Appleman Bicycles is a one man shop that builds handmade custom carbon fiber bicycle frames & repairs damaged carbon frames. Being a full-time framebuilder, I dedicate my time to building amazing bicycles and providing excellent customer service.

The Bikes: I build frames without compromising structure or durability. From the svelte carbon fiber cable stops to the tube layups, Appleman bicycles bypasses time saving shortcuts to produce a truly unique frame. Every customer receives a full custom fit for their frame. Custom geometry is built around a customers wants and needs. The ride of the frame is tailored through the use of custom tubing and layups.

The Builder: Riding, racing, and building bikes are what I do. After racing road and track for ten years, a knee injury limited my riding time. I taught myself how to build frames so I could have a bike with a proper fit.

The Obsession: The combined beauty, strength, and manufacturing processes of carbon fiber absolutely fascinate me. In college, I earned a degree in Composite Materials Engineering. I have worked in the aerospace, wind energy, and composite raw materials industries as a composite materials engineer. Having seen a wide array of carbon fiber design and manufacturing, I’ve developed my own set advanced fabrication techniques and build them into each frame.

The Timeline: I started developing carbon layups and joining techniques in 2006. At this time, I didn’t have access to framebuilding equipment so I couldn’t build frames. What I could do is build tubes and wrap joints and develop my technique and the strength of the joints. I layed up tubes to the point where I could no longer break them. I built my first frame in 2008 while working as a composite materials engineer. While I’m a self-taught framebuilder, I was able to advance my composite fabrication skills through real world work experience. In 2010 I started Appleman Bicycles LLC. I moved back to Minneapolis and rented a 400 square foot shop and started producing frames full time. Building frames full time allowed me to build the bikes I always wanted to build and marked the start of the Carbon Everything Design.

 

- Matt Appleman

Read more about Appleman Bicycles in the Star Tribune article here.

Listen to Matt’s radio show interview on 1390 WNIO’s “Bicycling Today”