Translating the work of a designer directly into reality has never ~ been easier or more cost-effective. Three-dimensional printing is a relatively recent innovation but it is being used more and more by the cycling industry to create entirely new products or to save money on short runs of expensive parts. The technology is allowing framebuilders such as Australia’s Bastion Cycles and the UK’s Sturdy Cycles to create hi-tech designs way beyond those generally associated with artisan builders, and elsewhere has helped apply new structures to the likes of saddles and chamois pads.
‘The cycling industry very rarely develops its own technology,’ says Tom Sturdy, whose beautifully made titanium bikes include extensive use of printed parts. ‘Although, weirdly, bikes are often used as a showcase for technologies.’
Three-dimensional printing, or additive manufacturing as it’s properly known, is the construction of 3D objects using a computer-controlled machine working from a digital design.
Initially intended for rapidly creating prototypes or models, additive manufacturing was first used by the aerospace and defence industries. However, as costs and production times have decreased, it has also become a viable option for creating usable finished items.
Emerging fully formed
The form of 3D printing most regularly used in the cycling industry involves solidifying material, layer by layer, to build complex shapes. In the case of the titanium parts on Sturdy’s bicycles, this involves using a computer-controlled laser to melt powdered titanium.
‘The vast majority of metal
