{"id":45539,"date":"2023-01-12T12:57:04","date_gmt":"2023-01-12T11:57:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bikeradar.com\/?p=712677"},"modified":"2023-01-12T14:35:44","modified_gmt":"2023-01-12T13:35:44","slug":"this-titanium-road-and-soft-gravel-bike-uses-additive-3d-printing","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/rss_feed\/this-titanium-road-and-soft-gravel-bike-uses-additive-3d-printing\/","title":{"rendered":"This titanium road and \u2018soft gravel\u2019 bike uses additive 3D printing"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Stan Portus\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Thursday, 12 January 2023 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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The Angel Cycle Works Heaven is a titanium bike made with additive 3D printing, that is said to be suitable for road racing, sportives and \u201csoft gravel\u201d.<\/p>\n

The Spanish brand, co-founded by architect and bicycle manufacturer Jos\u00e9 Angel Calabuig, and journalist and product developer Antonio del Pino, describes the Heaven as a \u201chyper bike\u201d, with prices ranging from \u20ac9,600 to \u20ac17,300 through its customisation scheme.<\/p>\n

Angel Cycle Works isn\u2019t the first to make a titanium bike<\/a> with additive 3D printing. Charge used 3D-printed dropouts as early as 2013<\/a>, but the technology has seen something of a renaissance in the past 12 months with the release of the Reilly Fusion<\/a> and Moots Vamoots CRD<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Manual welding and 3D printing<\/h2>\n
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Angel Cycle Works says 3D printing means it can use a press-fit bottom bracket without creaking.<\/span><\/figcaption> Angel Cycle Works<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

Angel Cycle Works has used a mix of manual welding and 3D printing in the production of the Heaven.<\/p>\n

The company says combining welded tubes with 3D-printed lugs enables it to minimise the amount of material used in the bike.<\/p>\n

Angel Cycle Works hasn\u2019t provided exact claimed weights, but it does say it has shaved roughly 400g off a typical 1,600g titanium frame.<\/p>\n

3D printing is also said to improve contact between the frame and headset<\/a> bearings for better alignment.<\/p>\n

This is also the case at the bottom bracket<\/a>. Angel Cycle Works says its 3D-printed titanium \u201cwill never budge a micron\u201d, which enables it to use a press-fit bottom bracket without the risk of creaks developing.<\/p>\n

If Angel Cycle Works is to be believed, then maybe 3D printing facilitates Simon von Bromley\u2019s bottom bracket Platonic ideal<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Adjustable chainstays<\/h2>\n
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The Heaven features adjustable chainstays, shifting it from a road bike to a gravel machine.<\/span><\/figcaption> Angel Cycle Works<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

Unusually, you can adjust the length of the Heaven\u2019s chainstays via two thru-axle dropouts.<\/p>\n

Called the HD adapter, or \u2018Heaven Door adapter\u2019, the design enables riders to vary the geometry of the bike, extending the chainstays from 400mm to 425mm.<\/p>\n

This is done to increase tyre clearance. You can either fit 700x30mm road bike tyres<\/a> or 700x38mm gravel bike tyres<\/a>, depending on which setting you use.<\/p>\n

Paired with the clearance in the fork, this is what enables the Heaven to be used as either a race bike or \u201csoft gravel bike\u201d (even if 38mm tyres on a gravel bike<\/a> are conservative by today\u2019s standards).<\/p>\n

Angel Cycle Works says the HD adapter enables you to use 140mm or 160mm disc brake <\/a>rotors in either position.<\/p>\n

Angel Cycle Works Heaven geometry<\/h2>\n
<\/colgroup>
\ufeff<\/th>52cm<\/th>54cm<\/th>56cm<\/th>58cm<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Seat tube angle<\/b> (degrees)<\/td>75<\/td>75<\/td>74.5<\/td>74.5<\/td> <\/tr>
Head tube angle<\/b> (degrees)<\/td>72.5<\/td>73<\/td>73.5<\/td>73.5<\/td> <\/tr>
Chainstay<\/b> (mm)<\/td>400 \/ 425<\/td>400 \/ 425<\/td>400 \/ 425<\/td>400 \/ 425<\/td> <\/tr>
Bottom bracket drop<\/b> (mm)<\/td>74<\/td>73<\/td>72<\/td>72<\/td> <\/tr>
Seat tube<\/b> (mm)<\/td>490<\/td>510<\/td>530<\/td>550<\/td> <\/tr>
Top tube<\/b> (mm)<\/td>530<\/td>540<\/td>560<\/td>576<\/td> <\/tr>
Head tube<\/b> (mm)<\/td>109<\/td>127<\/td>147<\/td>174<\/td> <\/tr>
Wheelbase<\/b> (mm)<\/td>975 \/ 999<\/td>981 \/ 1,007<\/td>993 \/ 1,018<\/td>1,009 \/ 1,035<\/td> <\/tr>
Stack<\/b> (mm)<\/td>517<\/td>535<\/td>555<\/td>581<\/td> <\/tr>
Reach<\/b> (mm)<\/td>397<\/td>402<\/td>411<\/td>420<\/td> <\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>