Bond Bike is the culmination of two years of development to refine the aluminum bike into a modern day race machine. Tubes are computer designed, hydroformed and precision cut before being fused together with a single pass smooth weld. The frames are then anodized to take just a tiny bit more material off, resulting in the ride quality they wanted and a fully custom bike for you.
More details on this, plus frames and bikes from Giant, Bowman, Paco and Look, below…
The 2010 World Time Trial Champ Emma Pooley will be riding Bond Bike this year, customized for her, of course. And you can get the same treatment, including having your name etched into the frame, for $2,250 USD. That includes the frame, headset, carbon seatpost, and bottom bracket with an assortment of adapters.
Bowman Cycles hails from the UK and showed off two prototype frames. The first was this updated version of the Pilgrim dubbed Project X. It’s a more capable version, with wider tire clearance and geometry tuned for heading off the main roads without sacrificing pavement performance.
They use a shaped seat tube on many of their frames to improve power transfer at the bottom but allow a standard round post for more comfort. It’s more a Road Plus bike than pure gravel grinder, making room for 30mm wide tires officially, but testing with 32mm treads.
It’ll get flat mount brakes and thru axles front and rear, a tapered carbon fork, and the frame is 6069 T6 alloy.
They also had a stainless steel version that looks like a blend between their road bikes and the Pilgrim.
Details abound, like integrated frame pump pegs…
Covered dropout insert for the threaded nut of the axle, chiseled brake mounts and fender mounts.
Aside from Giant’s own bikes, they had a section set up to show off their manufacturing capabilities. Giant’s factory produces frames for a LOT of other brands, including several major global ones, so it makes sense to display what they can do. This new frame uses a proprietary Scandium Aluminum blend for a frame that comes in at a carbon-like 1,100g. They say the average aluminum frame is more like 1,600g, so you’re getting ~30% weight savings. It’s not just the material, though…
Tube shaping is extensive, necessary to give it the proper stiffness.
The seatpost is held in place with a hidden wedge bolt, and note the material removal from the cable housing stops. Oversized chainstays are flattened and formed to make room for the tire while maximizing weld contact at the BB shell. Are you likely to see this coming from Giant? Who knows, but it looks great, and having picked it up, it definitely felt very light.
OK, so this one’s not metal. But just look at it. The Look 795 Aero in Anniversary livery is beautiful.
This top model gets SRAM Red eTap with their latest one-piece full carbon ZED3 crankset, integrated front brakes, aero bar and angle adjustable stem.
Spotted in passing are Paco Bikes, which is a brand focused on high performance kids bikes. The highlight of the booth was the new Pro Race (center), with sweet graphics and tube shaping that makes it look every bit as sophisticated as high end adult bikes, but with spec and sizing for kids. That particular model is aimed at 8-10 year olds, but they offer a massive selection of road, city, cyclocross and track bikes on their website.
