Huhn Cycles wins the 2020 Purmundus Challenge
Don't let the humorous name fool you (yep, huhn is German for chicken). The small brand that cranks out just 12 frames a year has won an award for the innovative use of 3D printing.
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Ralf Holleis, owner of Huhn cycles has won the Purmundus Challenge for his innovative use of additive materials "for the right reasons". The jury has also noted his use of welding to combine both of the technologies in an efficient way.
For those who are unsure, the Purmundus Challenge recognizes stand-out achievements in 3D and 4D printing.
To keep the manufacturing process environmentally friendly, Holleis has ignored carbon fibre as the material of choice because of its short lifespan and difficulty to repair. Instead, he turned his eye to 3D printing.
Introducing the Moorhuhn it's 129mm travel mountain bike with a 150mm fork that's held together with a 3D printed head tube, bottom bracket, and upper seat tube. Those pieces are then rather elegantly welded to either steel or titanium tubes to create the frame.
To keep the weight of the lugs low, inside there's a lattice structure that adds stiffness. There's also cable routing built-in and the 3D printing process allows for bearing housings, seat clamps, and space for additional welding surfaces to be integrated into the design.
Huhn's website doesn't give too much away but we can see that the bike gets a 67° head angle, a 434mm chainstay, a 474mm reach, and a 76.7° seat tube angle.
It'll also set you back a whopping 13900€ in its titanium, full build.
There's also the Berghuhn enduro bike with 147mm of rear travel and 160mm at the font.