Another example of our custom fabrication capability. Today we’re shipping a pair of these to a Canadian customer who wanted a system to keep his bikes upright and organised in the back of his SUV.
We developed this rack based on the standard mounting system used in the Tourmalet and Ventoux bike boxes – this accommodates both QR and thru-axle hubs and allows for a wide wheelbase range.
The idea is that these can be mounted inside the luggage compartment of a SUV or van, keeping precious bikes secure and out of the elements. Photos show seat-post removed but this can be kept in situ for taller vehicles. Each rack has two sets of adjustable outriggers to allow them to stand up stably – an array of slots provides for additional strapping to tie-down points. Finish is a durable matt black powder coating.
These two units were made as a custom order by laser-cutting and fabricating a number of aluminium elements. If there is sufficient interest in this then we’d tool up for higher volumes and add to the Buxumbox range.
We have recently experienced customer demand for a minimalist aesthetic where the owner wishes to apply his/her own decals, paint or artwork. An option for this Raw Aluminium finish has now been offered alongside our Standard Graphics and Enhanced Powder Coat finishes – here both the structural frame and panels are left unfinished, whilst latch and handle hardware is powder-coated black with internal fittings receiving an anodised finish.
The aluminium grades used have good corrosion-resistant properties and can even be polished to a near mirror finish if desired. The only instance where we would advise against Raw Aluminium is where box is used/stored in a marine environment.
For this option, please select “Raw aluminium” when configuring your box. A £80+VAT saving compared Standard Graphics is achieved with this finish.
Just the faintest glimmer of hope that global air travel is starting to pick up again now that the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic is being brought under control. Flights up 10% over the last three weeks.
It’s interesting how the shape of this curve resembles the direct inverse of daily new infections and goes to underscore how quickly airlines cut flights, whether by government decree or market forces.
I’m sure this represents a double-edged sword to all of us – we’re all itching for life to return to normal and, with it, being free to travel – but not until we can be confident that the threat of a second spike is averted.
Today we shipped this to a customer in the UK – a complete self-build Ventoux kit in raw aluminium for him to paint/finish. Not something we normally do but the customer seems to be pretty technically minded and was desperate for an excuse to spend hours in the shed during lockdown!
We’re often asked where and how our boxes are made. More time in the home office currently has provided time to share some images that help to tell the story.
Our boxes are assembled in Okehampton, Devon – but that’s just the final point of call for the 148 components and 646 rivets that go in to a Tourmalet box – much of the value is added further upstream the in the supply chain, with as much material as possible sourced locally.
As an example, we’ll look at the ten panels that make up the sides of each box. Made from a high-strength aluminium alloy, these are rolled to a 0.5mm thickness in the USA, stocked as sheets by an aerospace material broker in Cornwall, then laser-cut in Plymouth and screen-printed near Exeter before delivery to us.
Having these suppliers so close helps to keep lead-times for standard boxes down but, more importantly, gives us rapid access to the type of one-off parts that are so important in being able to offer custom sizes and features.
The following images take a closer look at the printing of the panels and the final assembly of complete boxes, all performed in small businesses by skilled craftsmen.
The graphics you see on the standard Tourmalet and Ventoux boxes are applied with a traditional screen-printing process – super-tough epoxy ink is applied in two stages, black and green, directly to the aluminium substrate. This is a job that requires precision and patience – there is no second chance with these inks… The resulting finish is highly scratch resistant and is able to withstand the best efforts of the most careless of baggage handlers!
Final assembly is all about rivets, many thousands each day. Printed panels and anodised extrusions and laid out and aligned on assembly jigs made from machined beech before being joined with four sizes of special closed-end rivets. Each one of these are incredibly strong – even the smallest size used could suspend the weight of two average cyclists. With more rivets per square metre than a Boeing, you can see why these boxes are so strong. Final assembly of each standard box typically takes three hours – custom designs can easily be double or triple that…
I hope that helps to answer a few common questions – please don’t hesitate to contact us further here about anything else.
Special thanks to Simon Edwin at Studiose for providing the photography – Studiose were behind the recent revamp of box graphics and website updates. Printing is by Optima Graphics. Both are highly recommended.
Rivets, rivets, rivets. Four sizes, super-strong
Screen-printing requires a deft touch
The print squeegee and screen – traditional printing methods live on!
Raw panels straight from laser-cutting – cutting this would take less than ten seconds
One printing pass down, one to go – green stripes are printed over main black graphic
On the rack for 24 hours of curing
This print head has seen some life…
Just two of the 148 aluminium parts that make up a Tourmalet box
Corner caps anyone? 100% airline-proof
Machined beech ply assembly jigs for speed and precision – also made in Devon
Assembly jig for Tourmalet end panel – pliers for artistic effect!
Ventoux end panel aligned with assembly jig
Populated with rivets
More rivets – we use a lot of these! And a second life for a tea tin…
Hydro-pneumatic rivet guns from Japan make light work of these
Perfect alignment – tolerance between rivet holes is just 0.1mm
Nearly done – these side panels can now be mounted to the chassis of the box
Just saying…
Lowers waiting for uppers – the uppers only take half the time of the lowers to build
