Silicon Valley bike brand Superstrata has released the world’s first made-to-measure, 3D-printed bikes constructed from a single piece of carbon fibre. And it is not just a prototype, you can actually buy this product.
No joints, no welds, no glue – the California company instead relies on the ‘seamless strength’ of a single piece of ‘next-generation’ carbon fibre thermoplastic composite, which Superstrata claims is ‘extremely impact-resistant, yet remarkably lightweight’.
The frame is then manufactured via a 3D printer, a method of production that Superstrata believes could put a stop to frame and quality control issues currently experienced in carbon frame manufacturing.
This process also allows for a made-to-measure frame for the rider dependant on height, weight, riding position and even whether the buyer prefers a stiffer frame or not.
A choice of two frames will be available to the consumer: the Terra and the Ion e-bike. Both will come with integrated data and power wiring through the frame while the Ion e-bike will provide a motor range of 88km after fully charging in two hours.
The buyer will also be able to tailor both bikes to their riding style with choices such as racing, street, gravel and touring. There will also be the option of alloy or carbon wheels and both bikes will either come in a light or dark colourway.
From the images provided by Superstrata, it appears that both models will also have disc brakes and use a Shimano Metrea 1x groupset while the frame weights will be 1kg (Terra) and 1.2kg (Ion).
Where this gets really interesting is the price. The Terra is set to retail at £2,599 while the Ion e-bike will retail at £3,699, however, both can currently be bought at ‘early bird’ prices of £1,420 and £1,895 respectively, remarkably cheap for a custom-built frame.
Both bikes can be bought on pre-order here now with shipping expected to begin in December 2020.
Bill Stephens, designer and creative lead behind Superstrata’s new 3D printed bikes, hopes that both the Terra and Ion will take a lead in bikes being produced using new, advanced manufacturing processes.
‘This bike was designed to leverage all the benefits of this new manufacturing technology to get the best of both worlds: strength and lightness.’