PRODUCT PHILOSOPHY

Besides a careful engineering process, the manufacturing of the frames is very significant for the quality of our bikes.That is why we use high-quality materials in frame construction and use the most modern production technologies. The adherence to fair working and environmental conditions is of great importance to us. All LAST frames are therefore produced exclusively in democratic countries. Only after the frames have passed our strict quality control and assembly in Dortmund, we release them for customer orders. In our manufactory we carefully press in the bearings and assemble the frames according to customer specifications with the desired rocker arms, links and the desired decal color. The assembly to the complete bike is done by our experienced mechanics, who will be happy to hand over the bike personally afterwards or send it on request.

Carbon

Our carbon frames are more than just light: they meet strength requirements that far exceed the norms. For two decades now, we have been working together with EFBE Prüftechnik. In addition to the quality of fiber and matrix, the manufacturing quality is decisive for the lightweight construction potential. Only if the prepreg layers (carbon fibre mats pre-impregnated with resin) are optimally pressed together, a load-bearing structure can be created. This requires craftsmanship and care as well as the masterful control of the manufacturing process itself. In the autoclave process, the material undergoes strong compression due to the applied pressure. At the same time, a vacuum is created in the laminate to remove residual air. Careful process control using measurement data allows the quality of each individual component to be verified. The high processing quality makes it possible to reduce the amount of material to the required minimum. The frames are not sanded after the process due to the high manufacturing quality. For example, we do not sand the surface, which would remove the load-bearing structure, and we give a clear view of the hand-laminated structure of the unidirectional carbon. Alternatively, the frames are given by us to 70ID in Hagen for painting. Our carbon fibres of different stiffness are produced in Japan. Further processing to prepreg is done in Italy. The frame is laminated in Würzburg at All Ahead.
carbon manufacturing
welding in Taiwan

Aluminum

Our aluminum frames have been continuously developed and improved over the years and product cycles.The frame is hand-welded from 6011 aluminium alloy tubes using the TIG process and then heat treated. 6011 is far superior to many other alloys in terms of fatigue strength, especially when the labor intensive smooth-welding process is used. The combination of cross sections and wall thicknesses designed to withstand loads results in a frame with particularly high design strength. Our aluminum frames are welded in Taiwan. We share over a decade of experience with our Asian manufacturing partners.

Total Bearing Quality

After welding, the aluminium frames are extensively reworked in Germany. With the term Total Bearing Quality we describe everything that is necessary to achieve a high quality and durable bearing. In addition to the bearings as such, this includes the bearing seats, the alignment of the bearing seats to each other, the mounting and protection against dirt. Stainless steel full complement bearings allow for better load carrying capacity and increase the radial stiffness while increasing corrosion protection. Our bearings are manufactured by Enduro Bearings and are made of stainless steel. The machining of all bearing seats on the frame with a high-precision 5-axis milling machine in Germany allows for the most precise diameter, shape and position tolerances, so that components are not stressed during assembly and operation. All contact surfaces and the threads for the bearing bolts are also milled in one go on the 5-axis machine.
Total Bearing Quality