Bastion launches 3D printed titanium and carbon fibre road bike

Australian bike brand Bastion Cycles will be debuting its state-of-the-art road race bike, which combines 3D printed titanium lugs with carbon fibre tubes, at the Bespoked UK Handbuilt show next week. 

Bastion is a Melbourne-based startup founded by three R&D specialists at Toyota Australia, who have utilised their access to advanced manufacturing technology to produce one of the best examples of a road bike that incorporates 3D printing we've ever seen.

3D printing has been used by a few bicycle brands in recent years, from the titanium dropouts used by Charge to complete mountain bikes from Empire, but there have been few road bikes that look a credible alternative to a conventionally manufactured frame. 

The company says that using 3D printing has allowed them to “fuse highly complex shapes from titanium that in turn enables them to engineer a very special bike frame that combines the best features of carbon fibre and titanium to create a race bike ‘par excellence’”. 

Bastion is selling the bikes direct through its website, with the company’s own design software allowing each customer to configure and fine-tune the design before placing an order. Each customer is able to then follow the production process from start to finish. 

The Bastion frame ain’t cheap, though. A starting price of $7,500 AUD (£4,021) places the frame firmly in some very elite company. The price does include a bespoke service, the bike will be fitted for you and certainly represents a lifetime investment. Each frame comes with a lifetime warranty as well and a crash or damage repair service described as “generous”.

Bastion is selling the bikes direct through its website, with the company’s own design software allowing each customer to configure and fine-tune the design before placing an order. Each customer is able to then follow the production process from start to finish. 

You can see the bikes at Bespoked in Bristol on 15-17th April and more at www.bastioncycles.com.au