For the .1R project, Aston Martin provided the developers and designers of the famous sports cars, while the traditional brand J.Laverack provided the racing bike expertise. One of the designers' aims was to create a design that was as integrated and "visually screwless" as possible, which would tie in with the design icons of the legendary sports car manufacturer. The designers therefore put a lot of effort into hiding and concealing the connection points of the components: In fact, there are hardly any bolt heads to be seen on the stem or seat post, and all cables and lines are of course hidden inside the bike.
The frame of the J.Laverack Aston Martin. 1R is a construction of 3D-printed titanium sleeves and carbon tubes. This allows the geometries to be customised and the frames to be tailored to the customer. This also applies to the handlebar unit, which consists of a 3D-printed titanium stem with seamlessly bonded carbon bar ends. Thanks to the 3D printing process, the handlebars can be customised and manufactured with millimetre precision in terms of width and length. The cranks are also an in-house development, consisting of a carbon crank arm with a titanium tip, also from the 3D printer. This means that customers do not have to rely on the 2.5 millimetre increments of established manufacturers for the crank length, but can theoretically specify the length themselves down to a tenth of a millimetre.
Spectacular braking system
Another technical highlight of the Aston Martin .1R are the brakes. They were developed in-house with the help of Formula One engineers and are elegantly integrated into the frame and fork. They make it possible for even the last millimetre of brake line to remain hidden inside the frame. The four-piston brake callipers made of milled aluminium are also designed to be more powerful than the two-piston systems commonly used on racing bikes.
The developers' luxurious standards are not compromised when it comes to the details either: The saddle is a Brooks model covered in Alcantara leather, which can be ordered in all interior colours of the Aston Martin sports cars - made exclusively for the .1R. The handlebars are sewn in by hand using the same material.
Bike fitting, case, pump, tools included
However, the exclusivity of the .1R goes beyond the purely technical demands. For example, every customer is invited to Aston Martin's headquarters for an intensive bike fitting to customise the dimensions, which should take around half a day. The colour options are also almost endless: In a configurator, the colours of the lugs, tubes, saddle, handlebar tape and even the brake disc spider can be individually selected. Each bike also comes with a transport and presentation case - optionally made of carbon or aluminium - as well as a floor pump with Alcantara-covered handles and a wooden box for tools and spare parts.
Customers can choose from one of the three 12-speed groupsets that are ridden by professionals in the UCI World Tour: The bike can be ordered with Shimano Dura-Ace Di2, Campagnolo Super Record Wireless or SRAM RED eTap AXS. The customised chainrings of the 1R are milled from aluminium and the sizes can be specified by each owner. The Aston Martin .1R is completed with carbon wheels from Aera and 30 millimetre wide top tyres from Continental.
The manufacturer is keeping quiet about the official price of this piece of jewellery, but typical prospective buyers are unlikely to attach much importance to it.
Jens Klötzer
Editor
