New York State based titanium specialist brand No.22 has unveiled what it is claiming to be the world's first 3D-printed titanium aero bike, called the Reactor Aero. The frameset uses a combination of 3D printing and in-house fabrication processes to create an aerodynamically optimised profile exclusively from titanium. This differs from other titanium framesets that either combine titanium lugs with carbon fibre tubing or use straight round gauge titanium tubing without an aero profile.
The Reactor Aero builds on the brand's existing race bike the Reactor with the new Aero version undergoing computational fluid dynamic (CFD) analysis during the design process. At the date of the bike's announcement, it is yet to be qualified in a wind tunnel, however No.22 has confirmed that this will be taking place ahead of the bike's commercial launch in 2025.
Based on the results of the finalised frameset's CFD simulations, the brand says the Reactor Aero offers around a 30-40% aerodynamic drag reduction over the brand's versatile all-road bike the Aurora.
The Reactor Aero, although clear in its intentions as an all-out speed machine, has kept up with current road bike trends with room for up to 34mm tyres to be fitted. This aims to give riders the option to fit some more forgiving or more adventurous tyres.
But it was not just aerodynamics that No.22 looked to improve with the new Reactor Aero, another area that has seen improvement is the drivetrain stiffness of the frame with the brand making the bold claim that these improvements likely make the Reactor Aero frameset the most efficient in terms of power transfer of any made of titanium.
This has been achieved by redesigning the down tube, bottom bracket intersection, and chain stays optimising them more effectively by utilising the freedoms offered by 3D printing. The brand also says “All other tubing profiles and intersections were also built from the ground up to help temper drivetrain stiffness with the legendary ride quality titanium is known for.”
The prototype going on display at the MADE bike show from 23-25 August is a fully 3D printed frame, manufactured from Grade 5 titanium powder. The only exception to this across the whole frameset is the seat post. This deviates away from titanium and favours carbon fibre much like the standard Reactor. The seat tube is an integrated seat post (ISP) that features an aerodynamic profile in keeping with the rest of the frameset and has been co-developed and produced by July Bicycles.
The final version of the Reactor Aero that will be available for purchase will see the bike printed in multiple sections that can then be machined and welded together in-house. By manufacturing the frames in this way the brands is able to “utilise their decades of expertise resulting in tighter controls over quality, tolerances, and finishes.”
In a press release ahead of the bike’s release, Bryce Gracey, a Co-Founder of No.22 said, “3D printed titanium has phenomenal structural properties. The ability to print internal support structures anywhere in the frame gives us a level of control over the ride quality that has not been possible before.
"We are able to add stiffness in high load areas like the bottom bracket, dropouts, and head tube for very little weight while playing with structure in fine detail throughout the frame to ensure it delivers the ride quality we need.”
Pricing and availability
There is currently no pricing available for the Reactor Aero however with the standard Reactor frameset retailing for $6,499 and complete builds starting from $12,015, it will certainly be in the dream bike category for most. For those looking to get their hands on one, No.22 is expecting to release the Reactor Aero in 2025 with more specifics to be announced in the future.
