former NIKE innovation director rich fox has had a passion for riding bicycles since he was a kid: ‘whether
you’re thinking about just the mechanisms themselves, or the freedom
that they give you, or the ability explore and express yourself with the
bike, that’s just something that’s always been a part of me.’ after
noticing the shift of manufacturing from america to overseas locations,
fox decided to rethink traditional assembly techniques and finishing
options. throughout this research, he realized that he could radically
reduce labor costs while creating a scalable, versatile platform for
production. eventually, he reached his goal a process called
MABEL (modular and bonded endless lug) to counteract the challenges
presented by heat, paint, tooling, labor, and geometric complexity.
around this system, he has formed circa cycles, a company that intends to build bikes to order, in ten days or less, with complete structures starting under $1,500 (USD).
the first solution appears in the shape of aerospace-grade structure adhesives.
this creates the same amount of strength between bonds seen throughout
airplanes and race cars and replaces the amount of heat and embodied
energy required for welding and brazing. a common way to unify the
components is a fresh coat of paint, which can be expensive and
time-consuming. taking away each of these dilemmas, the company utilizes
a cost-effective and detailed mode of anodizing.
within the setting of a factory, tooling refers to the molds that form molten metal and plastic into various shapes. this method can only help when performed in large quantities. instead, circa relies on CNC machines to quickly work on small batches that can be easily manipulated for the consumer’s preferences. in regards to geometric complexity, modularity is involved in a way that accommodates different frame sizes and angles. each of these carefully considered events reduces the overall labor time in the workshop from 50-100 hours to 10-hours or less.
the brand’s first frame, the ‘trillium’, shows the playful possibilities for personal expression with different versions, each with their own features. the road package is available with a derailleur-based drivetrain with drop bars. the urban bike provides users with an 8-speed, internally-geared drivetrain with flat handles. meanwhile, the town version is meant for comfortably cycling through the neighborhood with a 3-speed drivetrain maneuvered by natural-colored riser bars. each construct is completely made in the united states. the aluminum comes from american mills that are then worked on using computer numerical control routers and anodizing craftsmanship in portland, oregon. according to fox, ’the trillium is the only bike that shows this level of production at this price.’
from designboom