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HTech Bikes comes out of the woodwork with the Aeriform endurance road bike

HTech Aeriform wooden road endurance bike
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Htech Aeriform wooden road bike, front angle

While many companies play it safe and start out with basic steel or aluminum frames before working towards more unique or complicated designs, you have to respect the gutsy boutique brands who dive right into the deep end. The folks behind Perth, Australia’s HTech believe wood can make a great riding bike, so they jumped right into hand building custom wooden frames.

Htech’s debut model is an endurance road bike called the Aeriform. A disc brake version of the Aeriform is also currently in the works, and there are already plans to create other frames in the future.

Htech says the natural vibration damping qualities of wood makes it ideal for creating a compliant bike that can keep you comfortable throughout long days on varying road conditions. They also quite like the aesthetics of a wooden frame, and make a point of showing off the natural grain and accents within their material of choice…

Htech Aeriform wooden road bike, top tube finish Htech Aeriform wooden road bike, frame close up

HTech primarily uses jarrah, blackbutt and marri wood to build their bikes, all of which are found locally in Australia and renowned for their strength and aesthetic qualities. The builders carefully select wood for their frames based on its grain direction, moisture content (both of which can affect the frame’s performance) and color.

Htech Aeriform wooden road bike, external routing on tubes Htech Aeriform wooden road bike, internal frame routing

HTech uses monocoque technology to construct their frames- something we’re more used to seeing with aluminum or carbon. The two halves are made from a number of individual pieces bonded together, then externally and internally routed to finish shaping the tubes inside and out. The halves are then glued together using industrial grade epoxies.

Htech Aeriform wooden road bike, dropout

The Aeriform features HTech’s Solid Hardwood Dropouts (SHD), which are built as an integral part of the frame’s rear triangle. The company claims the connection between metal dropouts and a wood frame is typically a weak point, so by eliminating any bolt-on bits their design is inherently stronger. The dropouts are constructed from several layers of 2mm thick hardwood.

Htech Aeriform wooden road bike, chainstays Htech Aeriform wooden road bike, cable routing

The Aeriform’s compact frame uses beefed up asymmetrical chainstays and a wide PF86 BB shell to increase stiffness where the power is put out. The frame also offers clean and aero-friendly internal cable routing, and the entire frame was designed to be as aerodynamic as possible. The name Aeriform actually means ‘having the form or nature of air’.

Each frame is sanded for over 12 hours and finished with multiple coats of marine spar varnish. This varnish will flex with the frame to ensure your bike boasts a showroom shine and stays protected from the elements. As for the weight, an Aeriform frame made from jarrah wood hits the scale at 3.74lbs (dimensions not specified).

Htech Aeriform wooden road bike, front fork
*Photos courtesy of HTech Bikes

Htech’s bikes are outfitted with the brand’s own wooden forks as well. The fork looks great matched up to the frame, but more importantly HTech says their woods are stronger, harder and stiffer than what other brands are using. Their fork is safe and solid where needed but still offers a smooth ride and a weight of 560g.

Htech’s custom frames are built to each buyer’s personalized sizing, geometry and desired ride qualities, plus you can select the type of wood and finish you prefer. The first ten frames are being sold at below cost pricing of $2970 Australian dollars, with GST included (approx. $2195 USD). Framesets and full builds are also available, but you’ll have to contact HTech for more info.

htechbikes.com

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Haromania
8 years ago

What a beautiful looking machine!

onion
onion
8 years ago

Ehhh… monocoque?

Francois
Francois
8 years ago

Great looking bike. My favorite wooden bike to date!

Interesting to see wood dropouts. Metal dropouts riveted to wooden stays are currently the norm; this approach is much more elegant. But I can’t see in the pictures how they managed to add the rear derailleurs hanger. I’m also curious to see how they’ll handle the disk brakes without metallic inserts.

The fork is a big surprise. I didn’t thought it was possible to do it without going for very beefy blades.

cugnana
8 years ago

DROP-DEAD-GORGEOUS.

Antoine
Antoine
8 years ago

Chainstay clearance look minimal, specially for a “flexy” frame.

Roger
Roger
8 years ago
Reply to  Antoine

@Antoine. Where in the article does it say it’s a “flexy” frame?

Craig
Craig
8 years ago

Wow that’s a really nice looking wood frame. It’s far tidier than anything from Renovo etc. The dropouts are so clean.

Burton
Burton
8 years ago

(deleted)

WoodyAllenkey
WoodyAllenkey
8 years ago

What no dovetail joints? Tongue and groove that monocoque puppy at least!

Ryan
Ryan
8 years ago

Beautiful bike, but I’m skeptical about having an integrated derailleur hanger. Something that vital and vulnerable should be replaceable.

Seraph
8 years ago
Reply to  Ryan

Seriously. Good luck repairing it when it gets damaged. I suppose a good woodworker might be able to drill out the area for an aftermarket hanger, at best.

m3k
m3k
8 years ago

Really love the invisible pedals

Timberwolf
8 years ago

Always thought you Aussies were a bunch of plankers!

Bob
Bob
8 years ago

@Ryan, the hanger is not integrated. The dropouts are part of the frame, as per normal frame designs, and the hanger is a replaceable aluminium part. You can just make it out in one of the photos.

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