Week in Tech: Pave clothing, Strava raises $18.5 million, Wheels Manufacturing is eccentric
New clothing from Pavé; Strava adds heart rate to Fitness and Freshness tool; and Wheels Manufacturing's eccentric bottom bracket
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Here’s your Week in Tech — all the gear news, tips and announcements you need and none of the marketing gibberish you don’t.
Wheels Manufacturing eccentric bottom bracket
For those looking to run singlespeed setups on a BB30 or PF30 frame, Wheels Manufacturing has an answer. Its new eccentric bottom bracket is compatible with both frame standards and both 24mm and 22/24mm axles. The CNC-machined unit is made in the USA and is fully serviceable. It features angular contact bearings and carries a two-year warranty.
Spacers for different setups are included. Suggested retail is $125.
Strava raises $18.5 million, makes Fitness and Freshness feature compatible with heart rate
Strava has raised $18.5 million in Series D funding according to ReCode. Sequoia Capital led the round, and partner Michael Moritz has become an advisor.
Strava is not yet profitable, but a company representative expressed confidence in a trend toward profitability, expecting to be in the black within 18 months. The company’s primary revenue stream is its sale of premium memberships, which cost $59 per year.
In Strava-related consumer news, the Fitness and Freshness graph available to Strava premium members, which monitors fitness and fatigue levels by graphing training load, is now compatible with heart rate data. Until recently, it required a power meter, as the training load score for each ride was calculated using power.
Those who don’t own a power meter, or don’t have one on every bike, simply have to ride with a heart rate strap to prevent gaps in training load data. That makes the Fitness and Freshness graph much more useful — data gaps throw it off and make it useless.
The heart rate-based training loads are calculated using Strava’s Suffer Score.
Pavé launches cycling-inspired casual clothing line
Pavé hasn’t officially launched yet, but here’s what we know: It will be a lifestyle apparel brand, selling cycling-inspired casual clothing, and pros Alex Howes (Garmin-Sharp) and Kiel Reijnen (United Healthcare) are both wearing the gear.
The video below shows the Classic jacket, the brand’s first piece. It will be seeking Kickstarter funding soon, and you can sign up to be notified when that campaign begins.
Pavé Brand Classics Jacket from Pavé Brand on Vimeo.