The full exclusive tour of the TIME Bicycles factory in Slovakia. These bikes are crafted into existence in the EU by the only brand to use a recipe of high tech fibres woven together, and made into carbon fibre bicycle frames via Resin Transfer Moulding (RTM) and lost wax processes. This video shows the complete process of how the new Time Scylon model is made.
We show you:
00:00 Intro – Welcome to Bratislava
00:37 – Braiding Room – where 15 different fibres are woven into tubes.
07:25 – Wax Moulding – where the internal wax moulds are made, melted out & recycled
11:13 – Threading Room – where the woven tubes are layed over the wax moulds
17:47 – Resin Room – where the completed frame is set in resin
23:24 – The bottom bracket
26:14 – Dropout room – How cigars of preprg are smashed into moulded dropouts
27:12 – Alignment room – gluing together and aligning all the frame parts
28:08 – Painting – Preparation, clear coat and paint
29:30 – Quality Control Process
32:23 – Reflections on our visit
Learn more about commissioning a custom built Time bike with us here:
https://mapdec.com/pages/custom-bike-builds
Thanks to @TheTimeSport , Tony, Dieter, Merek and everyone at the Factory for making us feel so welcome and allow us to film your work.
50 Comments
i work for a Time 34:35 its me :)) Thanks for video !
Incredible video showcasing a fascinating process. I checked the RRP of a scylon frame and I now understand why the price is set as high as it is. Well out of my current budget but one I would definately look to maybe getting in the future based on the process and build quality.
Again, great video. 👌🏻
Ordered one last week can’t wait. It’ll be a game changer.
What happened to Easton ?
Thank you so much for this video. I do a lot of carbon fiber projects, and this video is an open book.
This is aerospace machining level. Good to know
Very impressive
I want to meet the machinist and tool makers! That tooling expertise is worth it's weight in gold.
Thank you for the tour and insights into the different vibes amongst the workers/phases of the build.
You can trust your life to this brand vs an unknown Chinese brand.
what a great video, and company!
ive no desire for a carbon bike, but as an old hot rodder, seeing the manufacturing process was fantastic.
it answered many questions of modern race car fabrication.
Make the whole bike complete out of wax. Then design a machine to weave the fiber around that. Can you say AI.
Absolutely awesome! Thank you!
6:42 that his eyes are crazy 👀
tell that young lady too put some eye protection on painting damn
Quality bike. Beautiful looking finish. I want one.
There is no ONE in the world making bicycles
frames only (even self made frames are rare )
Yes… a piece of art, these frames! Probably the best produced carbon bicycle frames on the planet! Just – time frames are on the heavy side. Their weight make them comparable to aluminium or very lightweight titan frames, so the question is, why you should choose those over a well made titan frame? Would it be because of the flexibility that can be built into some parts of the frame with carbon? And is this method realized in a time frame? What i really see as a great advantage in the time production is the fact, that the frames leave the factory 100% straight and perfectly within any tolerance, esp. with the bottom bracket! It was great to see how much perfection goes into making just the BB area! Unbelievable…!
Somewhat of a soul, not a word often associated with mass produced carbon from Asia … 🤔
🤩🤩🤩👍
Carbon fibers are not “natural”. I don’t really care, it is a synthetic product
It’s so interesting to see lost wax being used. There’s very cool things being done with 3D printing wax for molds in jewelry, ceramics and industrial parts industries. But it has been used for thousands of years to cast bronze statues in Ancient Greece.
After watching this video if I was in the market for a new bike Time would be top of my list. The obvious care and the technology embodied in their frames must be reflected in their premium price but “you get what you paid for”. The major thing I don’t like about CF bike frames is their durability in certain applications and the difficulty to repair them. This relates to their sustainability in that a broken or fatigued frame cannot really be recycled like steel or aluminium. These Time frames address this to some extent in that it looks like you can’t get a more durable frame than what they are making. The Time host of the factory tour does a great job explaining the technology.
No way I’d want my frame painted. Clear coat all the way so that amazing woven structure can be seen.
The summary of the different production rooms at the end of this video is delightful in how I imagine it captures the spirit of the different workers being embodied into each and every TIME frame.
Those eyes are crazy
i would love enduro frame
Parabéns. Só gostei de tudo.
I was fortunate enough to buy a Alpe d'Huez. After researching for my next bike I learned how Time manufactures its bikes and I knew right away this is what I was looking for.
Check C/Duro as well – weaving carbon too, different approach and bikes (enduro focus) – vased in Czech Republic
It is interesting that they use so much braided carbon rather than ud. This will make the structure quite compliant.
Interesting that the engineer quickly tried to explain the surface imperfections on that tube. He said it was cosmetic. Well it may be. It was on a knit line where two resin fronts met. This is a problem area for such a process. If there is surface porosity there could well be laminate porosity- he knows that.
If how they are doing frame materials they can make carbon fibre,Kevlar titanium composite frames
Today I got Time Alpe d'Huez X straight from the factory🎉 as far as I was informed: the very LAST gloss green XL frameset they have made!
Can't wait to build a bike and ride it!
Thank you for that video❤
💪🏻🇺🇸
they probably have negative carbon footprint by using carbon in their bikes
Let's automate that Hand Sanding!
nice vid
17:18 if you pause the video around here, how can you let someone layup carbon with no gloves, no clean room, no hair nets, no positive air preesure – I don't care if you've done R and D, when the execution allows one's oils from your skin or hair add contaminants into the layup- must have learnt from the OceanGate school of fabrication
Great video! Great factory!
I couldn't pay a bike like this 😅 but after this I will wait saving for more time to get one.
The boss is both humble and proud, so immediately you know the standards are high. But then you saw the environmental awareness, the quality for workers, the quality of the process, the constant double check to ensure the costumer get what's really advertised…..
That's the kind of company we should all vote with our wallet, their main goal is excellence for his customers. You saw clearly how much they respect the buyers.
I don't know the price, I assume it isn't cheap, but your not only paying for the undoubtedly better quality, you also paying for not moving the factory to another country to pay less while having lower quality jobs for people. But also the environmental care that most Asian factories lagged for more than 2 decades now. Producing for "reputable" brands.
I really respect this brand now!
Wow, when I see things like that, I start back believing in that humans can create great stuff. Great company, great people, great video. Thank you!
Trash bikes
1999, TDf DVD with a Look frame totally disintegrating . Thing changed after that I'm sire .
This is one of the worst postings. Dude, you need to learn how to interview people. Number 1. Stop interrupting the person whom you are interviewing. You are not the star they are. Take the pebbles out of your mouth before you speak. Number 2. ? there is no Number 2
Cracking video cheers ❤
I wonder who built the braiding machine – incredible engineering.
What's your point? It's less stiff than the competition.
Fantastic piece of tech. What is the price of such bike?
when I worked t a bike shop I had gotten to build a few time bikes there awsome bikes