Silicon Valley-based company Arevo has unveiled the Superstrata which it claims has the “world’s first 3D-printed unibody electric bike frame”. The company has announced two models, the Superstrata Terra is a lightweight analogue bike, and the Superstrata Ion is a Class 1 e-bike with a 250W rear hub motor, a 252Wh battery, and an estimated range of 60 miles.
The bike’s unibody frame is made by 3D-printing one single continuous piece of carbon-fibre thermoplastic, which the company says is stronger than any traditional carbon fibre frame on the market today. The use of thermoplastic materials not only make the bikes stronger and more impact resistant but also lightweight with the Superstrata Terra weighing in at just 1.27 kgs while the e-bike Ion version weighs 10.98 kgs, depending on size.
While 3D printing can be a more costly process, Superstrata says it makes for a more bespoke design and will appeal to people willing to pay extra for a custom fit. Customers can send in their measurements, and Superstrata will 3D-print the bike down to the spokes. Each frame takes about 10 hours to create, and the company claims it can create up to 250,000 unique combinations.
The bikes are available for pre-order on Indegogo and are scheduled to ship in Q1 and Q2 of 2021 with special early bird pricing starting at $1,299 for the Terra and $1,799 for the Ion.