From RAW Cycling Magazine we have established many links over time, which have given us the opportunity to live incredible experiences, travel and, above all, learn, get to know and absorb knowledge and energy.
One of these links, is with the friends of The Service Course, in Girona, which a few days ago gave us the opportunity to try a work of rolling engineering, an exclusive bike and now with few units, we are talking about a Bastion Cycles road disc.
We followed Bastion from its beginnings in social networks and from the first moment we knew that it was a different project, a commitment to technology and the highest standard in quality, the origin of its founders has a lot to do with it, because the brand is born from the hands of three engineers who were members of the former Toyota R&D team.
With this background and experience, Bastion emerged with a clear commitment to innovation and excellence, because we cannot think of other qualifiers for this bike that impresses, even more, when you have it in front of you.
And what does it mean? Well in the choice of materials and, above all, in how to work them. Everyone knows that both titanium and carbon are components of great qualities and Bastion decided to combine them, but in the case of metal, with an innovative method that allows total customization. They use 3D printing to manufacture titanium fittings, which allows them a high performance and customization options without the limit generated by a mold.
Everything starts with the choice of rigidity, the Australians propose us three finishes: normal, stiff and extra stiff, which they achieve by increasing or reducing the internal mesh of the fittings, later it comes the choice of the geometry by a computer program in which we enter the measurements of your desired bicycle and this software will determine the measurement of the carbon tubes of a filament of the highest level and how they should have the unions of these. Ready to print titanium parts, from the computer directly to the printer, unique pieces for your customized frame.
Bastion dedicates most of the manufacturing process to the finishes, pampering the details to the fullest, and carefully choosing the color for each of their frames making them unique pieces, without forgetting how demanding they are with the quality tests that all their products must pass, you can see them in multiple publications in its Instagram account. The result is different, it is amazing.
The unit that we could test corresponds to the rigid configuration, and it was. The sensations that transmitted on the bike were those of riding a machine made by and to go fast.
In the riding moments the bike was very reactive and fast and during the mountain sections, which were not few, it also had a more than good behavior, although a set of wheels with a lower profile would have let us better notice the rigidity qualities and lightness of the frame in these circumstances.
The bike set consists of premium components from distinct brands. The cockpit, it was formed by a Fizik Cyrano handlebar and stem, followed by a Fabric Scoop saddle, an ENVE SES 7.8 disc set with Continental 28mm tires and a full Shimano Dura Ace 9150 Di2.
With this component mix, you can imagine how the set worked…
A bike that demands you to stand up, apply power, sprint, but without jolts in front of a bumpy area, a refined bike that leaves no one indifferent, especially when you switch from the screen of your smartphone to touch it with your own hands.
Simply, an artwork on wheels.
Photos by: Brazo de Hierro