Volagi™ Cycles: By Endurance We Discover
“The best ideas come from an insatiable need to do it better.”
Two veteran product guys in the cycling industry who also are long distance riders wonder why there isn’t equipment specifically designed for the endurance cyclist. “What if we build a bike ideally suited to long distance riders?” What if we build them for riders who love riding – period?
Thus, Volagi™ Cycles was born. A company that has the know-how, the love of the bike and the understanding of what it’s like to be a customer, because we are one.
Endurance Needs a New Definition: At Volagi™ We Have One
Changing the perception of endurance cycling is at the core of Volagi™. Redefining performance for the endurance cyclist is the very essence of what we do. We’ve taken the latest racing advances in carbon frame technology and designed a bike with the endurance cyclist in mind. This endurance bike demands its own category - Volagi™: “The Will to Go!”
What does it mean to Discover the Spirit of E7?
Our story begins with the Spirit of the Bar-tailed Godwit tagged E7. This bird epitomizes the “Will to Go” by flying an astounding 7,200 miles in 8 days from Alaska to New Zealand without stopping to rest or eat. Discovering the Spirit of E7 means to surpass and find the limits of the human mental and physical capabilities.
Why another bike company?
The origin of Volagi Cycles is founded on the principle that most endurance cyclists have needs that are different from the professional rider. Our bikes have been conceived, designed and engineered for and by riders who aspire to go further than ever before. A high performance bike not only suited for a 140 lb. professional racer, but also for the working stiffs (like us). There’s no rule that says just because the bike was designed for long distances that it has to perform like a 30 lb city bike.
We’ve combined the best characteristics of racing bikes: aerodynamics, carbon fibre construction and light weight components and incorporated them into a bike with the needs of the endurance cyclist in mind.
Volagi™: What’s with the Name? (And how do you say it anyway?)
Volagi, (pronounced vol∙a∙gee), is a Latin derivative meaning “the will to go”. In 2007, a Bar- tailed Godwit, tagged “E7,” covered an astounding 7,200 miles in 8 days over the Pacific without stopping to rest or eat. The spirit of E7, Volagi’s mascot, captures our need to go further. WE, as cyclists, can change the perception of what is or isn’t possible.
Volagi Cycles was founded by two entrepreneurs, Robert Choi and Barley Forsman, who love cycling and share a passion of creating better products to enhance the cycling experience. In the late 1980s, Choi revolutionized the bike industry with the invention of the LED safety light and formed the company VistaLite. Just between the two, Choi and Forsman bring 35 years of R&D of innovative products to the world of cycling. They have a passion for bikes, performance and excellence!
What they've accomplished on the bike is not too shabby since they've won and been on the podium for well-known California double century races in 7 of the last 8 years. Barley finished the 1200km Paris-Brest-Paris ride and was first in the fixed gear category of the Furnace Creek 508 mile race, earning the qualification to compete in Race Across America.
Mostly, we love the challenge, whether it be an hour-long commute or riding a double century in the Sierras with 20,000 ft. of climb.
