TUBE TALK

Lets talk metal.

In there late 1960s a surge of bands began shaping their sound around distorted guitars, gregarious and often unnecessarily long solos, and chunky riffs that were in a category of their own. Taking inspiration and roots from Blues, Rock and New Wave stylings, Metal began to grow and expand into what we know it as today.

...Shoot., sorry about that.

This is supposed to be a webpage dedicated to talking about the actual metals used to make bicycle frames. Got carried away there for a second. Back to our regularly scheduled programming:

Its no secret that we at Esker Cycles love METAL. And sure, we've done our fair taste-tests of the Devil's Lettuce (Carbon FIber), but metal materials call to us in a way that composites never have. Below is a deep dive into the materials, processes, and strategies in which we use Metals to create the bikes we love the most.

 


Glossary of Terms:

Seamless:

The term 'seamless' is used to describe a tube that has been manufactured from a solid piece of metal as opposed to a flat sheet that is rolled and welded on the seam. The tubing is created constantly working a metal billet that gets pierced through the center, and drawn into the desired dimensions and wall thicknesses.

Butted // Butting:

The process of creating varying wall thicknesses within a tube's construction. This can be done both internally, in which the external diameter does not change, as well as externally in which the internal diameter does not change. Most traditionally, this process is used to create thicker tube walls near the areas that get welded together to maintain the overall strength of the tube, while removing unnecessary material from areas that see less stress.  

Heat Treated:

This refers to using a heating process to change the properties of a metal to get a desired strength outcome. Adding extreme localized heat (welding) causes metals to become weaker than they were before that heat was applied. In order to combat that, you can either make your material thicker so that the end result is strong enough, or you can do various methods of heat treatment to keep the strength up. In steel frames, heat treatment is usually applied to specific tubes pre-welding to get the desired outcome, and is a custom recipe of what temperature, duration, and method of cooling is used. In aluminum, heat treatment is typically done to an entire frame after welding, but is more a standardized recipe to get to a specific material condition (in 6000 series alloys, commonly referred to as T4 or T6). In Titanium, there is no "normal" method because Titanium cannot be heated to high levels in the presence of oxygen, so any heat treatment has to be done in an autoclave, and is typically a secret to how it is done. So, heat treatment is not just a standardized thing, but is a common term to refer to a process that has been used to improve the strength of the frame.

Tapered:

In the context of creating metal tubes, a 'taper' refers to a tube with a diameter that has a different starting and ending diameter.

Drawn Over Mandrel (DOM):

DOM describes a cold-forming process where a tubing is pulled through a die and over a solid rod (mandrel). This process works the material in a way to refine the grain structure of the material, as well as keep tighter tolerances in the thickness of the material.

Electro-Deposition (ED) Coating:

A process in which electricity is used to apply a uniform, durable layer of protective coating to an object (both inside and out). In the case of a bicycle frame, Steel, that is typically prone to rust or corrosion can be protected when the manufacturer adds this layer of protection to the frame. Heck...sometimes you don't even need paint after a frame has been ED Coated ;)


Metals We Use:

 

Custom seamless, quadruple-butted, tapered, Drawn Over Mandrel, size-specific, ED Coated, 4130 Chromoly

Models: Hayduke, Japhy, Lorax

 

 

Seamless, Butted and Cold-Shaped 3/2.5 Titanium

Models: Hayduke Ti, Japhy Ti, Lorax Ti, Hayduke LVS, and Front Triangles of Howdy Ti and Woodsy Ti

 

 

 

Custom seamless, double-butted tapered, Drawn Over Mandrel, size-specific, ED Coated, 4130 Chromoly

Models: Smokey, Solitaire

6061-T6 Aluminum

Models: Howdy, Woodsy


Ride Tuning:

We choose our tubing based on our priorities of durability and ride quality.

These factors help us tune the ride characteristics of each size of each frame model we design.

We use custom tubesets made up of different tube combinations that are picked to optimize the ride and weight of each frame. For example, the Hayduke uses a blend of tubing that is picked to help it do what the Hayduke does best (Bikepacking missions into the Backcountry), while the Japhy uses a completely different blend of tubing that is picked to help it do what the Japhy does best (Pedaling unloaded through fast and technical singletrack).


FAQs:

Do your Steel frames ride different than your Titanium frames?

Yes and No. Based on our own riding input, as well as a ton of great input and feedback from our customers, we find that our steel frames have a very similar feel when it comes to compliance on the trail in comparison with our Titanium frames. The biggest difference that most individuals feel is the weight savings of Titanium. Our Titanium frames are around 650-900grams lighter than their steel counterparts. This weight savings results in a 'snappier' and more 'lively' riding characteristic when on the trail.

Do I need to 'Frame-Saver' your Steel frames after I buy one?

NOPE! We treat all of our steel frames with an Electrophoretic Deposition (ED) coating inside and out prior to painting them for rust protection.

Q - What does your warranty look like?


 

BUILT FOR THE BACKCOUNTRY

We here at Esker enjoy long rides into the wild spaces and are proud to say our bikes are truly Built for the Backcountry. That means they are designed and built on three values:

REFINED GEOMETRY:

Specific geometry to suit the riders needs for each different model, we have designed and developed a quick and responsive ride quality for all Esker models.
 
Our geometries are refined, stable, and comfortable to provide a bike that always feels right at home.

DURABILITY:

We build our bicycles with the highest quality metal tubing for the utmost in durability.

Each tubeset provides a greater strength to weight ratio than other frames on the market and engineered specifically for its application. Every Esker frame is tested to our own internal standard far exceeding ISO 4210, for a true lifetime of constant use.

Esker will get you into the backcountry as far as you want to go, but it will also get you back!

 

RIDE QUALITY:

Not too flexy, not too stiff…but just right! We are riders, and design our bikes by riding them, constantly, to refine the perfect feel.

We toil over every model to ensure the ride simply feels right and comfortable, like your favorite hoody.