Aston Martin and UK-based titanium bicycle maker J.Laverack have collaborated to create an all-new, highly engineered and customisable bicycle for road use, called the J.Laverack Aston Martin .1R. The carmaker claims the .1R makes use of not just bespoke styling elements but also numerous world-first engineering solutions. Here’s a look at the details.
The makers have gone for some top-shelf aesthetics for the .1R by giving it a ‘visually boltless’ design. There are no visible joining/weld marks and the frame appears to be a single piece. The frame is a combination of 3D-printed titanium lugs and carbon fibre tubes. The visible carbon fibre bits showcase the signature ‘herringbone’ weave. The .1R does have disc brakes at the front and rear, but interestingly, there are no visible cables connecting them to the levers. That’s because the innovative, integrated four-piston brake callipers have been designed from the ground up – the makers even had to develop bespoke testing equipment for them! The .1R rides on bespoke AERA Components wheels, shod in custom-made 30mm Continental GP5000S TR tyres.
Being an Aston Martin offering, the ordering and buying experience of the .1R will be similar to that of buying an Aston Martin vehicle. Each owner will be invited to Aston Martin’s headquarters in Gaydon to personally customise their .1R in the presence of the founders of J. Laverack. The customisation applies to the saddle (commissioned exclusively for the .1R by British company Brooks), crank length (pedal length), as well as gear sets. Customers will be able to choose from any of the three 12-speed gear sets on offer – Shimano Dura-Ace Di2, Campagnolo Super Record Wireless or SRAM RED eTap AXS. All three are used by professionals in the UCI World Tour (the premier men’s road cycling tour organised by Union Cycliste Internationale). Further, customers can select the same colour palettes and trim choices available on Aston Martin’s cars. All customers will also be able to spec a ‘dream version’ of the .1R on Aston Martin’s online configurator. The bicycle will also be supplied with its own aluminium/ carbon case, which will serve as either a display case or a travel solution.
Due to a high level of customisation, it is unlikely that Aston Martin will ever reveal a base price for the .1R. It’s also not clear at this point if the .1R will be sold via invitation or to current Aston Martin customers only.
Aston Martin & Bicycles – The Relation
The genesis of Aston Martin can be attributed to the world of cycling. The company’s founders – Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford – are believed to have met through racing bicycles at London’s historic Bath Road Club (one of the oldest cycling clubs in the world). While Bamford was an active racing cyclist and member of the Bath Road Club, Lionel Martin was an English businessman and a Bath Road Club member who happened to meet Bamford there.