How Bikelab Frames Are Built: Carbon, CNC, and Hand Assembly

The Paratu CP and Iuhu CP are built using a split manufacturing process that is common in high-quality carbon MTB production but rarely explained clearly. Here is how it works and why the split is intentional rather than a compromise.

Carbon: sourced from China

The raw carbon fibre used in both frames comes from China. This is the correct answer for carbon quality at our production scale. China is home to the world’s largest and most sophisticated carbon fibre manufacturing industry outside of Japan. The carbon specifications for both frames — fibre grade, weave pattern, layup schedule — are set by our design requirements, not by whatever a generic supplier defaults to.

The distinction to make here is between commodity carbon and specified carbon. Commodity carbon is whatever is available and cheap. Specified carbon is sourced to particular fibre grade and layup requirements, verified against those specs, and rejected if it does not meet them. We source to specification.

The hot-press manufacturing process used on both frames produces consistent fibre volume fraction — the ratio of carbon fibre to resin matrix — which directly determines the structural efficiency of the finished layup. The finished frame weight on the Paratu CP is approximately 2,800 g for the full kit including rear shock hardware. That is a product of the carbon specification and the manufacturing process, not of cutting corners on wall thickness.

CNC and hardware: Taiwan

The pivot hardware, dropout, yoke, and link components on both frames are CNC machined in Taiwan. Taiwan has a precision machining industry that is genuinely world-class — the same ecosystem that supplies components to the semiconductor equipment, aerospace, and medical device industries. The tolerances available from Taiwanese CNC suppliers at our scale are tighter than what most European or North American alternatives offer at equivalent cost.

The flip chip, which is an eccentric disc that rotates inside a precision bore to shift the axle path by up to 5 mm, requires tight bore tolerances to function correctly. A loose-fitting chip creates slop in the geometry adjustment that defeats the purpose of the system. The CNC quality available in Taiwan makes this component work the way it is supposed to.

Bearings are sourced from Taiwan and Japan. Pivot bearings on MTB frames are high-load, high-cycle components that are frequently exposed to water, mud, and contamination. We specify sealed cartridge bearings from manufacturers whose tolerances and sealing standards are verified — not the cheapest bearings that fit the bore size.

Assembly: Taichung, Taiwan

Final assembly happens in our workshop in Taichung district, Taiwan. Each frame is assembled individually — not on a production line. The sequence is fixed, the torque specs are applied per specification, and every frame is checked before it ships.

Hand assembly at this scale means the person putting the frame together is accountable for that specific unit. If a bearing is not seated correctly, if a pivot bolt is not torqued properly, if a chip is installed in the wrong orientation — it is caught at assembly, not discovered by the customer. That accountability is structurally easier to maintain when frames are assembled one at a time rather than in batches.

Lead times

The split manufacturing process has a direct effect on lead times. Stock frames — which we hold at 2 units per size per colour — ship within 3–7 days from payment. Custom colour or non-stock size orders take 30 days from payment clearing. Frame kits with Öhlins or DVO suspension take approximately 44 days. Complete bike builds take 70 days.

The 30-day custom lead time is the manufacturing cycle from order confirmation to completed assembly and quality check. The clock starts when payment clears, not when the order email is sent.

Shipping is free worldwide for end consumers. The frame ships from Taiwan directly to the customer — no intermediate warehouse, no repackaging, no delay at a distribution centre.