HYDRO-FORMED

As the carbon frameset becomes ubiquitous, aluminum has dropped by the wayside. Dogged by its reputation for a harsh ride and being "disposable", aluminum has been placed in carbon's shadow. Seemingly eclipsed by carbon's exotic appeal, Cyfac offers an aluminum come-back!

For starters, forget what you know, think you know, or what you've been told about aluminum. The world's most abundant metallic mineral, the aluminum designation for frame tubing is simply a general classification for different mixes of alloys prominently featuring aluminum. The particular "mix" is important, as a change of elements (zinc, manganese, scandium, etc) -- 1% here, 0.7% there -- greatly affects the application and function of the material. Choosing that mix, knowing its proper use, and understanding the detailed construction methods for that material are key.

Traditionally, aluminum tubes have been mechanically drawn to create various shapes, butting, and wall thicknesses in an attempt to tune the ride of the frame. While much progress has been made over the round-tube alu frames of the late 1980's and 1990's, the mechanical forming of tubes has placed limits on the performance of aluminum frames. Generally-speaking, this mechanical process simply limits what can be done to a tube, because too much shaping or too much force applied to the tube via machines/shaping processes can actually crimp and weaken tubes. And, the mechanical process of shaping aluminumThe optimal combination of performance and comfort is tough to provide with contemptory alu building materials/techniques. In general terms, aluminum frames have been extremely rigid, with little potential to maintain the desired mix of performance characteristics and all-day comfort. That changes now.

INFINI hydro-formed aluminum alloy, presented by Cyfac. This ain't your mother's aluminum!

Perhpas the most performance-oriented frame building material available, INFINI tubing is formed via the precise, high-pressure application of water: hydro-forming. A relatively new process for shaping metals, hydro-forming can now deliver a level of tube manipulation that borders on what can be done with molded carbon fiber. No longer forced to mechanically form or draw tube sections, hydro-forming liberates aluminum. It allows the precise alteration of the frame material, provides pin-point precision on specific tube sections, and delivers a level of "tunability" that is a breakthrough for metal framesets. Because the tubing is not heated, pressed, or drawn during the forming, the integrity of the material is also assured.

The result: the performance characteristics of aluminum (lateral stiffness, reactivity) with the ride characterisitics or a 100% tuned ride. Pair the INFINI alu tube with the world-leading IM Carbon fiber DOUBLE STAY2 rearm, T800H seat tube, and Forknox fork and you get our new INFINI CARBON frame. >>