Carbon fiber is an amazing material for bikes, but it’s not known as the most environmentally friendly. In order to try and make the build process a bit greener, Flying Machine is introducing their first line of made-to-measure carbon bicycles – the CBL series. Meaning Carbon Based Lifeforms, the CBL 1.0 and 2.0 are the first carbon bikes made in Australia by Flying Machine that offer true custom geometry with a tube-to-tube construction.
Maybe more notable than the addition of the custom bikes to their line up, the CBL series uses plant based epoxy resins rather than the far more common petroleum based resins. Specifically relying on SuperSap CLR which is a product of Entropy Resins, the green option supposedly releases 50% less green house gasses during production and is produced using renewable plant based materials that are co-products or byproducts of other industrial processes.
Found in the frame joints, top tube, seat stays, and chain stays, the plant based resin ‘biocarbon’ isn’t used for the entire frame, but if it performs as needed it seems like a step in the right direction…
The first bike out of the CBL series, the 1.0 uses a one piece top tube and seat stay section mated to a one piece head tube, down tube, and chain stay unit to create a “spring and beam” construction. The upper spring provides the comfort while the lower beam provides stiffness, which sounds similar to the construction ideology of other carbon frame manufacturers.
Equipped with disc brakes and thru axles front and rear, all of Flying Machine CBL bikes are made to order so the one shown above is as ordered by a customer. Base price for the frame starts at $3,979.29 USD – from there, nearly anything can be accommodated which means the sky’s the limit when it comes to the final price tag.
Also available is the second CBL, the 2.0. Built using a more classic road geometry with disc brakes and quick releases front and rear, the 2.0 uses the same Biocarbon construction with Super Sap CLR epoxy resin and Toray T700 UD carbon fiber. Pricing for the 2.0 is a bit less, starting at $3654.45 for the frame and again will full custom geometry and builds available.
