We were delighted to be asked to build a custom tandem box for Paralympic triathlete, Anna Barbaro. Anna is competing in the Triathlon PTVI Class for Italy at the Tokyo 2020 games on August 27th (2021!).
We hadn’t yet made a box for a tandem that couldn’t be split using S&S Couplers – Anna’s bike (a Duratec Big Bang Disc) therefore required a ground-up custom design. There was also a deadline to hit – just ten days to design, engineer and build the box. The challenge here was the sheer length of the box, 182cm – significant additional bracing is required to prevent flexing and bowing – you can see this in the white metal photos below.
Very happy with the end result, especially the finish in Italian azure blue.
Please follow Anna in Tokyo at 2330CET on August 27th
Ben is an airline pilot who takes his bike on long-haul trips from his Australian base. His beautiful new Caffin S&S bike needed the best protection, hence Ben opted for our Galibier model – the box that’s small enough to qualify as a suitcase and therefore avoid excess baggage fees.
And oh, check out his garage floor – clean enough to eat your dinner off!
Instinctiv are a new and innovative manufacturer of high-end MTBs based out of the Netherlands – you can see more here.
Covid restrictions have meant that it’s been difficult for Instinctiv staff to deliver bikes in person to test riders and press reviewers – hence they commissioned Buxumbox to make a box long enough to swallow the largest version of their M9 bike in order to ship test bikes around the world.
The exclusive use of Pinion gearboxes on all their bikes enables the frame to sit lower in the box – custom mounting brackets enable this and help keep the overall height of the box to a minimum. Additional bracing helps to protect against the rigours of courier transport.
This is another good example of how UK manufacturing can react quickly and flexibly to custom requirements.
Best wishes to Instinctiv for the 2021 season and many trouble-free miles!
The relentless push for more aero has lead to far more integration of cockpits and steering systems on TT and triathlon bikes – the only downside of this makes them painful to strip down for travel. Furthermore, where rotation of the steerer is limited, they often won’t fit in even our large Ventoux box.
A case in point is the Cube Aerium as owned by a US customer who needed a box as compact as possible whilst only removing wheels, seat post and handlebar aero extensions. This is what we came up with…
Our brief here was to design and produce a highly customised box to hold two bikes that could either be securely mounted to the rear of a RV or conventionally used for air travel. Customer required absolute minimum of disassembly so bikes could be quickly readied for a ride. Security was also a priority – the owners wanted peace of mind that both box and bikes would be secure when the RV was unattended.
The solution is a super-wide version of our Ventoux box that houses the two bikes head-to-tail without the need to remove handlebars or pedals.
Other design considerations are:
Twin handles and each end to facilitate two people lifting in to a RV rack
Additional bracing to support the box when hung on its side
Secure attachment system to enable closed box to be secured to RV
Quite a fun design process – in addition to a CAD model we mocked up a wood and cardboard space envelope to test the concept before cutting metal – see final photo.
