Our journey to discover Exept takes us to Veneto, to Compositex, a leading company in the processing and production of composite fibers. The bicycles of the Finale brand are engineered in Liguria, customized within the showroom with the customer's specifications and produced by those who have been shaping carbon for years. Always in Italy, because the brand's Made in Italy identity is strong and aims to be a cornerstone.
Tailor-made: a turning point
Monocoque technology allows for the achievement of extremely high performance levels, factors that combine technical characteristics, weight, and why not, even design. It is true that with a view to mass production, Monocoque bicycles have “standardized” the market. We've lost that sense of craftsmanship that once characterized Italian products, so coveted and sought-after. The sense of customization has been lost, limiting us to choosing colors (sometimes very few), the graphics and components (sometimes not even those). Yet the custom bicycle in size, color and fittings, it is not just a whim, but it is also capable of offering enormous advantages in terms of performance.
A sheet of carbon cut and before being shaped The composite skins sectioned and prepared to be applied to the molds The application of the leather which is done manually The bottom bracket box
A sheet of carbon cut and before being shaped The composite skins sectioned and prepared to be applied to the molds The application of the leather which is done manually The bottom bracket box
A form created specifically for this purpose
After bikefitting and creating the virtual module, the project is sent to Compositex. The company operates in the composite materials sector in various categories, including cycling. For Exept, having a partner like this is an advantage, a certainty and a reference.
Thanks to the project, Compositex technicians create the template with the specific measurements reported in the project. Some steps are computerized, such as the design of the carbon skins, but it's the human touch that makes the difference. Yes, because The carbon pieces are applied by hand inside the molds.
A long and complex process
It's difficult to quantify the number of carbon layers used for a single frame. The total is subject to variables; the customer's anthropometric values are an example. It's not a single piece of carbon that is inserted into the mold, but rather hundreds of skins that find a specific application and with an equally specific orientation.
They want us many hours of work to produce a frameThe project is examined and the machine that cuts the carbon sheets is set up. Before that, the carbon rolls contained in the cryogenic cells are brought outside, slowly thawed, and made malleable. The template is prepared and the operator begins applying the carbon sheets. Normally the one-way matrix is usedThe jig is closed and the bagging and vacuum-packing process begins, to send the mold to the autoclave.
The frame construction module, where the frame takes shape The painting chart A phase of painting, done by hand and frame by frame
The frame construction module, where the frame takes shape The painting chart A phase of painting, done by hand and frame by frame
And then there's the paint job
It is a final step, but only because it follows a very precise order of the pro phasesductive, not in order of importance. We know well that cycling is a religion. Even when it comes to paint schemes, the various stages are aided by the most modern technology, but it's the operator's touch that makes the difference.
