Manufacturing State of the Art Titanium Folding Bikes in Canada

Helix is now manufacturing state of the art titanium folding bikes in Canada

Helix is proud to announce that they have successfully launched a new bicycle manufacturing company in North America. From their humble beginnings as a crowd funded business, they managed to overcome the challenges of starting up a factory from scratch to manufacture their all titanium folding bikes in Canada and deliver their first bikes in 2019. After their successful launch, they refined their state of the art manufacturing process, increased their production rate and are now mass producing what they consider the industry's best folding bike.

To be able to manufacture in Canada, Helix developed two never before seen automation technologies in bicycle manufacturing. Helix is the first bicycle manufacturer in the world to robotically TIG weld bicycles. This is especially notable as their bikes are titanium and to perfect this process they weld their frames in an inert argon chamber making robot TIG welding of titanium bikes possible.

In addition, they are the first bicycle company in the world to laser cut their titanium tubes. In comparison, conventional titanium bike manufacturers have relied on basic techniques such as milling and wire cut EDM. These are very slow processes that don't allow for complex geometries. As folding bike frames can be intricate and are comparable to full suspension bikes, laser tube cutting was the best way to achieve the result and be fast enough to scale. Helix developed a proprietary laser tube cutting process that is specific to titanium making it possible to adapt an industrial laser to the stringent requirements of processing thin wall titanium tubes.

Helix makes extensive use of CNC machining and has 27 titanium CNC machined parts that make up the frame, locking mechanisms, axles and dropouts. This is the most machined titanium bike in the industry. Helix developed specialized machining strategies to be able to cost effectively mass produce multi-axis titanium parts which would usually be cost prohibitive and generally reserved for aerospace, medical and defense industries.

Helix is a revolutionary new design that upends the stigma of a folding bike. It has big wheels, a one piece titanium frame and a purpose built all-titanium locking mechanism that is fully rigid. Helix folds down to size of its wheels and has many convenience features built in that make it a truly usable folding bike. These include the ability to roll when folded, stand when folded and be lifted without coming apart. Until now a folding bike that rides and folds exceptionally well has not existed. Helix is patented worldwide and was invented by Peter Boutakis, a cycling enthusiast and mechanical designer.

Helix is a standout product that is fundamentally driven by the desire to make the best possible folding bike with the best manufacturing process. Helix chose to make their bikes in Canada as it allowed them to quickly iterate the design and make incremental changes in a matter of days. In comparison to overseas manufacturing, this allowed them to perfect their design quickly. It also eliminated the barriers in creating a product that is completely new where OEM manufacturers would not take on the capital investments and risks of pushing the boundaries. Today Helix can operate freely and without the limitations of working with an overseas manufacturer that also manufactures for their competitors and dozens of other brands.

Helix sells factory direct to customers through their website. Without going through retailers or sales partners, Helix is able to be priced below the industry average for a complete full titanium bike. Considering the state of the art manufacturing process and that it is a folding bike, Helix is an exceptional value.

In 2022 Helix is launching a full line of accessories custom designed for their bike and later in the year they will be releasing an electric assisted version that will weigh only 25 pounds and is expected to be a groundbreaking bicycle for the growing ebike industry.

Learn more about a truly revolutionary folding bike that is unlike any other you have ever seen here: https://helix.ca/media/presskit/?mediaID=20211130-helix-bike

Learn more about how Helix started here: https://helix.ca/media/presskit/?mediaID=20211130-helix-company

Learn more about Helix's new Ultralight bike that starts at just 19 lbs here: https://helix.ca/media/presskit/?mediaID=20210701-ultralight

Learn more about Helix's manufacturing process here: https://helix.ca/media/presskit/?mediaID=20211101-manufacturing