When it was announced that automotive company, Toyota, was shutting down manufacturing and development in Australia, vehicle dynamics engineer and cyclist Ben Schultz developed a business plan for a high concept custom carbon and 3D-printed titanium race bike. Little did he know that his coworker, James Woolcock, was independently developing his technical concept for the same bike. At lunch one day, they pitched the same concept to one another.
The bicycle, shown at NAHBS, is technically impressive, but the bike itself is really just the tip of the iceberg as far as what makes the product and brand compelling. And that’s what’s really exciting – James and Ben, along with their partner Dean McGeary, have brought their experience in automotive process, business and design to cycling. The result is a clever, buttoned-up deep custom consumer experience package that puts total control of the design directly in the hands of the customer and seems to have exploited every ounce of opportunity within the bicycle design, ordering and fabrication process. And the final product is, well, pretty mind-blowing as a result. It is my pick for most compelling new bike I saw at NAHBS – maybe the most compelling bike I’ve seen all year.
Buckle up for this one. In order for the bike to really blow your mind, you have to wrap it around the whole concept first…
The big picture concept of the frame is that it allows for total frame geometry customization via 3D printing titanium lugs and frame parts, which are then bonded to carbon tubes chosen by the customer based off of their chosen riding style or needs.
The soon-to-be-launched consumer interface (we’ll let you know when it’s out there) is designed to put control entirely into the hands of the consumer. Rather than allowing for any interpretation of the customer’s needs by a builder or sales professional, the customer enters their own fit numbers and is allowed to tweak handling and sizing characteristics. Before the dealers, builders, and bike designers in the house start wincing, it must be understood that the program developed for the ordering system takes great pains to give the rider feedback in such a way that educates the consumer so they have a greater understanding of what they are getting. The program shows users when the head tube angle they’ve chosen brings the front tire unacceptably close to the down tube, and won’t allow them to proceed with the design until it is modified, for example. It also shows the consumer in live space how the visual geometry of the bike changes with various geometry.
But here’s where it gets really interesting: as a team of former vehicle dynamics engineers, they’ve created a visual tool for understanding bicycle handling characteristics. In order to establish this, they’ve created algorithms based off of factors examining wheel flop, steering ratio, and response factor – which examines front-center, rear-center, and bike and rider weight distribution. When you create a geometry and tweak angles, the program plots your handling characteristics on a chart along with familiar stock production models so you can better understand your riding experience before you place your order. At a time when production geometry is often set by bike companies with an emphasis on satisfying rider perceptions of what angle and offset numbers look “good” without regard or discussion for what the numbers actually accomplish, the Bastion Cycles user interface passively educates and builds consumer confidence in the final product through good old math and science.
The custom experience goes even deeper. Consumers chose between three levels of stiffness in their frame. So if you’re a sprinter and you’re buying your bike purely for racing, you can specify the highest modulus option. If you’re a smaller person and/or looking for a more compliant ride, you can specify the least stiff option. Or somewhere in between.

