We made a 3D printed titanium version of our MX6-EVO and it seems the whole world wants to know about it.

There’s been loads of coverage of the bike - which we’ve called the MX6-R - in the general press as well as the specific cycling and engineering media.

Some of the facts have been lost, or a bit garbled in the rush to spread the exciting news. So we thought we’d boil it all down to the important stuff and try to explain it simply but correctly. We’re detail-obsessed control-freak engineers after all, so we needed to get the straight-from-the-horse’s-mouth story out there!

The MX6-R is a 150mm travel full suspension enduro mountain bike. There is currently just one in existence. It has been made by a technique called "additive manufacturing”. Additive manufacturing is one of a few techniques that are known under the collective umbrella of "3D printing”.

The MX6-R is made of additively manufactured titanium sections which are then bonded together using a 3M structural epoxy adhesive. The guys with the magic additive manufacturing machine are fellow British engineering bods Renishaw.

Empire and Renishaw initially only had plans to make the MX-6’s seat tower via additive manufacturing. The resulting seat tower was significantly lighter than the standard aluminium version (200g versus 360g) and proved to be hugely strong, passing EN testing standards by a factor of six. Once the seat tower was completed both parties were so pleased and excited by the results, that we committed to attempting to construct a whole MX-6 frame using additive manufacturing.

Well, we did it!

Twenty weeks after our first meeting with Renishaw we had our baby. The MX6-R frame that resulted weighs 1.4kg/3.09lb (the standard MX6-EVO frame weighs 2.1kg/4.63lb). The MX6-R frame was eagerly built up into a full mountain bike. It’s not been laboratory tested yet - mainly because we only just managed to finish it before showing it off at the London Bike Show and then at the London Science Museum.

To say we’re eager to get the MX6-R back in our grasp to test it in the lab - and on the mountainside - would be an understatement. The current cost of producing the MX6-R prototype frame had been around £20,000. That’s quite a lot of pound signs to throw down a mountain, but we’ll give it a go.

Although making a mountain bike via additive manufacturing is not cost-effective at the moment, "proving out” the concept will hopefully pave the way for more cost-efficiency in the future.

But why do it at all?

Initially our ultimate aim was weight saving. But horizons have expanded since we began the project. The potential of additive manufacturing for bicycles has not been completely explored yet.

The design freedom afforded by additive manufacturing is immense and inspiring. A bit daunting in fact. Continual improvements can be made easily. Rapid iterations can be made. There’s flexibility to make design improvements right up to production. And as the component cost is based on volume and not complexity, some complex shapes and ultra-light yet super-strong parts are possible at minimal costs.

As it’s as easy to make one-offs as it is production batches, there’s also scope for a bit of personalised customisation. Built-in serial numbers, rider’s names. There’s no reason why we shouldn’t be able to embed RFID chips into the frame as it is being built, creating a security tag that would be extremely difficult, possibly impossible, to remove.

They’re all just thoughts at the moment. We’re having thoughts all the time. This whole thing came about thanks to a thought.

We’ll also come clean and admit that an aspect of the MX6-R project was to showcase both Empire Cycles’ and Renishaw’s capabilities. To show the world what we can do. As it happens, the PR aspect has been utterly overshadowed by the genuine discovery of the almost unlimited potential of the additive manufacturing process and materials.

In the immediate future we’re aiming to have the MX6-R on display at rounds of the Empire Cycles PMBA Series of enduro races this year so you can see it for yourself in the flesh.

In the longer term, who knows where this technology is going to lead us? Even we don't know yet. We are learning all the time!

athers' race report...

Event: Innerduro  - Round 2

Date: 2nd & 3rd March 2013

Place: Innerleithen - Scottish Borders

Riding: Empire Cycles MX-6

Saturday - Practice & Race day all in one

Empire would like to thank our sponsors for their continued support:

This bike has a host of questions following it around. For a simple single pivot, it's causing a lot of headaches - mostly for armchair engineers who insist its pivot is in the wrong place and 'it's made the wrong way'.

Read Full Review

Read his story below...

Event: British Downhill Series - Round 5

Date: 25th & 26th August 2012

Place: Bringewood, Shropshire

Riding: Empire Cycles AP-1

Saturday - Practice.

We arrived at the 5th round of the British Downhill Series at Bringewood, Shropshire. Before practice started I did a brief track walk just to see some changes made for this race, I had raced here earlier in the year so I knew what to expect. Practice started at 9.00 am on the dot and riders were keen to get some early runs in, I started around 10.30 to let the track become a bit clear of the mud, first run I coasted down the track to check it out, the rain overnight had made the ground into ice, dry tyres and wet clay do not mix with plenty of front wheel drift action going on. The track had been widened to open up the opportunity for new lines to give riders some sort of option. I found main line to be quickest and held well all through practice. The track started to dry out and became fast and tacky, Then around 1 o’clock it smashed it down, I had just got back to the van before the rain had started, the track was ruined, axle deep ruts and thicker mud developed in less than 10 minutes, so I decided to call it a day with 6 runs in the bag.

Sunday – Race day.

Sunday morning was race day, I was keen to get morning practice underway and to do 2 runs, first practice run was to check out the course to see what had happened to the track from Saturday. Luckily the guys from the race had done some well needed track repairing with axle deep rut now dug out and berms rebuilt. The morning went well with 2 practice runs completed and everything running well. Practice finished at 10.30 am and qualifying was underway, I headed up for my run at 1 o’clock and was 2nd to last down in expert category, the run did not go how I had planned.

I couldn’t get myself into a rhythm and was trying too hard and tiring myself out, as I headed into the second woods I slipped a pedal and cut my shin open. The run didn't end well and I crossed the finish line in a slack position of 20th. I sat down and regained my energy for my race run. I was at the start line for final race runs, the track had dried out and a change of tyres put me on dry’s for this run. I started off closer to the front of the pack as I qualified a poor position. I set off determined to put an good run together, dry tyres were a good choice and were working well, I had more energy and fell a lot smoother, the run was going well, a couple of mistakes on the open section were I missed a few pedals, but the run was good, sprinting to the finish line I took first place and was in the hot seat for a while. I waited eagerly and was knocked off and in the end got took down to 6th position, I was gutted just missing a podium.

Empire would like to thank our sponsors for their continued support:

Event: Pearce Cycles Downhill Series - Round 5

Date: 15th & 16th September 2012

Place: Bringewood, Shropshire

Riding: Empire Cycles AP-1

Saturday - Practice.

This weekend we headed to the final round of the Pearce Cycles race series in sunny Bucknell, Shropshire. I had been here few times before to race the track held by Pearce cycles, the track hadn’t changed since I last rode only a few different lines and jumps. We arrived there Saturday morning to full sunshine and a dusty track, I went up for first run of the day to check the track out, the start was the same as usual over a fire road and into a rooty straight with a bomb hole you could either gap or role, I opted for the gap to keep thing fast and fun. Then into a straight of small jumps which led you up a ski jump, which you could scrub. Then into a large sweeping right hander into two table top jumps, you hit the jumps with a lot of speed and then into a tight left hander, which led into a couple of dusty switchbacks, over a large lump and into two corners. They had been taped so they could be cut out by riding over the top of them. Another rider and myself scoped out that you could send the gap and miss everything out, we both did it without problems apart from landing on a stump. This was a good line, but would cause me to lose the win come race runs. Then into the first woods, which were straight-forward: one switchback then into a straight, which led into a left turn onto off camber roots, in the wet they're hard but in the dry they're fast and easy. Exit the woods and a small step down onto a fire road and back into the last woods, these were longer than the first with fast turns and berms which became rough after a couple of runs, the track winded down until it hit a fast step-down into a rock left turn, over a lump which could be gap from a root just before and over a jump into a drifty left corner and up onto an uphill straight, the straight dropped off into a rocky left turn and exited into long switchbacks. Exit the last switchback and send it of the top of the hill onto the fire road, the road had a natural lip on it which could be gapped off and into the field, then, two sweeping turns and over a hip jump and a straight to cap off to the finish line.

Sunday – Race day.

Sunday I woke to an overcast morning but with no rain, practice started at 8.00 o’clock, I headed up for first run at 8.00 and just cruised down the track to get back into it. I did one more run in the morning which went well, only a small mechanical by bending my chain ring. First race run started at 1.00 o’clock, I was at the top ready to go feeling confident, the track was still bone dry just with a bit of wind in the open parts, top part went well until I hit the open section, that line I had scoped out went well until I overshot the turn causing me to stop and get going again, I tried to make up more time but was making more mistakes, I ended up crossing the line and went into 4th by 1.2 secs, I knew I could win if I would of held that line. Second run went better, with a smoother top half until the open section, on the same line I overshot but even worse, going off track and struggling to get back on, the rest of the run went well and smooth with a few close moments, I came into the finish strong, and crossed the line with a second slower than first run, I was gutted, I knew I would of done a sub 2.00 minute and could of took the win, but that’s racing, As this was the last round the overall was to be decided, as I had missed one round I stood in 5th position overall, as the podiums came around I managed to make up 3 places and take 2nd overall which I was pleased with, many thanks to Pearce Cycles for a great season of racing again.

Empire would like to thank our sponsors for their continued support: