It wasn’t long ago that custom bikes were often regarded as pretty to look at, but inferior to the big brands in terms of pure performance and innovation. But is that still the case?
For sure, certain things still require some major engineering muscle and big-bucks R&D. However, innovation and creativity have never solely been the realm of those with deep pockets, and at this year’s MADE show, there was plenty of cutting-edge thinking to be found.
One popular theme was multi-material frames featuring carbon fiber tubes strategically taking the place of metal ones in order to decrease weight and tweak certain performance characteristics like ride quality and stiffness. There was no shortage of 3D-printing to be found, either, nor more traditional manufacturing methods like CNC-machining.
And integrated seat masts? Oh yeah, they’re back in a big way, whether you like them or not.
So much for custom bike shows being nothing but lugged steel frames and fancy paint jobs, eh?
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Mosaic’s new RT-Zero is currently intended to be a limited-edition flagship offering, featuring an aero-profile carbon fiber seatmast, new CNC-machined rear dropouts, and a more sculpted 52/52 mm head tube specifically designed to accommodate fully internal routing and tapered steerer tubes. “We wanted to push the boundaries a little bit of our current products,” Mosaic founder Aaron Barcheck told me. “We want to try out some new technology and see if it could have an impact on our road model – and probably beyond that as well at some point.”
The carbon fiber integrated seatmast is capped with a molded carbon fiber topper that’s made especially for Mosaic.
A challenge for Mosaic was incorporating such a different method of frame construction while still retaining the look, feel, and personality the brand has become known for. This welded seat cluster is stunning.
The bottom of the seat mast is bonded to the bottom bracket shell with a flush joint for a clean look. Mosaic has long preferred BSA threaded bottom bracket shells, but the RT-Zero features a larger-diameter T47 one instead.
Going with a 3D-printed dropout would arguably have been the easier way to go for Mosaic, and certainly the route many titanium brands have chosen recently. Barcheck felt that CNC-machined dropouts were more in keeping with the Mosaic ethos, though, and the UDH-compatible ones on the RT-Zero are not only striking visually, but also directly incorporate the flat-mount caliper interface so there’s little-to-no post-welding machining that has to be done later.
The end of the dropout is perfectly shaped to accommodate the large-diameter chainstay.
The titanium sleeve that is bonded over the carbon fiber seatmast isn’t actually extruded as a tube. It’s actually CNC-machined from round stock given the precise dimensions required for a proper bond joint.
The move to larger-diameter T47 threaded bottom bracket shells will allow brake hoses to be routed internally all the way to the brake caliper (previously, they had to take a little detour around the outside of the shell). And see where the cutout in the shell is situated relative to the chainstay? It’s specifically located at the very bottom so it’s easier for mechanics to run the line, and so the hose doesn’t have to make as dramatic a bend around the bottom bracket sleeve. Details, folks, details.
The new head tube is a great fit proportionally with the adjoining tubes.
The little things add up, don’t you think?
No.22 is continuing to develop its breathtaking Reactor Aero flagship road bike. I can guarantee you that pictures do not do it proper justice.
Seriously, look at this thing! It’s as much a work of art as it is a bicycle. Truly bonkers. Keep in mind that most of what you see here is 3D-printed titanium, too.
The whole “looks fast standing still” cliché is obviously very, very overused. That said, if there was ever a bike where that phrase was apt, this is it.
The front end design is even more striking in this latest iteration than it was the last time I saw it just a few months ago.
Looks like the carbon fiber handlebar is somehow bonded to the titanium stem, right? Nope.
The cockpit design is remarkably clever with no visible hardware except for a single bolt that feeds in from the underside of the stem. No.22 co-founder Bryce Gracey said that a key design requirement was that the bar be (relatively) easy to change for a different size.
No.22 has put a lot of thought into the hose routing, too. Hoses exit the rear of the bar and are guided through one of three different channels. The central one is for the front brake hose, which takes a downward turn into the channel molded into the front of the steerer tube. The rear hose – regardless of which side it’s on – runs down either side of the stem to the exit port at the rear. There’s intentionally plenty of room to install hydraulic couplers so that the bike can be packed into a case for travel.
A closer look at the steerer tube shape No.22 has settled on for the Reactor Aero.
Yowza.
Even the aero-profile titanium seatpost is a stunning piece of design.
Wait, what? That’s right; the seatpost doesn’t actually contact the upper portion of the seat tube at all.
Clamping the seatpost down low makes for a longer effective length and more seatpost flex for rider comfort. It’s unclear to me, though, if there will also be enough lateral flex to scuff up the sides of the post inside the top of the seat tube.
No.22 has opted for Ritchey’s elegant single-bolt saddle clamp design, which is not only easy to adjust in my experience, but also easy to install and extremely secure.
The down tube is shaped so as to direct air around water bottles. No.22’s aim is that the Reactor Aero is just as aerodynamically efficient as top-end carbon bikes.
There’s a lot of meat down here.
A small bolt-on flap works as a fairing around the front brake caliper, while also providing a convenient place for a bit of branding.
That’s a seriously big chainstay.
Wow.
Titanium thru-axles, naturally.
This is definitely one of those bikes where you don’t need the logo to know what it is.
The polished-to-bead blasted-to-Cerakote finish? Amazing.
The titanium 5Dev crankarms are a perfect match. And the custom titanium chainring doesn’t exactly hurt, either.
Seriously, No.22. Cut. It. Out.
Sage Titanium Bicycles showed off this carbon fiber-and-titanium full-suspension prototype. It’s very much intended for XC use with 117 mm of travel out back and 120 mm up front, but with progressive geometry that arguably puts it into the “downcountry” category.
Many of the titanium components on the prototype frame are 3D-printed. Sage has already decided that the next iteration will ditch this bolt-on bridge in favor of a one-piece unit.
The rear end features a single-pivot flexstay design, and the suspension links are all custom made for Sage.
The bonded-in carbon fiber top tube and down tube seemed like a good idea, but Sage has decided that it’d make more sense for these to be titanium instead. Switching to titanium also means fewer 3D-printed parts are required, instead replaced with conventional machined components, mitered tubes, and TIG-welded joints.
Sage has decided the production frame will use titanium instead of carbon fiber for the rear end, too. The dropouts will also be a more conventional design that is more accommodating of different calipers and rotor diameters. “It looks really cool,” Sage founder David Rosen told me, “but it’s just not functional enough.”
Scarab Cycles made the trip to Portland all the way from Colombia with this custom painted Santa Rosa steel road bike, augmented with the company’s optional carbon fiber seatmast.
Scarab calls this paint scheme, “Fractal Fruit.”
Scarab says its Colibrí Damping System (its nomenclature for the bonded-in carbon fiber seatmast) smooths out the ride quality while retaining the springiness of oversized, thin-walled steel. It probably saves some weight, too.
The colors on this one… yum, yum.
The finished-to-match cockpit is an excellent complement to the frame. A custom spacer made by Bre Rue of Bridge the Gap Designs creates a nice transition between the headset cover and stem clamp.
Haley Cycles has gotten into the mixed-materials game, too, with this titanium-and-carbon fiber Superpavé all-round bike.
I love the juxtaposition of the old-school bass boat green paint job with the modern frame construction.
The large-diameter chainstays promise a responsive-feeling rear end.
Metal frame builders are often reaching for T47 threaded bottom brackets not so much for the added width (notice how the chainstays are spaced here), but rather because it makes it a lot easier to run the brake hose internally through that area as compared to BSA.
A painted-to-match cockpit always ties the whole thing together.
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To your first point about custom bikes being impractical to ride, I rode my custom Rodriguez to MADE this year (157 miles on Thursday). It was a rough day by the end, but the bike was flawless!!
The folks at https://www.unpavedcycles.com/ UnPaved cycles told me last year that they'd decided to not ship to the good old US of A for various reasons. I'd hoped to purchase a freameset and build a metal full-suss bike. So, when you posted this Sage full suspension bike, my heart leapt: a clean, titanium, short travel bike with progressive geometry. It'll be cool to see what they do as time moves forward. Thanks James!
To your first point about custom bikes being impractical to ride, I rode my custom Rodriguez to MADE this year (157 miles on Thursday). It was a rough day by the end, but the bike was flawless!!
The folks at https://www.unpavedcycles.com/ UnPaved cycles told me last year that they'd decided to not ship to the good old US of A for various reasons. I'd hoped to purchase a freameset and build a metal full-suss bike. So, when you posted this Sage full suspension bike, my heart leapt: a clean, titanium, short travel bike with progressive geometry. It'll be cool to see what they do as time moves forward. Thanks James!