• Custom Carbon Fiber Bikes

The Frame Queue is Closed

I've gotten older and busier... hustlier and bustlier.

With a focus on helping more people via better fitting cranks and carbon fiber repair, I've run out of capacity for making custom frames.

So for the time being, I'm not taking any custom frame orders or adding folks to a wait list. I'm keeping all my tools and equipment, but won't be building in an official capacity.

Engineering - Art - Design

The unique look, deep level of customization, and amazing ride is what makes an Appleman an Appleman.

Custom isn’t just choosing between two stock tubes and adding 5mm of head tube length. A custom bike is a complete analysis of how you ride your bike and how it reacts to you.

In-house made tubing and drop-outs provide the unique look and sweet ride. Through ply by ply customization of each tube, fit expertise, and complete component selection, every parameter of your bike is optimized for you.

Appleman Style

With a background in engineering and design, an Appleman has a distinct style.

ROAD / GRAVEL / CYCLOCROSS / MOUNTAIN / FR213 ADVENTURE / FAT

All the different styles of bikes share a common design quality and manufacturing technique. The uniqueness lies in the geometry and tire clearance.Through ply by ply customization of each tube, fit expertise, and complete component selection, every parameter of your bike is optimized for you.

Frame Features

  • In-house made tubing
  • Tailored ride quality, stiffness
  • Custom fitometry by Matt Appleman
  • Rigid Fork included
  • Carbon dropouts
  • Non-Creak Press Fit 30 BB
  • 27.2 or 31.6mm seat post
  • 25 year warranty

Frame Options

  • Complete bike build
  • Custom logos
  • Di2/EPS/Etap ready
  • T47 BB Shell, +$200
  • Carbon dropouts
  • Tire clearance: road, gravel, mountain, fat
  • Suspension Fork, +$ by quote
  • + many more, just inquire
  • ★★★★★
    “The ride quality is brilliant. None of the frames I’ve ever used can match the Appleman.The best frame I’ve ever ridden.”
    -Neo, Thailand
  • ★★★★★
    “I have to say how happy I am with the frame you made for me, every time I ride it I feel like I am home.”
    -Colby Pearce, ex-pro, olympian
  • ★★★★★
    “Appleman makes some of the most beautiful custom carbon bikes around, and every detail is a testament to his workmanship.”
    -VeloNews

Tech Talk

  • The absolute raw material… carbon fiber “tow” is used to make the tubes. This provides a continuous piece of unidirectional carbon fiber within each tube. Joints are reinforced with woven or braided carbon fiber for it’s superior ability to drape around the complex curves of a bike frame. Learn more about the types of carbon fiber.

  • Modulus is often marketed to help a brand differentiate themselves from another. At the end of the day, modulus doesn’t build a better bike. Much more important than modulus of the fiber, is how it is used. True High-Mod fibers are relatively low strength and brittle.

    Appleman frames are built of the oh so sexy term of “intermediate modulus” or IM. IM fibers have the highest strength, highest toughness of all of the carbon fibers. Tubing diameter and layup plays a much more drastic role on stiffness than modulus of the fiber.

  • Frames are built using tube-to-tube construction. Tube-to-tube is the ultimate technique for building custom frames. This technique allows for maximum flexibility in designing geometry and stiffness of a frame. Bladder molding is great for high volume manufacturing but severely lacks the customizations required for a true custom frame. Custom-bladder molded frames are molded in parts and then bonded together. The only thing holding them together is an unreinforced epoxy bond and doesn’t have a carbon wrap over top.

  • Custom Geometry: custom geometry puts the rider in a comfortable, powerful, efficient position on the bike.

    Custom Tubing: Appleman frames ride amazing and feel good with every pedal stroke because the tubing stiffness matches the rider’s style. Every tube is manufactured in-house to provide the best ride for the rider. The riders weight, desired ride characteristics, and tube length are engineered to develop a tube set designed to match the rider. Are you 120 pounds? 250 pounds? No problem.

    Component Selection: when a bike is as highly customized as an Appleman, nuances in components make a difference.

  • Yes! Tubing is (almost) all made in-house! Each tube is fully customized on a per-tow basis. Tubes are made on our custom filament winder, the Wind-O-Matic 3000.

  • All Appleman frames are built with Press fit 30 (PF30) bottom bracket shells. BB shells are a one-piece design made of carbon fiber that provide a stiff platform with no metal inserts that loosen or creak. PF30 shells are the most versatile shell available fitting nearly every crank available. T47 is also available for those who want a thread fit, but it does add a bit of weight.

  • All Appleman frames are built with 44mm head tubes. This versatile size allows for straight or tapered forks. One simply needs to switch out the head set to change to a different sized fork. The head tubes are also 100% carbon fiber composite. The headset cups press in to the head tube instead of integrated cups. Having a separate cup means your bearing won’t damage the frame and headset replacement is a breeze.