We have an unfair advantage when it comes to designing our full-on gravel slayer, the ADHX 45.
The fundamental technology within all TIME bikes is our proprietary braided carbon fiber construction. Made possible with resin transfer molding and perfected over our 30-year history, this process allows us to engineer an incredibly durable and exceptionally compliant gravel bike. The ADHX 45 delivers the lively, responsive feel that has made TIME bikes legendary, even on the iconic, impossibly rough cobblestones of Paris-Roubaix.
Carbon is often praised as a compliant, vibration-absorbing material when properly engineered, but not all carbon is created equal. The ADHX 45 uses a range of carbon fibers and other filaments, including Kevlar, Vectran, and Dyneema® fibers—which can be found exclusively in TIME frames.
Dyneema is a high-modulus polyethylene fiber known for excellent energy absorption and high impact resistance. In comparison to carbon fiber, Dyneema® has inherent vibration damping qualities due to its polymer structure, which is more flexible than carbon. This flexibility allows it to absorb more energy from vibrations, resulting in a smoother ride.
TIME strategically incorporates Dyneema® fibers with a proprietary blend of 16 carbon fiber types to craft the ADHX 45 for gravel riding's unique challenges: rough surfaces, larger tires, and high speeds.
Strength and Durability for the Real World
Gravel bikes live hard, and often short lives. Demanding events like Unbound Gravel, Big Sugar and countless others subject bike and rider to rough and unpredictable conditions. Hard hits are certainties, crashes are common and rock strikes—where small stones impact carbon tubes hard enough to cause serious damage to some frames—are inevitable. Most pre-preg carbon frame manufacturers address this by adding more layers of carbon to reinforce and shield high-stress areas. However, this can add weight and dull the ride.
TIME bikes are made differently. When designing the ADHX 45 for the torture chamber that gravel cycling can be, we relied on the unique way impact stress is distributed across the entirety of a three-dimentional braided carbon structure (BCS) of continuous, unbroken fibers. This approach to carbon construction dramatically reduces stress risers and weak spots and for the ADHX 45 we selected a matrix of fibers to further address impact management and damage resistance.
Since it’s impossible to braid pre-preg carbon, these structures are only possible with TIME’s unique BCS dry fiber construction utilizing resin transfer molding (RTM) which further enhances the precision and quality of the frame by precisely controlling resin distribution and fiber-to-resin ratio. Our forged carbon dropouts pack 20 times the fatigue life of steel or aluminum, and a 60% fiber content allowing drilling and threading without cracking, and we add Kevlar or Vectran fibers to the ADHX 45’s steer tube to reinforce this critical area.
Geometry - A Modern Classic
As an iconic French cycling brand, TIME’s understanding of frame geometry is rooted in a stable and predictable character that inspires confidence when bashing through the cobbled classics of the Ardennes, careening down high speed descents in the French Alps or in the case of the ADHX 45, churning through endless stretches of chunky, tire-mauling gravel somewhere outside Emporia, Kansas.
We start with a longer wheelbase and 43mm chainstays to add both clearance and compliance. A relatively relaxed 72.3 head tube angle (size medium) gives the ADHX 45 mild manners at speed, allowing it to hold its line remarkably well even in choppy corners. This bike won't over-react to mid-corner adjustments and can handle a drift in loose conditions without missing a beat. When you’re tired and your skills aren’t their sharpest, the forgiving and trustworthy ADHX 45 will help get you home unscathed.
The Alpe d’Huez Family’s Aggressive Sibling
The ADHX 45 is the most aggressive off-road bike in the TIME lineup, built for riders who want a smooth and responsive high-performance machine that can tackle rugged terrain. Optimized for 700x45c tires (and compatible with 650x50c) the ADHX 45 combines the precision and engineering honed over our 30 years of carbon frame development with geometry and ride tuned for chunky, aggressive gravel. Riders looking to log a lot of miles on smaller rubber and mix it up with the roadie crowd might appreciate the shorter wheelbase, slightly steeper angles and snappier feel of the Alpe d'Huez X, which is designed around a 700x35c tire, and if your rides are all about tarmac speed and a 700x28c is all you need, take a look at TIME’s take on the Ultimate Road bike - the Alpe d’Huez.
Options And Details
Gravel can mean different things depending on where you live and what you like to ride, and we designed the ADHX 45 with this in mind. It’s easily converted from 1x to 2x drivetrain compatibility and since we believe storage should always be accessible, a top tube accessory mount allows you to securely attach your favorite bag for quick and easy access to snacks and essentials. Frames are available in five sizes and seven colors including an ‘RTP’ (ready-to-paint) option and we offer several complete builds featuring SRAM Force or Shimano GRX.
The Peak Gravel Experience
The ADHX 45 is smooth, stable, uncommonly durable, and when asked, it absolutely rips. It’s not easy to make a bike this refined and balanced, and we at TIME might have an unfair advantage when designing gravel bikes with our BCS and RTM manufacturing processes, which yield an unparalleled standard of precision and consistency that conventional pre-preg carbon frames simply cannot match. This distinction is evident in the impeccable, flawless finish of every TIME frame. Meticulously crafted to be perfect both inside and out, our bikes deliver a durability that lets us stand behind the ADHX 45 with the same Lifetime Warranty we offer for all our models.
