You got your Tesla and inherited grandpa's Hetchin. Now what?
 

The fancy lug isn't dead! This deserves mentioning in the classic section, as its already classic and being revolutionary. May or may not be your cup of tea, but have to appreciate this new technology going into boutique high end performance bikes. Like Tesla and their amazing Gigapress, this titanium sintered 3d print lugs represents the coming era for fancy lugs, dropouts for carbon bikes. Truly individual custom suited. Way beyond the past yet equally or even more time involved to make.

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...aca32fdb73.png
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...10f329fdda.png


Courtesy of Bastion:Our manufacturing process from 3D laser fusing to final painting requires over 130 hours of precision work by machine and more than 70 hours of meticulous hand craftsmanship.

We believe every rider should be certain their bike is safe and that every frame that leaves our workshop should last a lifetime. That’s why Bastion frames are certified to international standard ISO 4210. We are among the few custom builders in the world to do this, and we pride ourselves on our integrity. A Bastion bike is always delivered to the promised standard with the technical reports to prove it.

Our lugs are formed out of aerospace grade Titanium alloy powder. A specialised laser then fuses the powder to your exact specifications in a hermetically sealed, inert gas environment. The result is mechanical properties that rival those of forged parts.

I enjoy a nice lug myself.....

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...32f3c6_c_d.jpg

.. but I have to wonder how a titanium lug would be used.
It almost has to be glued to the tubes, doesn't it?

Steve in Peoria

Scrap the Tesla and carry on with the Hetchins. ;)

Now what? Find a non-first-world problem to solve and get to it.

I thought there were no ads on the paid site.

Got your Tesla? Nah, even if I could afford one, that’s never gonna happen.

Every carbon bike is "glued" somewhere. Whether two layups glued together or tubes and lugs, you're riding a glue up. Lots of early ones even did aluminum lugged with carbon but nicer bikes have and still do some carbon tubing bonded into Ti frames. Serotta had one I really wanted, but Independent Fab had one last I knew, Lemond did it with steel and Ti as did Serotta, and Litespeed has had several different versions. But the Hutchins is probably a good comparative, these are every bit as fancy just in a whole new way. Looks cool and out of my price range.

It's spelled, Hetchins. With an "s", ya goon.

Moderators, please remove this original post. It is not related to anything classic, nor vintage.

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...a550b79cdd.jpg

They kind a remind of these, they look OK but not really needed

https://tse1.mm.bing.net/th?id=OIP.q...Fj&pid=Api&P=0

Those Hetchins rear stays look anything but simple!

To the OP:

These lugs remind me of the troop inspection scene in The Dirty Dozen

"Very Pretty, General. Very Pretty. But, Can they Fight?"

Those aren't lugs. They're metalic decals.

This thread has no place here.

leave the gun, take the cannoli.

I always thought the Holland ExoGrid frame looked sort of cool. No real benefit other than looking cool, but I did really want one for some reason:
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...60f1cbcab3.jpg

The thread police has spoken! The op is spreading FAKE NEWS and must be shut down.

Give me a break. I never called for it to be shut down. Apparently I'm not even allowed an opinion.

And it should be "have spoken."

On the one hand it looks very nice. But on the other hand- does this Ti lug serve any purpose aside from decorative? Keep in mind that back in the classic era, lugs weren't there to just look pretty- they served a definite purpose in strengthening the joints. The carvings in the lugs served to thin the edges and carve out the middle to lighten the lugs. So it wasn't solely decorative.
I think craftsmen today should focus on custom paint instead of non-functional add-ons. A custom painted carbon frame will set your bike apart from the ocean of black bikes. Whereas this bike, as nice as the detailing is, just gets lost with the other bazillion black carbon bikes.

Hetchin's, actually.

I think that just because the example displayed is rather disappointing, and that the maker's processes are remarkably inefficient, it doesn't mean there isn't some real potential there. Granted, a steel on steel application appeals to me vastly more than do other materials, but I can imagine some very sweet lugs, headbadges and main tube etchings with a much more vintage vibe.

Not on the bikes. ;)

https://duckduckgo.com/?t=ffab&q=HET....jpg&ia=images

Hetchinses’s?

Smeagol! Where have you been all these years?

to be fair, it's not as if the elaborate lugs on my Hetchins are purely functional.

otoh, is anyone still doing glued metal frames? It was state of the art back in the days of Fabo Alan or Vitus, but now?
On the other, other hand, this might be the rare way to make a titanium frame look properly baroque.

Steve in Peoria

Maybe so but the flourish speaks to the quality not seen, lest there be any doubt, look what we added to the part you can see. ;)

well, it certainly speaks to the skill of whoever was doing the lug lining!
And if it matters, this Hetchins was built by Bob Jackson, back in '87.

Bob Jackson could produce some nice frames, but if I had to pick the highest quality Brit frame in my modest collection, it would be the SBDU Raleigh Team! The lugs are fairly simple, but the edges are sharp and the lugs are thinned.
Plus, the dropouts are drilled!

https://live.staticflickr.com/666/21...9dde62_c_d.jpg
high resolution version


https://live.staticflickr.com/5762/2...8f90a1_c_d.jpg
high resolution version

Steve in Peoria

OP, I like the bike, I like the artistic impressions in the lugs. I'm struggling to see how it's best place is the C&V subforum. It is not vintage, and I'm having a hard time viewing anything 3D printed/sintered and glued up together as classic. I know there were various similarly constructed bikes that now fall in the 'C&V' category, but this one is a bit further removed from it. Are you the manufacturer, or do you work for the manufacturer? If anything, this would make a good post in the Road Cycling subforum, and would be even more valuable with full shots of the bike and some actual riding impressions.