration. The coupling with the battery charger is not left to the usual grips but exploits the particular “horseshoe” shape of the frame, which keeps the battery secured to the bike with an automatic fastening system, which makes those noisy vibrations all on-road bike enthusiasts detest a thing of the past. For the same purpose, the amount of play in the composite tubes making up the backbone of the ARTIK-09 has been pushed to the limit (in the range of one tenth of a millimetre), to ensure overall homogeneity, without movement or noise.

The customization of the motor on the ARTIK-09 sets out to satisfy three project requirements: the aesthetic requirement (an e-road whose pared down lines recall a traditional racing bike); a functional requisite (high power output); an improved distribution of weights, in order to offer a product which, if used without the battery charger, is by no means inferior to the finest road bikes of the brand. These three points have been successfully addressed thanks to the miniaturization of the components and the original position of the motor, assembled onto the back wheel: an innovative system of the brushless type, devoid of gears and highly performing in ascent with a reduction ratio of up to 13.5:1. With the drive on the hub, there is no dispersion of power deriving from chain transmission and all 250 actual Watts are discharged onto the wheel: in this way, motor #efficiency reaches 91%. Furthermore, the rear positioning provides an excellent balancing of weights, as well as allowing the frame to flaunt a streamlined design. The connecting wires between motor and battery are built into the frame with an IP65 safety level (resistance to water and damp). With its removable battery and rolling resistance, equivalent to that of a bike with a normal hub, this is an enjoyable bike to ride even when not electrically assisted. By replacing the small rear forks, it is possible to mount a traditional racing wheel.

MAXIMUM INTERACTION

An electronic card incorporated in the motor enables a dialogue between the #smartwatch, supplied by C.B.T together with the bike, and the power unit: it is therefore possible to set the assistance level to suit the required heart rate. A dedicated #app (“CBT E-bike”), currently being released on Play Store for Android and, in few months time, also for iOS, enables the required output to be personalized by associating it with the heart rate or, by means of a gyroscope, with the road gradient. Traditional assistance levels, which continue to be accessible, may be set to three or five different outputs. The ARTIK-09 weighs 12.6 kg in the 54 size and boasts a first-rate set of components with the Shimano Ultegra groupset, the Fi’zi:k Vento Argo R5 saddle, the Deda Zero1 light alloy handlebar attachment, a Nix handlebar and saddle support in carbon, wheels by DT Swiss for #cbtitalia or Nix aluminium wheels. All electronic components of the ARTIK-09 have been certified by the Teseo independent laboratory (Eiffage group) which boasts extremely high-profile collaborations in the aerospace, aeronautic and automotive industries as well as in military applications. Produced in five sizes, from 49 to 58, the ARTIK-09 e-road bike is already available on the market at the retail price of € 5,100. Prior to shipment, each and every bike is tried out on the testing workbenches, by making the battery perform a complete charge and discharge cycle on a simulated trail of 100 km.

ABOUT C.B.T. ITALIA

C.B.T. Italia, which stands for “Costruzione Biciclette Tardivo”, was first founded in the mid-fifties in Cuneo, in North-West Italy, by Giovanni Tardivo, a wholesaler and distributor of bicycle and motorcycle spare parts. In the early seventies, the coming on board of his eldest son Guido drove the brand to extend its scope and marked the start of the bicycle and bicycle frame production. It was thanks to his second son Bruno that the production of racing bike frames became the firm’s core product. Towards the late eighties, the company invested in cutting edge machinery and started to specialize in stainless steel and aluminium treatments, which even led it to become a supplier of the aeronautical industry. With the revolution imposed by the new millennium, #cbtitalia started to market some extremely high-end bikes, which harmoniously reconcile the new carbon frames with aluminium components. The excellence of its products earned the brand a victory at the women’s Tour de France in 2002, when the winner pedalled down the Champs-Élysées on the Carbon Fiber frame entirely produced in Cuneo, which was the trailblazer of today’s mono-shell carbon frames. The production of racing bike frames continues to be the major strength of #cbtitalia. Company policy has not changed down through the years: a small production in numerical terms, extremely high quality, top-notch materials and innovative technologies placed at the service of a market segment with specific requirements. Today’s frames with their sloping geometry, are entirely produced in 3K VHM or HM carbon fibre and personalized centimetre by centimetre. Recently, the blazoned production of racing bikes has been flanked by that of e-bikes, with on-road, urban and gravel variants. Today, CBT Italia is a standard bearing “boutique” of the Made in Italy label with its in-house production of Cuneo. The location of the company (a few kilometres from the French border) and its early International vocation have enabled it to build up a sales network targeting the most important European markets, which now generate most of the company’s turnover. For further information: www.cbtitalia.com