Fabrication
With exact specifications in hand, the T-Lab fabrication team sets out on a single-minded mission: to make you the best bike you’ve ever had. Ours is a meticulous process – all done in-house – that involves multiple steps and countless quality control verifications. Here’s an overview:
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1. Tube selection
We verify every tube shipment from our titanium suppliers to ensure we’re starting with tubing that is perfectly straight and circular.
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2. Mitiring & de-burring
With the assistance of specialized machinery, the tube sets are mitred and simultaneously de-burred based on specifications.
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3. Tube Shaping
This is the step, the proprietary process, that sets a T-Lab titanium frame apart. It's also a well-kept secret. Without getting into detail, let's just say that through a combination of science and artistry, we cold-work seamless Ti tubing into radical, performance-enhancing profiles.
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4. Degreasing
We use a specialized cleansing method that deep-cleans the metal in order to assure the surface purity needed for optimal welding.
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5. Welding
This is where it all comes together. Welding is the most critical phase in the fabrication of a titanium frame, the one that determines the structural integrity, durability and performance of the bike. We take our time and sweat the details throughout this multi-step process:
A) Positioning
Our welder places the tubes in a specialized jig that has been precisely set to accommodate the frame dimensions.B) Purging
The inside and outside of the titanium tubes are carefully purged—using argon gas and a specialized welding lens, respectively—to promote stronger, longer-lasting welds.C) Tacking
The weld master strategically places tack welds in a very specific sequence for titanium. Precision at this stage is particularly critical, as the smallest error (based on our standards) will basically scrap the frame.D) Final Welding
Moving millimetres at a time, the welder painstakingly applies weld beads to bond the tubes together into one everlasting frame. There’s no mystery to the exceptional quality of our welds—nobody applies more time, focus and expertise than our crew.E) Final Alignment
One last alignment step is performed to eliminate any remaining distortion in the frame.
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6. Post-weld machining & frame prep
Before heading to the paint / finish shop, our frame goes through a fine-tuning session where its key parts are machined to make sure components will fit and function flawlessly.
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7. Paint / finish station
As with the rest of our fabrication method, laying on the finish to one of our titanium bikes is a multi-phased process that requires state-of-the-art facilities and skillful hands.
