This new fork and bar setup follows a similar concept to a number of other integrated and hidden-cable systems. The “47” here refers to the fork rake of this sample. The titanium-printed crown of course features an integrated headset crown race. And it’s worth noting that the carbon lay-up and intended ride quality won’t change from one customer order to the next the only piece that changes is the crown that allows for a customised fork rake of anywhere between 40 and 55 mm. The fork offers a remarkably asymmetrical design with the stiffness and ride quality benchmarked off an Enve fork. The steerer tube and fork blades are carbon fibre, while the 3D-printed titanium crown and dropouts tie it all together. Raoul’s been scanning parts as we go, and will continue scanning as part of our production QC.” A look at the fork techīastion’s new fork is made up of a number of pieces. He’s been involved throughout the research and development process. We’ve done a lot of testing, and we’ve got people like Raoul Luescher of Luescher Teknik involved in the quality control (QC) process in the carbon fibre components of our fork. “Making a bar, stem, and fork is no joke in terms of the requirements. “It’s not something we take lightly,” Woolcock said. There’s a reason why so few makers offer their own forks and that’s because bad things happen when things go wrong. Bastion has created in-house test equipment to perform the required durability and strength tests. Test equipment was built and the idea soon came to reality. The fork and cockpit was a project Bastion started two years ago, but some forced time away from manufacturing (almost 100 days) during last year’s extensive coronavirus lockdowns in Melbourne gave the team plenty of time to focus on the development. The exact process was hush-hush, but they were proud of the consistent lay-up compaction achieved. Bastion is using pre-impregnated carbon fibre for the legs and steerer of the fork, and crossbar of the bar-stem. With such an investment it just makes sense that Bastion would grow its product offering and complete the unique look of its frames. “Literally titanium powder and raw carbon fibre come in the front door, and the fork and cockpit go out,” Woolcock said. They have not one, but two 3D titanium printers, and new facilities to produce carbon components themselves that goes beyond the previous filament-wound products, too. By doing our own fork in-house, we can specify exactly what fork rake we want.”Īdding to that, Bastion has made some significant investments in its ability to manufacture in-house and control the process. “We get the benefit of doing custom geometry and not being beholden to purchase in a fork that then limits us in fork rake selection. got completely hidden integrated cables,” said Woolcock of the new fork, bar, and stem combination that’s compatible with the company’s existing disc road bikes. “From a functionality point of view we had a lot of customers asking about integrated cables. The new system provides a clean and unmistakably-Bastion aesthetic. Bastion intends to keep offering its bikes with those off-the-shelf products for customers who want exposed cabling or have a specific bar/stem they love, but there was also room for improvement – by creating a front end that employs the same customisable and lattice-structured titanium lug concept as its bespoke framesets. Why make a fork and cockpit?īastion has been making frames with 3D-printed titanium lugs and carbon tubes since 2015, and until now had relied on the likes of Enve and THM for supply of forks and cockpits. Best known for its custom 3D-printed titanium lug and carbon tube frames, Bastion Cycles is now using that technology to offer an integrated, matching and wholly made-in-house disc road fork, stem, and bar.ĭuring a factory tour (more on that soon) the day before the Handmade Bicycle Show Australia, CyclingTips sat down with Bastion co-founder and lead engineer James Woolcock to learn about this new product segment for the Melbourne-based boutique manufacturer.
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