Kestrel Bicycles has partnered with Ford and Octane to create a cycling-specific custom Ford Escape. Kestrel’s carbon fiber road racing bicycles were featured on a Ford Escape concept vehicle at the recent SEMA automotive aftermarket trade show. The vehicle was on display in Ford Motor Company’s expansive booth, along with such models as the Ford GT, Shelby Cobra concept and several customized versions of its new 2005 Mustang.

The concept vehicle, entitled “Tour de Force: a Cycling Escape”, was created
for Ford by Octane Inc, of Tempe, Arizona. Built around a road bike racing
and training “road trip” theme, the package featured four race-ready Kestrel
Talon SL road bikes mounted on a prototype custom roof rack, also by made by
Octane. The bicycle frames and forks were custom painted by Kestrel to match
the custom paint and graphics of the Escape vehicle, and featured the new
Ultegra 10-speed component groups from Shimano as well as ultra-light
Ksyrium SL race wheels by Mavic. Complete bike weight for this Talon SL
model is under 16 pounds, according to Kestrel’s Product and Marketing
Director, Preston Sandusky.

A peek inside the cargo area of the Escape revealed Octane’s custom internal
rack and cycling gear box, additional interior/exterior accessory lighting,
large-screen DVD and, of course, a killer sound system. A hand-made carbon
fiber front grille was supplied by Kestrel, with the carbon theme extended
into the interior upholstery by Octane’s designers.

Ty Woodhall, Octane’s Creative Director, notes that Ford has a particular
interest in reaching the cycling community and specifically selected Kestrel
to provide the bicycles for their pilot program. “Kestrel makes the most
advanced carbon fiber bicycles in the world, so there was no question as to
which company we wanted to work with. The entire color and graphics scheme
of the vehicle was based on the aesthetics of the Kestrel framesets, Shimano
components and Mavic wheels”, Woodhall said. The result was an integrated
package that “goes beyond anything previously seen in either industry”
according to Kevin Kenney, Kestrel’s President, who is also a long-time
automotive enthusiast and SEMA attendee. “We couldn’t be happier with the
results and look forward to working more with Ty and his group at Octane on
future automotive projects”, Kenney added.