3T Cycling announced today that Cervelo co-founder Gerard Vroomen has joined CEO René Wiertz as co-owner of the iconic Italian brand.

The formal business partnership is new, but the strategic partnership is not. When Mr. Wiertz brought 3T out of hibernation, in 2007, Cervélo was 3T's very first customer.

Slowtwitch asked Mr. Vroomen about his interest in cockpit parts, like handlebars, stems, aerobars, and seat posts, and the attention to fit and ergonomics:

"Of course there are similarities between road and tri frames [such as those Mr. Vroomen used to design] and the cockpit parts that 3T produces. Not just that one bolts on the other, but also that in the design process obviously aerodynamics and carbon technology are important. However, this also means that another truism for frames is correct for cockpit parts: No matter how good or aero the parts are, they are no good if they don't allow the rider to sit in a good, comfortable and aerodynamic position."

Mr. Vroomen also reminded me of what I had not forgotten, that he attended the very first [Slowtwitch produced] F.I.S.T. Bike fit Workshop in 2003, and that he was a pioneer – the first – to design a bike using stack and reach as inputs. "As a frame designer, I've always focused on geometry," he said, "even though that rarely gets a lot of attention. It simply isn't flashy enough."

He has established his bona fides a designer successfully tackling, "real comfort factors rather than gimmicky frame features. The same applies to cockpit parts, maybe even more so because many riders expect that their bar, stem and seatpost compensate for the poor geometry and comfort of their frame. I think 3T does a very good job of that already. But it will be fun to see what else we can do there."

The press release went on to say, "Vroomen's involvement in 3T has no consequences for his work at OPEN, the small, high- end mountain bike company he co-founded with ex-BMC CEO Andy Kessler in 2012."