Melbourne-based Bastion released the first ever commercially available 3D-printed bike seven years ago. However, while the Demon was limited to one owner per country, the Arch Angel expands its reach to 88 bikes. Like its predecessor the Demon, it uses 3D-printed titanium lugs bonded to fi lament-wound carbon tubes. The brand’s stated mission is “to create the most desirable bikes in the world ”, and it boldly claims the Arch Angel is “the most highly specified production bike ever released”. I want to elevate their riding experience, to make it more enjoyable such that they ride more and benefit from all the positive effects that has on their mind, body and soul.Bastion has announced the release of its latest superbike, the ArchAngel. To then get to ride that creation, to viscerally experience it. To not just choose something off the shelf, but to be able to direct the design of it, tailoring it just the way they want it. Dividing my time between the business and family is still a struggle and I still haven’t solved that problem.”īen’s philosophy reflects in his Bastion bikes and his tag line “Engineering A New Art Form”, while his goal is to communicate the joy of envisioning and creating something special. We recently welcomed our second child, a baby daughter into our lives. It has put my marriage under a lot of stress. It takes a lot of your money, time, and emotional energy. The main challenges for me have been in my personal life. “There were so many technical challenges to overcome, but as engineers I think we almost relish those. Yes, because it was not totally easy, especially at the start of the project, and Ben have faced many challenges over the last years. And this is why Ben, James and Dead chose it for their brand name. So the word infers a sense of strength, of not giving in, of holding on and fighting for what you believe in. Physically it was a part of fortifications in castles or city walls, the best defended parts of the walls. That is a moment I recall often and in great detail.”īastion is a English word that stems from French. That was when I felt like we have created something here, this is real, this is special. For me the real excitement came much later on when riding with a group of customers. I was still in problem solving mode, more like a – OK, great, but what is our next step – kind of thought pattern. “Of course I was excited, and we took it for a ride around the block, but at that stage we weren’t finished, we hadn’t made it yet. It has been a special emotion when Ben touched with his hands the first “ Bastion” bike. So we combined my business model with their engineering model and the business was born.” When I was confident it could work I approached my co-founders James and Dean (who also worked at Toyota) in October 2014 to see if they wanted to join me. I spent about 6 months developing a business plan and modelling the financial viability of using 3D printed lugs to produce a bicycle frame. I came across some design concept projects and I got very excited about the potential. I was a keen cyclist by this stage, and I started investigating the viability of producing bicycles. I knew I wanted to create something that could be manufactured in Australia. I was forced to think about what to do next in my career. “Toyota announced they would be closing the manufacturing plant in Melbourne in 2018 and the R&D center would be closed in stages from August 2015. “I was working for Toyota in the Technical R&D centre in Melbourne” remembers Ben. He wanted to pursue a career in designing cars so he decided to apply for an Engineering degree. Then in high school he developed an obsession with cars. Ben was the kid who would get a brand new radio control car and within weeks would tire of it, pull it apart and use the motor, battery and controller to make something else. BETWEEN ENGINEERING AND ART: BASTION BIKESīenjamin Schultz has always been creative and has always loved doing things.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |