{"id":337645,"date":"2025-12-09T18:04:17","date_gmt":"2025-12-09T18:04:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/337645\/"},"modified":"2025-12-09T18:04:17","modified_gmt":"2025-12-09T18:04:17","slug":"j-laverack-j-ack-iii-am64-titanium-road-bike-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/337645\/","title":{"rendered":"J Laverack J.Ack III AM64 titanium road bike review"},"content":{"rendered":"

The emergence of 3D printing, otherwise known as additive manufacturing, is having a growing influence on the bike industry, particularly in the realm of titanium bike frames. J.Laverack has taken it further than most in its latest AM64 bike series.<\/p>\n

\u2018AM64 is the use of additive manufacturing to form the junctions of the frameset\u2019s double butted tubes,\u2019 says Dave Clow, J. Laverack\u2019s co-founder. \u2018We honed our skills using this on elements of the Aston Martin .1R project<\/a>. Using AM64 gives us freedom to be more structurally efficient wherever we need to, helping to save weight and smooth the tube joins.\u2019<\/p>\n

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It\u2019s an optional extra that customers can add to any of Laverack\u2019s framesets when they are going through the build process, and one of the ways riders can modernise the otherwise classic-looking J.Laverack framesets.<\/p>\n

\u2018Every AM64 bike is made to order and can be tailored to specific requirements. We do the bike-fit and then design the frame and make all the additive parts according to the rider\u2019s riding position,\u2019 says Clow. \u2018Regardless of customisation, in any size it\u2019s got a reasonably tall stack and a short reach which makes it comfy. It\u2019s popular amongst ultra riders and it makes a great all-round bike.\u2019<\/p>\n

Clow says giving the AM64 treatment to a bike like the J.Ack is a particularly appropriate application of the technology.<\/p>\n

\u2018At its core it\u2019s still the all road J.ack model that we launched with ten years ago,\u2019 says Clow. \u2018Designed for smashing cobbles, Paris-Roubaix and Flanders-type riding and long days in the saddle. People gel with it very quickly because the handling is quite predictable.\u2019<\/p>\n

Related questions you can explore with Ask Cyclist, our AI search engine.If you would like to ask your own question you just need to , or subscribe<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Frameset design and 3D printing<\/p>\n

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While the frameset has conventional titanium tubing for its main members, elsewhere on the J.Ack III AM64 the printer is hard at work smoothing edges and shedding weight, with J.Laverack suggesting it has been able to fabricate frames that are up to 300g lighter. The head tube, bottom bracket junction, seat tube lug and dropouts are all 3D printed from 6Al-4V titanium. The threaded Streamline BSA bottom bracket <\/a>can house and hide cables, for gears as well as brakes if desired, while the chainstay bridge has been machined into its structure.<\/p>\n

\u2018With normal titanium, a mitre tube is joined up, TIG welded and the weld is visible,\u2019 says Clow. \u2018On the AM64 frames it looks seamless. Before being welded, the printed parts are heat-treated which relieves residual stresses and refines the grain structure. The welds themselves are then dressed to bring the mating surfaces in line with each other.\u2019<\/p>\n

Overall, this adds over \u00a33,000 to the price of a frameset kit. Though, according to Clow, that isn\u2019t necessarily because of the materials and equipment.<\/p>\n

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\u2018It’s a very complicated and expensive technology to work with but it allows you to do things that aren\u2019t possible otherwise,\u2019 he says.<\/p>\n

While the visual impact of AM64 is clear, the impact on how the bike feels on the road should be more subtle. \u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2018It would be hard to accurately test any changes in ride feel as a consequence of AM64,\u2019 says Clow. \u2018The biggest difference isn\u2019t in how the bike feels – though there are weight savings \u2013 it\u2019s predominantly an aesthetic and customisation thing.\u2019<\/p>\n

The build<\/p>\n

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You get what you pay for, and at J.Laverack that translates as comprehensive customisation.<\/p>\n

\u2018Over 95% of our sales involve custom geometry and tubing,\u2019 says Clow, who is also a qualified bike fitter. \u2018People want to take advantage of what we can do here.\u2019<\/p>\n

As well as the Enve in-route headset system, this test bike was equipped with Shimano Dura-Ace Di2, an AR|36 Carbon wheelset from J.Laverack\u2019s sister brand \u00c6RA and Brooks\u2019 fancy C13 Alcantara saddle. J.Laverack also offers additional mounts, internal dynamo cable routing, groupset tweaks and two seatpost diameters.<\/p>\n

\"Cyclist<\/a><\/p>\n

The stock geometry<\/p>\n

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J.Laverack\u2019s stock geometry on the J.Ack III is pretty standard for a most-purpose bike with all road<\/a>-worthy 38mm tyre clearance. On this size 56, the 583.5mm stack and 382.1mm reach combined with a 1015.6mm wheelbase<\/a> and a 68mm trail point to a reasonably upright position with a ride feel at the stable end.<\/p>\n

\u2018Even after the bike-fit, we try to keep the core geometry characteristics consistent \u2013 namely the head tube angle<\/a> and the trail \u2013 because that gives you neutral, predictable steering,\u2019 says Clow. \u2018Then we zoom out and look at the contact points and make changes to the head tube length, top tube length, and occasionally the seat tube angle.\u2019<\/p>\n

Riding the J. Laverack J.Ack III AM64<\/p>\n

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The frameset\u2019s joints are all uniformly smooth thanks to AM64. The pinched top tube is notable as the only point of angularity on the frame. There is also a hard transition between seatpost and frame enabled by the eradication of the seat tube collar, adding to the contrast. The simplicity of the profile is made all the better by knowing how painstaking it was to create.<\/p>\n

Needless to say, I wasn\u2019t treated to custom geometry but that scarcely seemed to matter. The J.Ack III is resoundingly comfortable, but not at the cost of responsiveness. The titanium contributes its own undercurrent of shock absorption, as does the long length of exposed carbon seatpost allowed by the sloping top tube. Even still, the feedback was always the right side of lively.<\/p>\n

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According to Clow, attention was paid to keeping a high level of lateral stiffness<\/a> in the bottom bracket, and that is detectable. You\u2019ve got a frame that\u2019s sufficiently stiff and constructed with a forgiving geometry, so, as Clow suggested, it\u2019s easy to feel at home almost instantly.<\/p>\n

The J.Ack climbs capably and responds dutifully to mid-turn line changes when cornering, despite that relatively high trail figure. On mild descents and flats, unsurprisingly, it doesn\u2019t really trouble the speed gun but it is resoundingly stuck to the tarmac.<\/p>\n

The \u00c6RA wheelset was stiff and tough, and 36mm seems like a smart depth choice for the kind of mixed riding the J.Ack is pointed towards. The comfort provided by the tubelessly set up 30mm Continental tyres made me wonder about its range limit when wrapped with full width 38mm tyres. If you can bear the sound of gravel twanging off your fancy undercarriage, I\u2019d say there are few places you couldn\u2019t take the J.Ack.<\/p>\n

J. Laverack J.Ack III AM64 review verdict<\/p>\n

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A bespoke, 3D printed J.Laverack with custom geometry is an expensive purchase, but it surely represents far better value than an off-the-shelf superbike from a mass-producing supplier that can\u2019t provide a comparable one-to-one service.<\/p>\n

The J.Ack III, complete with the weight and aesthetic advantages afforded (quite literally) by the AM64 fabrication method, is a bike that\u2019s hard to fault. It looks fantastic without being at all showy (especially in this blasted matt finish) and delivers a lightness and ride feel that all titanium fanciers will be delighted with.<\/p>\n

The Enve fork and In-Route cockpit completes the setup beautifully and gives the J.Ack a deeply modern feel. If you\u2019re not fussed about weight savings or custom geometry, then the AM64 element might be something to skip out on. Just don\u2019t go looking at one first, or you may well struggle to look past it.<\/p>\n

The reviewed spec\u00a0<\/p>\n

Model: J.Ack III AM64<\/p>\n

Price: \u00a311,339<\/p>\n

Weight:\u00a08.2kg<\/p>\n

Groupset: Shimano Dura-Ace Di2<\/p>\n

Wheelset: \u00c6RA AR|36 \u2018Black Marble\u2019 carbon<\/p>\n

Finishing kit: Enve In-Route SES AR, Brooks C13 carved 145mm Alcantara, Continental GP5000S TR 30mm \u2018Stealth Edition\u2019<\/p>\n

Buy now: jlaverack.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n

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