More carbon frames manufactured in Europe: TIME opens its factory and is already producing a mountain bike for another brand

For decades, a large part of the carbon frame production in the cycling industry has been concentrated in Asia. However, TIME wants to leverage its experience manufacturing in Europe to also become a supplier for other brands. Cardinal Cycling Group, the owner of the brand, has opened the doors of its factory in Gajary, Slovakia, to produce carbon frames and components for third parties.

TIME opens its European carbon factory to other brands: it is already producing a mountain bike frame for an external manufacturer

And this is not just a future project. According to the company, the factory is already producing a mountain bike frame and another intended for electric mobility for two external projects, although for now, the brands behind them have not been revealed.

TIME's factory begins producing frames for other brands

The Slovak plant operates under the name Carboprax and has so far been closely linked to TIME's production. Its main feature is the process used to manufacture carbon structures, based on RTM (Resin Transfer Molding) technology.

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Unlike the conventional process with pre-impregnated carbon sheets, TIME has been using braided fiber structures for years that subsequently receive resin through a mold transfer process. It is a system that allows for precise control over both the arrangement of the fibers and the amount of resin used.

Cardinal Cycling Group now wants to leverage that industrial capacity and accumulated knowledge to work as a OEM manufacturer for other companies in the sector.

Tony Karklins, CEO of Cardinal, explained to Bicycle Retailer that they are not simply making surplus production capacity available to third parties.

“This is a proven factory taking a step forward, not a new factory learning to work with carbon”.

Carboprax can participate in different phases of product development, from design and mold manufacturing to carbon production and final finishing. This opens the door to both companies that arrive with a developed frame and brands that need to outsource a large part of the process.

A mountain bike frame is already in production

The most interesting thing is that the initiative already has its first clients. Cardinal has confirmed that it is currently manufacturing a mountain bike frame for an external brand, in addition to another frame intended for an electric mobility application. The identity of both companies has not been made public.

For now, it is also unknown what quantities Carboprax can handle or the minimum orders required to contract its production, making it difficult to determine whether the factory intends to specialize in relatively small series or also compete for larger volume contracts.

The opening of the plant will also extend to components. Carboprax is developing carbon forks and seat posts using the same RTM technology, and plans to gradually expand its catalog.

Among the first innovations is a peculiar gravel fork for 32-inch wheels, scheduled for October 2026. According to Karklins, the emerging development of bicycles with this wheel diameter has so far forced builders and small brands to resort to adapted solutions from 29 inches or 700c.

Producing carbon in Europe is regaining interest

The decision comes at a time when some brands are reconsidering the extent to which it is convenient to depend on supply chains concentrated in a single region. Not long ago, SRAM announced the construction of a megafactory in Portugal capable of producing the entire catalog of the brand.

Cardinal points out among the factors favoring this change tariffs, delivery times, consistency in quality, new testing requirements, and the risk associated with relying on a single production area.

In this scenario, the Gajary factory offers an alternative within the European Union and, above all, starts with the advantage of having decades of experience in carbon frame manufacturing.

“Delivery times, tariffs, consistency in quality, new testing standards, and the risk of relying on a single region are leading manufacturers and brands to seek closer partners”, Karklins explains.

This does not mean that Asian production will lose the enormous weight it maintains in the cycling industry in the short term. Manufacturing carbon competitively in Europe remains complicated, especially when large volumes and costs come into play.

In fact, there are recent precedents that show this difficulty. REIN4CED tried to promote automated production of composite frames in Belgium for various European manufacturers, but ended up declaring bankruptcy at the end of 2025.

TIME puts its project to manufacture frames in the United States on hold for now

While it opens its European factory to other companies, Cardinal has decided to halt another of its industrial projects.

The company had announced in 2023 its plans to start manufacturing TIME carbon frames in the United States and, according to Karklins, it had produced several units and was ready to start operations.

However, the uncertainty related to tariffs has led Cardinal to pause the project. The company states that it is waiting for this situation to be definitively resolved before fully activating U.S. production.

Cardinal Cycling Group acquired TIME's bicycle business in 2021. In that operation, the historic French brand was divided: Cardinal took over the bicycle division and SRAM bought the pedal and footwear business.

Five years later, Cardinal wants to give a new dimension to the industrial infrastructure it received with TIME. The frames coming out of Gajary will no longer necessarily have the French brand's logo on the down tube. The same factory and technology that TIME uses for its own bicycles could be behind future models from other brands, and at least one new mountain bike frame is already coming out of its facilities.