We sat down with Robert Janssen to talk about the technology, design and ideas behind Vain Bicycles. By bonding 3D printed aluminium lugs with traditional steel tubes, Robert has created a sleek, modern-looking frame and we dive deep into the manufacturing process, how he is working with suppliers and how sustainability and transparency fit into all of it. However, what truly stood out to us is his how 3D printing enables a unique approach to frame sizing and we discuss the reasoning, testing and, of course, the challenges that go into offering 30 different geometry combinations. It was interesting to hear Robert’s take on number of topics like bike geometry, mullet bikes, customisation and of course how the name Vain came about. As always, we wrap up the recording with our close-out questions.
Music credit: “B-Roll” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License