The first custom bike with a carbon monocoque frame

Leap forward in the construction of custom carbon bicycles with the invention, by the Italian artisan manufacturer Gregario, of a patented variable geometry mold that allows modifying every measurement of the bicycle to have a completely personalized unit without sacrificing the construction strength provided by monocoque manufacturing.

Italian brand Gregario invents a customizable mold

If there is a limitation in the manufacturing of carbon frames, it is the need to use molds to shape and solidify the carbon fiber and resin that binds it. A characteristic of the manufacturing method that for years has been a major headache for manufacturers, especially for those seeking the production of custom bicycles.

Manufacturing steel molds on which to build a carbon fiber frame is the most expensive part of the process. That is why currently many brands minimize the number of available sizes and their frames are built in different parts with a mold for the main triangle while the rear part is usually shared among different sizes and then glued together. In fact, nowadays it is extremely difficult to find a completely monocoque frame on the market due to the higher price and complexity of the required molds.

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On the other hand, artisan manufacturers, in order to maintain the added value of custom-made bicycles, have been opting for modular manufacturing, even more so than mainstream brands, in order to have the ability to customize lengths and angles of the different tubes that make up the bike, something that, however, limits the creation of complex shapes, especially if the goal is to build an aerodynamic model.

Meanwhile, completely monocoque bikes have the advantage of their total absence of joints, which means having more resistant and robust frames.

Now, the Italian artisan manufacturer Gregario promises to revolutionize the custom bike market with the invention of a completely monocoque mold with variable geometry that allows making custom bikes while maintaining an integral structure.

These features have been embodied by Gregario in their aerodynamic model Vera AR, which, for a price of around €6,000, similar to other top bikes on the market, allows us to have a bike completely tailored to our needs with tube lengths and angles perfectly adjusted in an aerodynamic frame weighing just 840 g.

Obviously, Gregario does not provide many technical details about the operation of their variable geometry molds, even pixelating the images showing critical areas of them. In any case, it is an innovative technology that has earned them the Best New Builder award at the 2025 Bespoked fair held in Germany. Of course, the entire manufacturing process takes place in their facilities in Turin.