External links
- Official site ** Non-functional as of 2022
- Pacific Glory Worldwide - distributor of Kestrel scooters and bikes
Kestrel is an American bicycle brand which specialized in high-end bikes for triathlons and road racing.
Kestrel was acquired by Advanced Sports International in 2007. [1] Advanced Sports International subsequently merged with Performance Bicycle to form ASE in 2016. ASE went bankrupt shortly thereafter in 2019 and the Kestrel brand wound up with BikeCo, which is owned by Hong Kong investor Advanced Holdings. [2] [3] [4] BikeCo distributes Kestrel-branded scooters [5] through Pacific Glory Worldwide. Their website nominally lists Kestrel bicycles, but none are available for purchase. [6]
Kestrel evolved from Aegis, which pioneered carbon fiber frame design in the U.S. They designed the Trek 5000, the first U.S. mass-produced carbon fiber monocoque bicycle frame in collaboration with Trek. [7] [8] It was based on the first-ever Finite Element Analysis (FEA) of bicycle frame structure conducted by Peterson and Londry in 1986. [9] [10] With strongly opposed manufacturing philosophies, Aegis parted ways with members intent on producing frames utilizing the monocoque/one piece construction technique. While the “other half” went West to establish Cycle Composites d/b/a Kestrel.
Kestrel set new standards again in 1989, with the launch of the first carbon fork and the debut of the KM40 Airfoil, the first true aero triathlon frame. Carbon framesets by better-known, mainstream manufacturers such as Giant and, most notably, Trek (with its OCLV frames), have been directly influenced by Kestrel design principles.
Kestrel has built monocoque frames rather than more traditional tube and lug designs. This has always meant that Kestrels have tended to have a very fluid, curved appearance. However, more recent designs from the company have been more angular due to an increased desire to minimise wind resistance.
