Extreme bike tuner Dangerholm makes science fiction rideable. His idea of the bike of the future poses challenges for manufacturers. But together with TRUMPF and the TruPrint metal 3D printers, a prototype was ready to ride at Eurobike 2024.

Denim vest, shorts and a bike that is the envy of the cycling world. This is how the extreme bike tuner Dangerholm, alias Gustav Gullholm, is known from countless photos. His concept: he builds bikes out of pure passion for aesthetics and riding. With a wealth of ideas and perfectionism, the tuner has produced bikes that have made him one of the stars of the bike industry.

One of his ideas: a completely new handlebar. The Norwegian-born mechanic, who lives in Sweden, first built it with wood and says: “Compared to what the TRUMPF engineers achieved, my design was rather caveman-like.” In addition to its futuristic design, the handlebars are essentially based on a unit with semi-internal ducts for the brake cables. And: assembly and maintenance should work without time-consuming disassembly and bleeding of the brakes. A so-called snap-push connection made this possible: the cables run in channels and are held in place by clips. These clips have undercuts, which would require a very complicated mold to produce the handlebars with carbon. 3D printing is a better process and enables a more elegant design.

Prototype development with 3D printing

Copyright: TRUMPF – Component of the future: Application developer
Chris Lengwenat (left) and his colleague Nicolas Haydt, technology
expert for additive manufacturing at TRUMPF, with the freshly printed
Dangerholm handlebar.

Maxime Lallemand, Syncros Components Engineer at Scott, one of the major brand manufacturers in the bicycle industry, reports: “We have been working with Dangerholm for many years. This time, he wanted to produce the prototype of his idea of the bike of the future with us for Eurobike 2024 – not a design study, but a fully operational mountain bike. The new handlebar concept was also a particular challenge for us.”

The clock started ticking: there were five months until Eurobike. A tight deadline for development, production on the TruPrint 3000 and ISO certification of the handlebars. Scott developer Maxime Lallemand and Quentin Beauregard, MTB Lead Designer at Scott, therefore activated their contacts with the TRUMPF specialists for 3D printers: “For prototype development, aluminum 3D printing is unbeatable in terms of cost and speed compared to classic carbon/mold construction. From a technical point of view, 3D printing pushes the boundaries in terms of form and function. This enables us to build a technically perfect handlebar for Gustav that eliminates everything visually disruptive.”

Two years earlier: door-to-door canvassing in the bike scene

Maxime Lallemand and Quentin Beauregard met application developers Chris Lengwenat and his colleague Nicolas Haydt, technology expert for additive manufacturing at TRUMPF, at Eurobike in 2022. The two had a brake lever, a brake caliper and a pedal in their luggage – developed by the two TRUMPF experts and printed on a TruPrint with aluminum and titanium. “We went from stand to stand with our little suitcase,” recalls Lengwenat – and Haydt adds: “At the end of the day, we had many new contacts in the development departments of major manufacturers, including Maxime Lallemand. And he also introduced us to bike tuner Dangerholm.”

 

 

Today: Pioneers in aluminum printing

A meeting that made an impression. In the run-up to Eurobike 2024, the threads between TRUMPF, Scott and Dangerholm came together again: “The fact that 3D printing with aluminum is even an option for components such as handlebars is due to a new high-strength alloy,” explains TRUMPF expert Christian Lengwenat who adds: “Aluminum 6061 has already found great favor in the bicycle sector. And we are currently the only ones in Europe with experience in printing with this material.

For the TRUMPF experts, the project was an opportunity to exchange ideas with the carbon experts from SCOTT Sports because they have decades of experience in the production of high-quality carbon bicycles and components. For Lallemand, it was obvious: “We were able to combine our respective expertise in the best possible way for the handlebar project.”

Copyright: Faction Bike Studio Titanium components: For the same bike, Dangerholm and the TRUMPF specialists for Faction Bike Studio printed exposed and error-prone rear derailleur components on a TruPrint 1000 with titanium.

Full design freedom

As 3D printing specialist Lengwenat explains, there are no design restrictions with additive manufacturing: Unlike conventional methods, such as milling, metal 3D printing scores points for its freedom of form. Tools reach their physical limits, whereas powder can be built up in any shape.” Haydt adds: “The internal cable channels of the Dangerholm handlebars can only be realized with 3D printing and we achieve high stability with low weight – this is what makes aluminum printing so interesting, especially for the bicycle industry.”

Dangerholm thanks 3D printing

Dangerholm, Scott and TRUMPF completed the sophisticated handlebar design just in time for Eurobike 24. Back in Sweden, Dangerholm is delighted: “3D printing is like science fiction. You literally hold a little piece of the future in your hands.”

Additive manufacturing with titanium

Same bike, different supplier – Dangerholm works with Faction Bike Studio from Canada for the derailleur components. TRUMPF specialists Lengwenat and Haydt fitted the bike with titanium components on behalf of Faction Bike Studio. These are exposed and error-prone rear derailleur components such as the parallelogram and the cage. The components were printed on a TruPrint 1000 using Ti64 Gd.23, a special titanium alloy with a particularly low oxygen content. This took stability and design to a new level.

This exclusive insight has first been published in the July/August edition of 3D ADEPT Mag. Featured image: Gustav Gullholm