THE ULTIMATE LAYUP

At the heart of what makes a Time frameset so special is its Braided Carbon Structure (BCS) – this is the weaving of dry fibres into complex bi-directional ‘socks.’ These tubes of fibre are easy to tune with different materials – Time currently choses from 16 filaments to perfectly tailor their layups. This process also allows something that is unheard of in the cycling world; continuous fibres that run the full length of a structure. With standard ‘prepreg layup’, fibres end where the fibre sheets do, creating inherent weaknesses.

DYNEEMA

Dyneema fibre has been making headlines in the cycling news for a few years now, but to date very few manufacturers have been able to incorporate this advanced material in their products. This is due largely to the limitations of prepreg carbon construction – bike manufacturers are restricted to common fibres offered by large carbon suppliers, and the high temperatures used for curing prepreg frames is above the recommended maximum for Dyneema fibres. The tight profitability of commodities dictates that unique or expensive products that are not in wide demand are simply not worth producing.

Time is different. Because they weave their own braided carbon structures (BCS) they have been able to test strands of sustainable Bio-Based Dyneema fibres since they first became available from DSM. Additionally, the lower resin temperature of the RTM injection process outlined below is well within the recommended range.

Dyneema fibre is 15x stronger than steel at the same weight, with a tensile strength up to 43 cN/dtex, and it’s so light that it floats on water, and furthermore has a very high modulus (resistance against deformation). Adding a Carbon/Bio-Based Dyneema hybrid BCS layer to ADHX allows Time to increase strength in the structure without compromising stiffness or weight. Dyneema appears in the woven BCS sock at the high stress intersections of the headtube, downtube and top-tubes. These BCS braids utilize 20-25% Dyneema by weight.

Another key fibre in a Time frame is Vectran™, a high-performance multifilament yarn spun from liquid crystal polymer (LCP). Vectran fibre exhibits exceptional strength and rigidity. Pound for pound, Vectran is five times stronger than steel and ten times stronger than aluminium. The high abrasion resistance and flex fatigue life of Vectran make it perfect for reinforcing structures like Time’s fork steerer tubes.

THE ULTIMATE MOULD

Resin Transfer Moulding (RTM) is the best way to minimize defects in the frame structure. By laying up dry fibres and then injecting resin at high pressure between rigid external AND internal moulds, air pockets and voids are eliminated. Unlike the industry-standard prepreg layup and air bag moulding, RTM quality is uniform and consistent yielding a beautiful near-finished product. While the RTM process is ubiquitous in aerospace and high-end automotive applications, it’s almost unheard of in cycling and Time is unique

The Time Alpe d’Huez comes to us as a bare frameset, ready to be built into your dream bike in our workshop with the components of your choice. The sample builds below serve as starting points to inspire and guide the creation of your perfect ride.

COLOURS

The Time Alpe d’Huez comes in a choice of five colours – Gloss Carbon, Croma Red, Croma Blue, Croma Pink, and Silver.