Britain’s J.Laverack is debuting two bikes that take 3D-printed titanium in new directions – the AM64 Carbon blends 3D-printed titanium with a full-carbon seat tube to reduce weight and increase compliance, while Speedform is “the future of titanium aerodynamics,” according to the Rutland-based brand. Both will be exhibited this week at the Rouleur Live cycle show in London.
We’ll start with the AM64 Carbon because this one is available right away. It’s an evolution of the existing AM64 platform, blending “the precision of 3D-printed titanium with the tuned performance of carbon fibre”, according to J.Laverack.
AM64? AM stands for ‘additive manufacture’ – 3D printing – and 64 comes from Ti 6-4, or 6Al-4V titanium. It’s J.Laverack’s high-performance level, which combines 3D printing and double-butted tubes, with fully internal cable routing. It’s trickledown tech from J.Laverack’s Aston Martin project, and each of its frames can be made this way.
What’s new here is the addition of a full-carbon seat tube with an integrated seatpost.
“It’s 3D-printed titanium lugs joined with titanium tubes and a carbon-fibre seat tube that runs from the bottom bracket and through that cluster of seatstays and top tube junction, with a 3D-printed titanium seat mast topper on there,” says J.Laverack co-founder David Clow.
The seat mast topper allows a little saddle height adjustment – certainly enough to allow for different saddle and shoe stack heights, for example.
“This joining of materials is something that we have used within the Aston Martin project, and we’ve implemented it here firstly because it looks lovely, and also because it has saved some further weight from the bike and increased compliance as well. Like all of our bikes, it’s available in a completely bespoke geometry.
“Our performance-focused AM64 Carbon model allows us to explore the fusion of additive and composite technologies like never before. It’s built for speed, but tailored for you.”
The carbon seat tube is bonded in place.
“Effectively, it’s an incredibly strong glue that’s often referred to as the strongest part,” says David Clow. “That’s something we’ve been using for the Aston Martin bikes, and it’s nice to be able to trickle down some of the learning from that project.”
You can choose between a straight head tube and a 3D-printed option that bumps the price up by £500. Like other AM64 models, the AM64 Carbon comes with internal cable routing and detailed engraving.
You can buy the J.Laverack AM64 Carbon as a frameset – including an ENVE carbon fork, handlebar, stem and headset, ÆRA No.1 BSA bottom bracket – at prices starting from £7,495.
A complete bike is priced from £9,495.
The first 50 of each will be numbered. You can also order a bespoke painted finish and graphics.
J.Laverack is currently offering a free bike fit and custom geometry (usual cost: £500) when you order a new frameset or full build.
AM64 Carbon is available on the R J.ACK, J.ACK, GRiT, Pilot and Contour models.
We’ve not yet seen the J.Laverack AM64 Carbon in the flesh, although, as mentioned, it’ll be at Rouleur Live. The pics suggest it’s a bit of a looker.
“The future of titanium aerodynamics”
J.Laverack’s other new bike is called Speedform, which it describes as: “The world’s most bespoke, fully additively manufactured, aerodynamically optimised and CFD-tested titanium road bike.”
That’s quite a mouthful. CFD is computational fluid dynamics, of course. We’ll come back to that in a mo.
“Developed over 20 months and inspired by a 2017 J.Laverack track project, Speedform breaks free from traditional tube-based constraints, using three precision 3D-printed titanium sections welded seamlessly into a sculpted aerodynamic form,” says J.Laverack.
The rear triangle is 3D-printed in one section, the seat tube and top tube junction is another section, and the front half of the front triangle is the third section.
The dropped seat stays are designed to reduce drag, and you also get a 3D-printed seatpost and an optional integrated stem. The routing is internal and the bottom bracket is T47 (threaded). Speedform is said to be optimised for 30mm tyres, although it’ll take 32mm.
Back to the CFD…
J.Laverack says, “Working in collaboration with Loughborough University, [we] commissioned a detailed computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis. The study compared Speedform to J.Laverack’s existing R J.ACK Disc model and found a 20–26% reduction in aerodynamic drag between 30-48 km/h [18.6-29.8 mph].”
> Check out our review of the J.Laverack R J.ACK Disc Classic
“The CFD analysis clearly demonstrated that J.Laverack’s new aero frame achieves a substantial aerodynamic benefit over conventional round-tube designs,” says Professor A. Duncan Walker, Chair in Applied Aerodynamics at Loughborough University. “At typical road cycling speeds, this equates to drag reductions of 20–26%, or savings of up to 17 watts – impressive gains achieved through intelligent design and advanced additive manufacturing.”
J.Laverack doesn’t offer aero data comparing Speedform with bikes from other brands, and the R J.ACK Disc is an all-rounder rather than an aero bike.
“Each frame is custom-built to the millimetre using parametric design, allowing [us] to tailor geometry precisely to each rider’s needs — a bespoke approach impossible in mass-produced carbon frames,” says J.Laverack.
As with the AM64 Carbon (above), J.Laverack is exhibiting Speedform at Rouleur Live, but this one isn’t at the production stage yet. This is a rideable prototype, but there are numerous tests to be passed before making it to production, along with a light-weighting exercise to strip off the grams. It’s expected to be available from the middle of next year in limited numbers.
Pricing? The frameset will be from £8,995. The complete bike as shown here will be from £13,925.
“We’re so pleased with the outcome that we thought we should get it out there and get some feedback as well,” says David Clow.
“One of the things that I’m most excited about is that we could offer a bespoke geometry aero bike. You could carry out a bike fit with aerodynamics in mind, and then create the frame that is best suited to that riding position.
“We weighed this bike, built as it is [pictured]. It was 8.6kg, so we’ve not got far to go, but we can definitely save some weight from the frame. It’s a process that you have to go through. The nice thing with additive manufacturing is that we can do some quite complex things inside that down tube, for example, to maintain the strength, lose some material, apply material where it counts in a way that gives us the stiffness we’re looking for.”
Speedform will be limited to 10 build slots worldwide for 2026. You can reserve a Speedform frameset or full build for £1,000 by emailing team@jlaverack.co.uk.
2 thoughts on ““The future of titanium aerodynamics”: J.Laverack unveils 3D-printed innovations with new road bikes”
@Mat Brett, it was a pleasure
@Mat Brett, it was a pleasure to chat you through our latest work. Thank you guys for featuring our two new models. We very much look forward to chatting to visitors at Rouleur Live over the new few days. Pricing is now live on our site. – Dave Clow, J.Laverack
I wish I could justify
I wish I could justify spending that much on a bike, because it’s a work of art.