What goes into the making of a Karpiel original?
After line drawings have been completed, a cardboard model of the bike is constructed. Unlike computer models, a cardboard model allows the designer the chance to feel the geometry, the curves and the lines and the critical points of construction with his own hands before it goes to CAD and emerges in a virtual world.

In 3-D CAD images, the bike is mapped precisely, with all measurements and tolerances meticulously checked. The bike is tried and tested in digital space, where even gravity is an abstract concept open to manipulation (though many of our riders seem to have proven this to be true in the real world as well).

Once the CAD drawings have been completed and the computer models tested, the bike production is planned from start to finish. Part sets are run on the CNC machine, cut from premium quality aluminium billet. Certified 6061 T6 tubing is measured and cut to precise lengths and angles.

The tubing and CNC parts are then carefully welded according to design. The welds are checked and rechecked. The straightness of the frames is checked and rechecked and the bikes are sent to heat treating.