A Few Words About Our R&D and Design Process: The Aveiro 3D Gravel Bike Model (Part 1)
After many years of designing and manufacturing titanium bicycles, our team has gained extensive experience. My journey with titanium bikes began back in 2001 when I acquired my first custom-built titanium bicycle. By 2005, I was designing and producing titanium bikes for others, working out the geometries and collaborating with two suppliers to bring these designs to life. The first in-house Triton bikes appeared in 2011, initially as prototypes. Remarkably, some of those bikes from 2012 are still in use today.
Over the past 12 years, we’ve completed hundreds of projects, experimenting with a wide variety of wheel sizes—from 12 to 36 inches—and drivetrain configurations, including traditional derailleurs (1x, 2x, and 3x setups), internal gear hubs, gearboxes, chains, and belts. Each new project often required us to design custom fixtures and tools. As the number of standards and tools grew exponentially, it became necessary to streamline our offerings to a few major variations in standards and mount types.
Building on Strong Foundations
While the finer details and standards have evolved over time, we’ve always adhered to a core principle: the frame “grows” from the bottom bracket (BB) shell. From this foundation, it extends upward and to the right into the downtube and seat tube, forming the cockpit, and to the left into the chainstays and dropouts, which provide structural integrity and drivetrain support. The BB shell has always been the zero point of our designs.
When space for the drivetrain was limited, we used CNC-machined plates (until about 2016) before transitioning to lighter CNC-machined yokes. These yokes connect the BB shell to the chainstays, which then lead to the dropouts—an essential area that influences drivetrain performance and bike handling.
We’ve connected chainstays to dropouts in two primary ways:
1. Flat dropouts: Here, we use machined "bullets" with a rounded end that connects to the chainstay and a flat section that meets the dropout.
2. Flanged dropouts: These are directly welded to the stays and remain our preferred approach for their clean aesthetics and strength. This technique is still used in our standard Groont gravel and Shkval all-road models.
A New Beginning
As many of you know, the original Triton Bikes company is no longer existent. After the challenges we faced, including its closure, we eventually started a new chapter: Tritão Cosmo, based in Portugal. This relocation came with its own set of challenges, not least of which was realizing how expensive custom titanium bikes had become to produce.
To adapt, we knew we needed a new product—something more affordable yet just as innovative. The answer was clear: a modern gravel bike that would complement our existing Groont model by meeting the needs of a broader audience at a more accessible price point.
Exploring 3D Printing
Before we even began designing the new model, we realized that achieving our ambitious goals would require 3D printing for certain key components. While CNC machining titanium yokes was technically feasible, the costs were simply too high.
We first experimented with 3D-printed titanium back in 2016, but at the time, the quality, finish, and cost weren’t suitable for our needs. By around 2020, however, the technology had advanced significantly, making it a viable option for companies like ours.
Despite setbacks from COVID, the war, and the closure of Triton, our move to Portugal allowed us to finally focus on innovation. Here, on the Atlantic coast, we embraced the potential of 3D-printed titanium and began experimenting with this transformative technology.
A New Way of Thinking
Designing 3D-printed components required a completely new approach. Years of experience building titanium bikes provided a solid foundation, but it became clear that traditional engineering methods wouldn’t be enough. We often reminded ourselves: “Forget conventional machining solutions. Think of the shapes as if they grew naturally, not as something machined from a metal block.”
Using a bionic design approach, we worked with specialized software to mimic nature’s logic and evolutionary processes. This enabled us to create structures that were previously only achievable in aerospace or military applications. For example, our new dropouts seamlessly transition into the chainstays, which then flow naturally into the yoke—creating a single, cohesive structure that feels both organic and functional.
Balancing Innovation and Practicality
You might wonder why we stopped there. Why not extend this seamless design throughout the entire frame? The answer lies in finding the right balance between performance, weight, production costs, and customer affordability. While 3D printing offers incredible possibilities, its application must be strategic. Overusing it would make the final product far too expensive for most riders.
That said, if you’re looking for a truly special bike or frameset and are willing to invest, we’d love to hear from you. We’re currently developing a high-tech, cutting-edge project that’s sure to impress those who demand the very best. It’s ambitious, innovative, and, yes, expensive—but entirely worth it.
Stay tuned for Part 2.
