AX Lightness Vial EVO

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HammerTime2
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by HammerTime2

Yes, the Unites States is a big market for high end road cycling equipment.

Outside of Junior, and a few other elites, I doubt many people in the DPRK could even afford an AX Vial EVO Heck, probably not many North Koreans could even afford a Nasdorowje bottle cage. According to my man Dennis Rodman, basketball is more Junior's cup of tea than cycling, anyhow.

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Mattias Hellöre
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by Mattias Hellöre

AXAxel, I´m curious how you can sell this frame with a such low price tag and outstanding weight and stiffness numbers, handmade in germany.
I thought it was not possible nowadays.

/Mattias.
Experimental Prototype

Stegger
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Location: Denmark

by Stegger

Mattias Hellöre wrote:AXAxel, I´m curious how you can sell this frame with a such low price tag and outstanding weight and stiffness numbers, handmade in germany.
I thought it was not possible nowadays.

/Mattias.


I am not AXAxel, but according to the AX lightness website the reasons are these:

How do we achieve competitive pricing nonetheless?
As we produce and manufacture the frame completely by ourselves in our factory in Creußen, we are able to bypass additional margins and profits external manufacturers such as from contract manufacturing in Asia. In addition transport distances and costs as well as occurring custom duties are omitted.
Our distribution channel: We supply retailing in a direct way. That way additional margins for distributions, distributors or exclusive importers are omitted. This leads to lower prices and a comparable price level all over the world.
We do not run expensive racing sponsorships. Through this we annually save high million euro sums in comparison to the big players, that you would be refinancing with your purchase of the corresponding products.
Which is not to say we would not care about racing at all as besides partial sponsorships we as well offer a racer support for race license holders discounting our products by 10 %. There is no separate sponsorship budget with us though.
Thanks to our high in-house production depth, that ranges from the in-house development over the actual production to the final finish of the products, we achieve short routes and a high efficiency and do not have to co-finance erreichen wir kurze Wege als auch eine hohe Effizienz und müssen keine intermediary bodies.
Our highly technological and strictly controlled production yields a minuscule scrap rate. In addition we can react in-time on possible changes of constructional elements.

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Mattias Hellöre
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by Mattias Hellöre

Stegger: thanks a lot, it does makes sense, I as manufacturer hade a hard time to see a reasonable profit margin though. Development cost money, testing does cost too.
Anyway, thanks!
Experimental Prototype

tharmor
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by tharmor

I want this bicycle frame. Well done!

Illuminate
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Location: Australia

by Illuminate

I'd like to echo everyone else's sentiment by passing on a big well done! It looks superb. :D

Well done for keeping production domestic btw - this is one of the points that set it aside from the competition. :thumbup:

AXAxel
Shop Owner / Manufacturer
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by AXAxel

Mattias Hellöre wrote:AXAxel, I´m curious how you can sell this frame with a such low price tag and outstanding weight and stiffness numbers, handmade in germany.
I thought it was not possible nowadays.

/Mattias.

The frame is indeed very aggressively priced as this also has been one of the ambitious aims: To have a model built in-house with the latest technology at the same price as the bigger brand's Asian models (there is a table up on our website comparing the MSRPs to other popular top models). Reasons how to achieve the price as quoted by Stegger. :thumbup:

kode54
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by kode54

so AXAxel, is the final paint and design in this thread...a more minimal look versus what is pictured on your website?
- Factor Ostro VAM Disc
- Factor LS Disc
- Specialized Aethos Disc
- Sturdy Ti Allroad Disc
- Guru Praemio R Disc

AXAxel
Shop Owner / Manufacturer
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Joined: Tue Oct 08, 2013 6:24 pm

by AXAxel

Hi kode, the website has already been updated accordingly as well, so the version on there is identical to what has been presented towards the bottom of the last side.
Higher quality pics by the way to be found on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ax-lightne ... 642523513/

We are currently painting the first frames in that paint scheme so should have something to show very shortly as well.
~Nils

tharmor
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by tharmor

So the size L frame and fork will end up weighing just over 1kg?

Pretty impressed by that achievement.

kode54
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Joined: Tue May 23, 2006 9:39 pm

by kode54

AXAxel wrote:Hi kode, the website has already been updated accordingly as well, so the version on there is identical to what has been presented towards the bottom of the last side.
Higher quality pics by the way to be found on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ax-lightne ... 642523513/

We are currently painting the first frames in that paint scheme so should have something to show very shortly as well.
~Nils


nice. thx nils
- Factor Ostro VAM Disc
- Factor LS Disc
- Specialized Aethos Disc
- Sturdy Ti Allroad Disc
- Guru Praemio R Disc

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LiKuid
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by LiKuid

Wow! I did not know about AX making their own frame. That seems like a top quality piece of kit with a Chinese price tag. Kudos for both!
I was thinking of going with a BMC SLR01 as my next bike in 2014, but now i am in doubts.

AXAxel
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by AXAxel

tharmor wrote:So the size L frame and fork will end up weighing just over 1kg?

Pretty impressed by that achievement.

For the D version, i.e. with the THM fork, size L should still be just unter 1kg for frame + fork. :thumbup:
We have been doing a minor optimisation with the cuts in the meantime and the last frame came out at 650-655 gms - also still without paint or FD clamp. We are now as said painting a couple of frames to have the final design available in flesh as well as to know the exact weight of the paint.
~Nils

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Mattias Hellöre
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by Mattias Hellöre

So in fact a frame incl derailleur hanger and seatpost clamp will weigh 702 grams, down to 675-680 grams for size M (56) with same test results as published on Tour Magazin 04/2013?
I´ve added 25 grams for FD clamp and paint as written in earlier posts.

http://www.tour-magazin.de/technik/test ... 26921.html

Here does the Vial weigh 779 grams. so you have tuned of almost 100 grams from the frame weight, and still have the test values remain intact?.
Experimental Prototype

by Weenie


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AXAxel
Shop Owner / Manufacturer
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by AXAxel

Hi Mattias,
That is correct. We are talking about a completely new development though with the two models being pretty different. Just think of Cannondale's SuperSix and SuperSix Evo frames (thinking about it for the first time the name scheme is strikingly similar.. ) where the gap is even bigger.
The Vial (non Evo) has however already been a really great performer as well, which is what we have been trying to build on.
~Nils

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