Based in 2012 and based mostly out of Johnston, New York, No. 22 Bicycle Firm specializes within the design and manufacturing of titanium bikes. The corporate, which prides itself on fabricating bike parts in home or sourcing them from US-based suppliers, depends on a mixture of superior manufacturing processes, akin to EDM wire slicing and laser sintering 3D printing, and extra conventional craftsmanship to ship two-wheelers which can be optimized for efficiency and to the rider. Now, No. 22 has unveiled the primary glimpses of what it calls the “world’s first totally aero titanium street bicycle”. The bike, referred to as the Reactor Aero, integrates quite a few 3D printed titanium parts and can formally launch in 2025. For now, what we all know is predicated on the Reactor Aero prototype, which is being showcased on the MADE bike present in Portland, Oregon till August twenty fifth.
The Reactor Aero is the primary aero-optimized titanium bicycle of its variety, that means that it has undergone intensive aerodynamic testing—together with CFD simulations—and is meant for racing. No. 22 says the bike has already undergone testing that confirms 30-40% drag discount in comparison with its Aurora bike mannequin, and will likely be put by extra wind tunnel testing and validation earlier than it formally launches.
The bike itself integrates quite a few optimized 3D printed parts, together with the down tube, backside bracket intersection and chain stays. The present prototype (pictured) additionally encompasses a totally 3D printed body created from Grade 5 titanium. The prototype body was printed in a single piece (aside from the seat tube, which is a carbon-based built-in seat put up co-developed with July Bicycles), nonetheless the manufacturing model will likely be printed in sections that will likely be machined and welded in home to allow No. 22 to actual the tightest controls over tolerances, finishes and high quality.
“3D printed titanium has phenomenal structural properties,” defined Bryce Gracey, Co-Founding father of No. 22. “The flexibility to print inside help buildings anyplace within the body provides us a stage of management over the trip high quality that has not been potential earlier than. We’re ready so as to add stiffness in excessive load areas like the underside bracket, dropouts and head tube for little or no weight, whereas enjoying with construction in high-quality element all through the body to make sure it delivers the trip high quality we’d like.”
The Reactor Aero has additionally been optimized in methods aside from aerodynamics: No. 22 says it has improved the bike’s drivetrain stiffness for superior energy switch. This was achieved by the redesign of the aforementioned 3D printed down tube, backside bracket intersection and chain stays, in addition to new tubing profiles and intersections. For these bike lovers in Portland, you may try the present model of the 3D printed bike at Zidell Yards till August twenty fifth, 2024. No. 22 hasn’t mentioned something about the price of the upcoming street bike, although its earlier fashions vary from $4,000 to $7,000, which supplies a sign of the worth level.
