Here you are at the heart of the LMX identity. Since the beginning, we have been manufacturing the aluminum frames of our speed bikes in-house.
We are proud to participate in the French reindustrialization of the sector through our local know-how.
LMX models are designed, manufactured, welded and assembled in Jonage, near Lyon. All the steps used to manufacture these frames are carried out for the most part in our workshop. The rest is done in partnership with specialized companies in the region.
This mastery of the entire manufacturing process is essential to distill our expertise into our vehicles.
The frame is an essential part of the speed bike. It is important for us that it responds to our own specificities, in order to integrate the motorization as precisely as possible. This also ensures consistency between constraints and technical ambitions.
This is part of the core philosophy of LMX Bikes.
We want to offer high quality, resistant and durable models. The frames are made of 6061-T6 aluminum, a material used in aeronautics.
One of the main advantages of this aluminum is its high resistance to corrosion, stress and fatigue. The LMXs can therefore withstand falls and withstand shocks due to sporting and off-road use.
Aluminum is also an infinitely recyclable material, unlike carbon.
The design of the prototype of machined parts and tubes is done in-house according to the design specifications. The tubes and machined parts are then made to measure after an in-house prototype phase.
At the same time, the sheets are cut by a local company and then sent to our workshop in Jonage.
These parts are then heated to make them malleable, then cold bent to give them their final shape before the welding phase.
All frame parts are in-house TIG welded.
Aluminum TIG welding is a complex technique requiring alternating voltage and a particular manual procedure.
Once the frames are welded, a visual inspection of all the welds is carried out before proceeding to the heat treatment stage.
Then comes the heat treatment stage, which is also carried out in our workshop.
This is a decisive step in the manufacturing process, as it gives the aluminum its final strength.
The frames, after being welded, are heated in an oven at 520°C for one hour then immersed in water, this is the quenching stage or T4.
This will be used to normalize the internal stresses after welding. It is also after this step that the alignment of the frames is checked and corrected on a specific assembly.
They are then heated a second time at 190°C for 2 hours so that they reach the maximum resistance. At this stage, called T6, the frames become so strong that they cannot be corrected in the event of defects.
The advantage of aluminum is that a defective frame can be recycled and is therefore not a waste in itself.
Some manipulations are still done by hand on these frames such as the threads or the bore of the seat tube.
Carrying out these operations last ensures that these surfaces will not move in order to have the best possible precision.
Finally, our team will manually sand and clean the frames to prepare them for painting or anodizing. It is necessary that they are clean and free of grease to proceed to the last step.
For the final touch, the frames receive a paint coating by powder coating. This paint, extremely solid, is applied in two layers with a passage in the oven for each layer. For this, we send the executives to a specialized local company.
It is after all these manufacturing steps that comes the final step of assembling the LMX. Our operators bring together each part that makes up the model based on a dedicated assembly range.
Each LMX is unique. A production order is then linked to each vehicle, including the entire customer configuration.
Now you can really say “I have a French bike!”…