Looks delicious, doesn’t it? The construction images of Richard Craddock’s custom carbon Filament frames make composite material look good enough to eat, and this eTap-specific example means there’s noticeably fewer cables to get stuck in your teeth.
You may not recognize the name of Filament Bikes, but Richard’s surname might be familiar. Craddock Cycles rebranded as Filament before the Bespoked Bristol show in April this year — and while it sounds more intriguing, his offering is just as appetising.
Richard’s workshop is located in the West Midlands county of Worcestershire, whose ancient history is in stark contrast to the ultra-modern materials that Richard works with. He’s been improving the construction of his frames since the last one we featured.
The base fiber used for the tubes in the main triangle have been enhanced for a higher strength and modulus — carbon’s measurement of stiffness — which has then been rolled into a lighter laminate.
Instead of the lugged construction the last Craddock frame used, Richard now wraps the joints of his tubes with unidirectional pre-impregnated composite fibres to achieve smoother, more aerodynamic transitions, much like a fillet brazed steel frame.
Thanks to SRAM’s eTap groupset, there are no cable stops on this frame, and Richard makes his own bottle bosses to avoid making holes in the tubes. The two-tone pearl lime paint is accentual only, with a matte clear coat emphasising the raw material.
Although the handmade bicycle is a great British tradition, marrying it to modern materials is Richard’s intention; while producing a bike that is completely personalized to each individual customer.
PS: Check out the Filament Bikes National 10 mile TT Tandem Record winner while you’re perusing Richard’s Instagram feed… It’s a seriously impressive bit of kit.
Filament Bikes Website | Facebook | Instagram
