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Have you heard of a restomod? It’s a popular term in automotive circles that describes an older – heritage, even – vehicle that’s been reimagined with contemporary hardware. Like say, a 1960s Volvo P1800 coupe with a turbocharged four-cylinder engine with 4 1/2 times the power of the original, or a 1970s Mini Cooper transformed into an EV using guts from a Tesla Model S. It’s the aesthetic of yesterday combined with the functionality of today.
Hamilton, Ontario-based upstart bicycle brand Framework Bicycles builds its custom frames with carbon fiber tubes bonded to aluminum lugs. For those of you who have been around long enough to remember, the look is more than a little evocative of the original Specialized Allez Epic, the Alan Carbonio, or a TVT 92. Only this is no tribute to a time gone by for the sake of nostalgia.
Those lugs are designed using a clever parametric CAD program, they’re made entirely by CNC machines, and then they’re treated with gleaming nickel-plated surfaces to combat the galvanic corrosion that doomed all of those other mixed-material frames of yesteryear. The carbon fiber tubes are also made using modern methods, filament wound on another computer-controlled machine before being cured under both internal pressure and external vacuum. Glass beads in the bonding agents add further resistance to galvanic corrosion while also maintaining a consistent – and predictable – bond gap for alignment and reliability.
And needless to say, you won’t find any cables or rim brakes here. Routing is fully internal through the custom-made headset parts, there’s a Universal Rear Derailleur hanger out back, and the made-in-house crankset rotates on cartridge bearings that are pressed directly into the shell with no additional cups required.
Quite remarkably, all of this – and save for the nickel plating, I really do mean all of it – is done by Framework founder Jonathan Kennedy, inside a modest space tucked into the end of an industrial building situated a stone’s throw from the train tracks. Kennedy certainly isn’t the only one-person bike brand in the custom business, but what’s maybe more intriguing is his philosophy behind it all, and why the brand is “Framework” instead of “Kennedy Cycles” or some other eponymous variant.
“It would be totally impossible to make what I’m making, at the price I’m making it for, utilizing outside vendors,” Kennedy told me during my visit to his shop a few weeks ago. “Good luck finding a CNC shop that can mill those lugs. You’d be in the CA$300/hr range for the shop rate, and they would charge to reprogram everything for each different part (i.e. every single bike). So I could outsource that machining, but the bikes would be CA$20k. The time and effort I put into building the parametric model, designing the bike so it can be machined, and making the generation of the g-code automatic, is what is truly special about how I’m doing things.”
Calling the brand “Framework” centers the work more than the maker. “I want to be judged solely on the merit of what I make, and not the stories I tell about it,” he told me. “Likely, that’s a totally naive hope in this industry. It seems like that’s what most of a successful bike company is.
“I certainly don’t want the brand to be about me, or high standards. I’m trying to build a process and system for which those results can be guaranteed independent of the people involved (within reason). This involves an integrated approach to designing the products to be made in the context of how it is going to be made. Most boutique brands seem focused on the skill, talent, experience, or artistry of their teams. It’s an unpopular opinion, but I think that if your manufacturing business depends on highly skilled people, you don’t have a manufacturing business; you have a talent agency that makes things to pay the bills.
“I don’t think I’m doing anything particularly groundbreaking. It’s still just a bike with two wheels. My hope is that I’m considering the manufacturing challenge of constructing a bicycle from a slightly different background and perspective and arriving at a slightly unique result to both the design and execution. But I’m really proud of what I do, and I really hope to build a sustainable business around it.”
But are the bikes any good? They’re beautiful and apparently exceedingly well made, but how do they perform? Kennedy is open about his relative inexperience in the field – he’s only built a couple dozen frames so far – but also realistic about expectations.
“You might ride my bike and say it’s shit and chalk that up to inexperience on my behalf,” he said. “That is completely acceptable to me. It’s ostensible that one builder’s style simply speaks to your sensibilities as a rider or consumer, and really it has nothing to do with who is better, or more experienced, or more ‘right.’ Everyone is going to have their story. I just don’t make much of a fuss of it because it’s not something I can back up with testing. For me, it is relatively simple to course correct and change aspects of ride feel based on the construction methodology. Of the 20 or so bikes I have on the road, I have yet to receive any universal feedback indicating something that needs to be improved.
“I’m not implying the bikes are perfect, or won’t be tweaked, but to use the cooking analogy, I’m starting with really excellent ingredients,” he continued. “Yes, it is totally possible to combine them in a manner that leaves something to be desired, but it also doesn’t take much to make really good ingredients taste good. Just keep it simple and tweak some small things here or there if a change needs to be made. When customers have come to me wanting to buy a bike but are extremely focused on ride feel, I try to politically talk them out of the purchase unless they are willing to travel here and test a bike. In my opinion, there is no way for any frame builder to guarantee that they can make the perfect bike for any customer, no matter how much experience they have. “
Call Kennedy’s creations a throwback if you feel the need. But he clearly isn’t just doing things at Framework the way they used to be done, and just like that Volvo P1800 restomod, you’d perhaps be wise not to make assumptions based only on outward appearances. You remember that old saying about assuming things, no?
You’ll have to wait just a bit longer for my full review of the Framework to hear how it performs, but in the meantime, here’s a detailed look at how they’re made.
This is where everything starts: a parametric CAD model where every dimension of the frame is tied to every other dimension. When one is changed, the others are automatically updated.See all those little blue lines? Those are the tool paths the CNC cutting head will take during the milling process. Cuts start out rough, but get progressively finer to achieve a good surface finish straight out of the machine.Framework uses only aerospace (not just “aerospace grade”) 7075 aluminum for its lugs since there’s a more reliable paper trail for its sourcing. Let the chips fly!A finished driveside dropout (and the newer UDH-compatible design, too). I can confirm that it’s very satisfying to crack the part off of its base when it’s all done.If everything goes to plan, the parts are almost completely done when they come out of the machine – except when things don’t go to plan.“For the joints, machining is the obvious fit for me and alloy is much more well suited than CFRP for many of the roles that the joints serve,” Kennedy said. “The joints are also what allow for truly custom geometry since I don’t have hard tooling. Hard tooling for composite structures is well within my skill set, but its a very slow way to go about building a bike, both in human time during layup but also in developing new models of products. The CNC machine doesn’t care if the next bike isn’t the same as the last.”Precision is definitely the theme of Frameworks’ operation. Bearings are pressed directly into the shell as Framework says this is the best way to ensure proper alignment.The integrated seatpost clamp may look neater, but I wish Framework would instead use a more conventional external collar.Brake tabs don’t need to be faced after the fact since they theoretically come out of the machine flat and square. This dropout still has some more machining steps to go through before it’s completely done.Lugs are nickel-plated after all the machining steps are done. The nickel plating prevents corrosion from environmental exposure, and also helps combat galvanic corrosion that might otherwise occur when bonding carbon fiber and aluminum. Framework accounts for the change in thickness from the plating to ensure a proper bond joint.Some CNC-machined parts intentionally go for this sort of rougher finish, but Framework only leaves parts like this when they’re still in the prototyping phase.Carbon fiber hose and housing guides are bonded inside the bottom bracket shell. Framework is currently considering alternative designs, though.The logo is engraved directly into the front of the head tube; no separate badge needed.Want fender mounts? Easy.Framework is currently working on its own stem. Stay tuned for more.Framework isn’t using off-the-shelf headset parts. After all, why bother when you can not only make your own, but also make them exactly how you want them. This one is based on the FSA stem and headset spacer interface, but just about anything is possible.See that little undercut? When everything is fully assembled, this upper headset cover essentially snaps into place on the bearing for a creak-free fit.The nicely rounded edges prevent damage to the carbon fiber steerer, while the threaded hole provides a way to easily push the cover off when needed (like removing a stubborn car brake rotor). And note how much surface area contact there is, too. Die, ring of death, die!There’s a seatpost coming, too, using not only an aluminum two-bolt head that’ll be made in-house, but a made-in-house filament-wound carbon fiber shaft, too.Fancy a matching crank? Your wish is granted – at least as long as you’re only running a single chainring.Some neat machining work on the backside of the chainring to save some weight.The crankset spindle features a tri-lobe interface common in industrial applications. It’s an expanding collet-type design, too.When the massive crank bolt is tightened, those tabs on the end of the spindle are pressed outward into the inside of the arm for a secure fit.The interior of the crankarm is bored out to reduce the weight. It’s an approach Rotor has used successfully for ages.The shape of the crankarms is very industrial, but it’s in keeping with the rest of the frame.Lots of chunks of aluminum waiting to be cut up.Framework was in the middle of a project with the Canadian national track team in preparation for the upcoming Olympics. Once each rider’s position is finalized with these adjustable plates, Framework will machine fully custom aero-profile extension risers.Framework started out buying complete carbon fiber tubes from Rockwest Composites before deciding to do things the hard way by making its own filament wound tubes.Framework tubes start with dry fiber sourced from Hexcel. Since it’s not pre-impregnated with resin that’ll cure over time, the rolls can instead be stored at room temperature indefinitely.Carbon fiber rolls are mounted on the spool at top right, which is automatically tensioned using a computer-controlled motor.Resins are mixed by hand only as needed.Once mixed, the cups of resin are held in a vacuum chamber to pull out the air bubbles.Tubes start out with a simple knot of carbon fiber to get things going before the winding starts.The resin is applied directly to the fiber as it passes through the rollers. Flow rate is metered by a computer-controlled plunger.Applying the resin directly to the fiber tow like this makes for a tidier operation than running the fiber through a resin bath and squeezing off the excess.“For tube sections, I wanted the benefits of carbon fiber for its anisotropic nature and vibration damping,” Kennedy said. “A large focus on [carbon] frames of the last few decades has been torsional stiffness via large tube cross sections. Likely this peaked some time ago as the frames became too stiff overall. I settled on filament winding for a few reasons, mainly automation and highly tunable structures, which can be optimized for torsion without becoming unduly large in the second moment of area. Molding the tube sections optimizes the quality of the composites, and ensures subassembly accuracy. Wet winding allows for optimization of resin systems and fiber. “Once the winding is done, the internal mandrel is replaced with a bag and expansion bladder, and the assembly is placed into an aluminum mold – which, of course, was cut in-house.The locating pins on the tube molds mate with linear bearings on the other side.Expansion bladders are molded in-house, too.The molds are internally pressurized to 400 psi so it’s critical to keep the two halves firmly bolted together.While the inside of the mold is held under massive positive pressure (400 psi!), the whole assembly is also placed inside a homemade vacuum chamber to help pull out any trapped air. And while it’ll hopefully never serve this purpose, the vacuum chamber serves double-duty as a blast chamber if the mold catastrophically fails under pressure.The surface finish is pretty impressive.The interior of the tubes aren’t as pretty since only the outside sees hard tooling. However, the outside is also the more critical surface since that’s what gets bonded to the aluminum lugs.After finishing the final cure, the ends of the tubes are trimmed to length here. Note the digital measurement.Framework made a lot of tubes before nailing down the process.Currently, finishing options are limited to various clearcoats and a single logo screen-printed on either side of the down tube using this homemade jig.The down tube rotates on four polyurethane inline skate wheels. Both sides are printed in a single operation with perfect alignment that minimizes human error.Frame tubes are clear-coated by hand in this mini-paint booth. The plastic caps shield the ends of the tubes since you want to bond to raw carbon fiber, not paint.Only the ends of the tube that will be bonded are left raw. The resins would otherwise degrade under exposure to UV radiation, and the unprotected fibers can absorb moisture.While most carbon fiber frames use layers of woven fabric to reinforce water bottle mounting holes, Framework uses these machined aluminum plates that are bonded to the inside of the tube. They also provide a square surface for the stainless – not aluminum – rivnuts to expand against.Once all the components are fully prepped, it’s time for bonding. Framework uses a granite measurement table instead of the more common welding jigs.The aluminum rails roll on precision carriages that can be locked in place while the epoxy is curing.Glass beads are added to the epoxy to create a consistent and predictable bond gap between the tubes and lugs. They also add a further barrier against galvanic corrosion.See that little Phil Wood logo? Framework isn’t skimping on bearing cartridges.This is the personal rig of Framework owner and fabricator Jonathan Kennedy. It also serves as a rolling environmental test chamber since he uses it to commute between home and work through Toronto winters.Want a little extra flair on your head tube? Framework can accommodate.This is no garage queen.Kennedy started out by making this fixie for himself.Needless to say, the frames have definitely gotten better-looking with time. But it’s always interesting to see how things started. Also, ever wondered what would happen if you left raw aluminum unprotected? Wonder no more.Frame testing is done in-house, too.Interestingly, the outside of the building doesn’t say “Framework” anywhere. Kennedy cut his teeth as a tool-and-die maker under the Coreprint Patterns label, and it’s still a substantial portion of the business.These are the sorts of things that funded Coreprint Patterns for years, like hydraulic pump impellers and other industrial fittings.These cable turnbuckles are will soon find their way into the Canadian electrical infrastructure somewhere.Coreprint Patterns was doing high-precision injection molding under government contract during the height of the pandemic, too.The completed bikes have a distinctly industrial look to them that’s both utilitarian and elegant all at once. It’s a look that invariably won’t appeal to everyone, but Kennedy isn’t trying to, either.The old mechanic is me may still prefer partially external routing, but even I’ll admit this looks incredibly clean, especially with the custom headset parts.Framework may eventually offer more colorful finishes (such as anodized lugs), but for now, this’ll more than suffice.Yeah, I’m not a huge fan of the logo, either. But it’s growing on me.Surely these tiny tubes can be all that stiff, right? Stay tuned for my full review soon.The crankset is brutally function-over-form in terms of its aesthetic. You’re not limited to this, though, as other cranks from major component brands will also fit.Ever gotten a headache trying to get a flat-mount brake caliper to not rub on the rotor? You’d be amazed how much easier it is when the mounting tabs are perfectly flat and square.
