Confidential.
Elevating the world of carbon mountain biking.
WMP partnered with a leading British bike brand to conceptualise and develop a new carbon frame, suspension link, shock extender and seat stay for a new line of carbon trail bikes.
Sectors
Expertise
Background.
A new line of trail bikes, and a design language to match.
The brief was to craft a contemporary aesthetic for a new line of carbon trail bikes that could serve as the foundation for a cohesive design language across future categories.
WMP was tasked with conceptualising and developing a new carbon frame, suspension link, shock extender and seat stay. The brief included integrating an easily accessible frame storage solution, 29-inch wheels and a down tube protector, alongside key considerations for cable management and weatherproofing. A complex 3D model was produced so the final design could be tested through its full range of motion and efficiently adjusted to create 5 different sizes: XS, S, M, L and XL.
The Solution.
Unlocking the creative potential of carbon geometry.
Designing a form language only carbon fibre could achieve.
Unlike traditional aluminium frames, carbon fibre can be formed into complex shapes, giving the team greater creative latitude when considering the geometry. The frame features a crisp, automotive-inspired edge that runs around the sides of the front triangle, creating a strong visual separation between the inner chamfer and outer surfaces. The geometry flows smoothly between different sections of the frame, and fixed components are unified with monolithic surfacing. The bottom edge of the suspension link morphs into and extends down the side of the seat stay, visually connecting the two components and mirroring the design language found in the front triangle, resulting in a complex set of transitions that are strikingly pure and easy to clean.
Engineering protection that disappears into the design.
The cable grommets prevent unwanted water ingress into the bike frame, and can be swapped out for blanks featuring the company logo if the end user opts for an integrated headset. Because wall thickness naturally varies in carbon manufacturing, especially around the top tube, the grommets were designed with natural flex to take up this tolerance while following the shape of the internal chamfer for a visually harmonious finish. The seat post gasket prevents ingress where the seat post enters the frame, its integrated design reading as an extension of the seat post triangle while fitting snugly over the seat post clamp, with a flexible material that allows for easy removal during on-the-go seat adjustments. The downtube protector shields the carbon from impacts and stones kicked up by the bike, with a subtle chamfer running around its edge to blend with the frame.
Let's work together
Let's partner to create brand, product, and experience solutions that move people and markets.
Making storage and protection universal across five sizes.
The integrated frame storage lets riders stash tools, a spare tube, keys and snacks in the downtube, accessed quickly by turning a thumbscrew and removing the lid, with a waterproof gasket around its circumference keeping kit dry and mud-free. Designing that gasket was a genuinely complex task: it had to seal reliably against an opening with a large manufacturing tolerance, stay super low-profile to maximise storage space, and remain easy to install and remove. To keep the cost of additional parts down, WMP designed the cable grommets, seat post gasket, downtube protector and frame storage compartment to fit universally across all 5 frame sizes.
The impact.
A design language now built into the brand's own bikes.
The output was a design language for carbon frame geometry that has since been effectively implemented by the brand's own internal engineering team, in the form of a lightweight E-Bike, giving the brand a cohesive design language to carry across future categories.
