26 BIKE MAGAZINE
CYCLING MIRROR
THE MIRROR
THAT CAN SAVE YOUR LIFE Jamais Contente (Never Happy): the name of the car that, way back in 1899, was the first to go at 100 km/h. This name could also describe Carlo Dondo (1942): he is never entirely satisfied with his creations; his first thoughts are how he can improve them and simultaneously invent something new and useful.
Being an inventor is not a job but a state of mind, a kind of virus that gets into your bloodstream as a child and that Carlo soon learned to recognise and take advantage of amid the one thousand and one necessities and surprises of everyday life. Finding in Switzerland a more receptive and productive base than in Italy, which he left when he was just sixteen years old. The idea of the drop bar mirrors came from a traumatic experience of Carlo Dondo after two serious accidents on his custom made racing bike. Two accidents that could have been avoided if only he hadn’t had to turn around to check the traffic behind him. His innate passion for cycling urged him to find a solution suitable for all road bike enthusiasts.
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The license plate device Carlo invented in 1984, for which he won his first Silver and Gold medals in Geneva and Brussels, was already a consolidated business at the end of the last millennium, so much so that a few years after selling his business to a third party he started to focus on and improve every aspect of the product range that embodies his entrepreneurial philosophy: the Sprintech® Racing drop bar mirror for racing bicycles and the Sprintech® City for MTB were born. Just as had happened for the license plate device, when the drop bar mirrors were presented at the Innovation Exhibition in Martigny in Switzerland in 1996 they won the second prize for Innovation and in 2012 the Gold Medal at the
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n his first Silver and Gold medals in Geneva and ast millennium, so much so that a few years
International Invention Exhibitions in Brussels and Geneva. Today the Sprintech® mirrors have earned the reputation among cyclists as the best in the industry. When other brands rattle and spin out of position, Sprintech® mirrors hold true. Riders value the superior quality of these products thanks to their sleek design and ease of fitting. Last but not least, the mirrors are unobtrusive, adjustable and secure positioning when riding over cobbles or bumps. Once used, you will wonder how you navigated the roads without a mirror! SEEING WELL is only the first half of safety. The second is BEING SEEN. Carlo understood this early on and, between one ride and another, he began to reflect on this. Something that would ALWAYS be visible while riding, especially for the biggest threat to cyclists: the car behind them. As a result SPRINTECH® VISION 360° was created, uniting reflective power and movement. From tests carried out the perception distance at a speed of 50 km/h at dusk/darkness goes from 25 METRES without Vision 360°, to a staggering 150 METRES with two Vision reflectors affixed to the back wheel’s spokes. This means that the cyclist is visible 9 seconds earlier. This is more than enough time for car drivers to adjust their speed and avoid any danger to the cyclist. Recognition for the innovation and its usefulness again came from the panel at the Brussels International Exhibition in 2012 where SPRINTECH® VISION 360° won the Gold medal. The SPRINTECH® products are made in Switzerland. More information can be found on www.sprintech.eu
