MIKE LOPEZ - THE BOY FROM THE BLACK STUFF

Mike Lopez left and Ben Serotta right

Serotta and The Carbon Obsessed World
Like Ben was the first to properly butt titanium tubing in 1993 with the Serotta Legend, it was equally important to him that Serotta stay ahead of the wave in an increasingly carbon obsessed world. And Ben had already been working with Mike Lopez on the F3 fork, ST rear end and Ottrott tubes when Mike was part of the research faculty at Maclean Composites (which for the greater part became Serotta Poway in 2007). Maclean did carbon research and development for Reynolds, Seven, Calfee...etc as well as Serotta. But it was clear from Serotta's work with the Ottrott and the F2/F3 forks, that Serotta was getting something special out of Maclean and in particular Mike Lopez. Ben is the finest modern-thinking classical engineer that many of us have ever met. So when Ben talked in wholly reverential terms about a fellow engineer everyone around the industry took notice.

The Day I Met Mike..
I was sitting in the Boulderado Bar in Boulder at the end of the first day of SICI last January on my third glass of wine when I casually asked Ben when I could meet the infamous carbon wunderkid Mike Lopez? "He has been sitting right next to you for an hour and a half, why not introduce yourself now"? Ben murmered. The quiet man in the loud Hawaiian shirt was the man himself and we had talked about much but not carbon. You will scarcely meet a more modest man than Mike Lopez and never I suggest a more modest American. He has nothing bad to say about anyone, any bike or any bike-company.
His sole motivation is push himself and his small team to innovate more beauty and function out of a few strands of graphite and epoxy matrix. But just like Merlot grapes can be crafted into beautiful Pomerol or a cheap cloying mess, so the basic ingredients in carbon-fibre can result in engineering genius or a tragic mis-judgement. Never did any bike material contain so much potential for good and bad. And rarely have any hands been safer than Mike's.

Ben on Mike

"Mike may be the only modest designer/engineer I have ever met.  I doubt I've ever met a college freshman at the beginning of an ME degree that is as humble.  Part of that wonderful character abnormality is that Mike is just a great person.  Another factor is that he simply knows his stuff and is confident in his knowledge, therefore doesn't so much feel the need to prove it.  Mike has lived composites since an early age, working with a wide range of pioneers and experts in the field, that's a part of understanding Mike's knowledge, confidence and demeanor…

Building a successful company, particularly the kind of company that Serotta is where the highest quality products money can buy is always our number one priority, is always founded in the quality of its people.  When we decided to bring composites in house, we went looking for the best people.  Mike and his team of veterans more than match our standards, they contribute to raising our standards higher still.  If it is nothing else, Serotta stands for authentic products of the highest quality.  As I like to say, the only BS found here is in my name, not our products.  Mike understands and aspires to the same ethos.  The finest no-bull-shit-products money can buy.

The important thing that people need to understand about design and engineering, is that designing a product is just a part of development.  Understanding how to make it…moreover how to make it the best part, knowing how it will work, how it will wear, how repeatable the process can be….these are all critical pieces in making a truly great product.  Being good at understanding the difference between designing a great looking product and one that looks great, performs great and can be manufactured with consistency takes expertise and experience.  A combination that is rare.  Mike has it.

 When we wanted to integrate composites design and manufacturing into Serotta we had wanted to expand in Saratoga Springs.  It would have been simpler.  But it is far more important that the company is a little inconvenienced (just 3000 miles!) while having the best team.  I love northern NY, but it was easy to tell that for a team that grew up in the warmth of the Pacific SW, Saratoga would have been a difficult transition…so we set up in Poway."

CycleFit Interview With Mike Lopez:

Q: Your age? 
A. 48

Q: How long working carbon fibre?  Roughly 30 years. 
A. I started working in the lab at Grafalloy while I was in high school.

Q. People really need to have the names and types de-mystified. They can't make comparisons unless they have the terms and knowledge. Eg Trek's ‘high modulus/intermediate-modulus/standard-modulus' tags? Does that mean anything or signify anything quantifiable or measurable?  
A.Modulus is a measure of stiffness or the ratio of stress to strain.  In simple terms it means how far something will bend under a given load.  In some applications you can use less material to achieve the same stiffness and therefore have a lighter part.  As long as you can still achieve the proper strength...that can be a problem sometimes.

Q: What is carbon fibre? 
A. Carbon fiber / graphite are a fibrous reinforcement used in a plastic matrix of some sort.  Similar to fiberglass but much more sophisticated.  Carbon fiber is made by oxidizing a precursor of PAN or Pitch fibers in a special furnace under carefully controlled tension and thermal conditions.  This converts the precursor into nearly pure carbon and aligns the molecules into a long continuous chain which gives it great strength.  The PAN precursor is Polyacrylonitrile similar to carpet yarn.

Q: What is Aramid? 
A. Aramid or Kevlar fiber is another type of reinforcement used in composites as well as many other applications.  It is less commonly used as a structural reinforcement because some of its properties can be problematic.  It doesn't have great compressive strength, it's hard to bond into a matrix, it's hard to cut or machine etc.  It's a great material though and is commonly used in tires, bullet proof vests, protective gloves, sails etc.

Q: Have you always worked with bicycle components and frames? 
A. No.  I started in the golf shaft and tennis industries and over the years have manufactured many different types of sporting goods products.  I did a brief stint at a military oriented R&D firm but I found the user group distasteful.  Those guys don't play well together and I don't like working on things made to hurt people.  The science was fascinating and I got to work with some brilliant cold war era scientists and engineers but I just couldn't do it long term.  Besides...they never let us geeks fly the planes or shoot the guns.  In sporting goods I get to design and play with all the cool toys!

Q: What other brands have you worked for other than Serotta? 
A. As far as bicycles are concerned Serotta is the only company I've actually worked for.  As a small business owner (Reynolds Composites, Competition Composites) I've been a supplier to almost everybody at one time or another.  I've also worked for Grafalloy, Unifiber, Prince, and Cape Composites .

Q: Is carbon fibre the panacea everyone thinks? 
A. It's a great material but it isn't the answer to every application.  Engineers need to use good sense in selecting the proper material for a given application.  The popular material is not always the proper material.

Q: What are the limitations of carbon fibre? 
A. Although it's a very strong and stiff material it's not an especially tough material.  It doesn't like to be impacted directly or have other moving parts wearing against it. 

Q: What are the different types of carbon fibre? Or is it all the same? 
A. There are numerous types of fibers available with unique mechanical characteristics.  The common differences are in stiffness, strength, and strain rate / toughness.  The "workhorse" materials are the "standard" modulus fibers which have the best overall combination of properties.  These are the most commonly used fibers and are the most affordable.  Intermediate and high modulus fibers tend to cost 2 - 10 times as much depending on their properties.  Many of these fibers are considered to be "strategic" materials by the DOD and the State Dept limits their export to certain countries.  Particularly China ...

Q: What is the difference between the construction and material of a cheap catalogue carbon frame and Serotta carbon? 
A. This could get lengthy...  The first things that come to mind are variable geometry and multiple stiffness tubes.  Most of the catalog frames are only available in limited sizes.  The materials used in most of those frames are probably fine but I'm not sure I like some of the construction methods being used.  Many are made by simply butting up premade carbon tubes and gluing them together and putting a minimal over wrap of carbon over the joints.  Then to make it smooth and aesthetically pleasing they sand most of the over wrap back off to blend it in.  I prefer to have a bit more substance at the joints.

Q: What other frame manufactures use the same material and construction methods/standards as Serotta – eg Colnago, Seven? 
A. There are a number of companies using similar construction with tubes and lugs.  Look, Time, Blue etc. It's a nice efficient way to build a frame and can give it a classic lugged frame look for those who like that type of styling.

Q: What are the external certifications that buyers can look for – eg ISO 9001.ISO? Do any mean anything? 
A. An ISO 9001 rating signifies a certain way of doing business and creating and maintaining a document control system. It's more about paperwork and procedures than it is about quality or design. It's not a bad sign to look for on products because it indicates the company is concerned with continuous improvement but it doesn't guarantee great engineering or designs. When I implemented ISO 9000 at Unifiber the mantra was “Say what you do and do what you say”.

Q: What should buyers look out for when buying a carbon frame? Made in the USA or Italy for example?
A. I'm not sure if there's anything in particular I could advise they look for. By the time the frames get to market they generally have had a lot of body work done so there's not much to see past the fancy paint jobs.

Q: What do you think of the various construction methods – lugs, monococque..etc?
A. Properly executed they're all fine. It kind of depends on the desired look the customer wants…Space age or traditional.

Q: What are the relative merits and de-merits of various construction methods?
A. To the consumer the differences probably don't matter if the manufacturer did their job well. To the manufacturer it's a matter of tooling costs and logistics. More sizes = more tooling = more $$$. This is why many carbon frames are only available in limited sizes.

Q: What is the minimum weight that you consider it is possible, given present technology, to build a frame?
A. There's a point of diminishing return for any given effort. If we haven't gotten there yet with bike frames we've got to be pretty close. In my opinion that point is when the product just doesn't work properly any more. It could be a matter of performance/stiffness or strength/durability etc. Once things get too light they just don't work the same or last as long.

Q: What is the future for carbon? Challenges and innovations?
A. I feel the future is bright for carbon providing the demand for cheaper and lighter products doesn't cause manufacturers to push the limits too far. It we put out products that don't work or hurt people that will be a problem for the whole industry.

Q: What is your favourite carbon frame and why?
A. The MeiVici of course! It's the bike I've dreamed of building since I first entered the composites business many years ago. Classic styling, variable geometry, numerous options on component stiffness etc. It can be virtually anything the customer wants it to be. And it really works!

Q: Does anything about the use of carbon technology for bicycle components and frames scare you?
A. Pushing the limits too far for the market demand of lightness is one concern. Another concern is the quality/safety of some of the offshore manufactured parts.

Q: Does Ernesto and Eddy's ‘sleep at night' philosophy resonate with you?
A. In all honesty I'm not familiar with Ernesto & Eddy's philosophy but it sounds similar to some of my own thoughts. I've never been too concerned about having the lightest parts on the market but I do like to have light parts that work well and are very safe. I don't want to be kept up at night hearing the time bombs ticking away in the field.

Q: What are you working on right now?
A. I'd tell you but then Ben would put out a contract on you. And me too! All kidding aside…I'm working on our new carbon aero frame.

Q: Anything else we need to know to raise public awareness of carbon fibre?
A. As I mentioned before it's a great material but it's not the answer to everything. People need to have realistic expectations of the materials, the products, and the companies that provide the products.

Q: To what do you attribute your success?
A. I certainly owe any success or personal character to my father, grandfather, and the long list of mentors/characters they surrounded me with over the years.  My father used to speak fondly of his old deuce coupe, while haranguing me about my hot rod BMWs, and he'd say "If it don't go, chrome it".  He was always more into function than flash and that has always stuck with me.  I like to design & build things that work well and let the performance speak for itself.