Where are Carver bikes built?

What tubing do you use?

Where are you located?

What types of frames can you build?

What types of finishes do you offer?

Where can I buy a Carver frame or components?

Can I purchase through my non-dealer shop?

I don’t see your Mini frame listed anymore?

How long will it take to get my custom Carver frame?

What is the warranty on Carver frames and parts?

How does the ordering process work?

Do you also offer complete bikes?

You offer two Obeast forks. What are the differences?

Do you offer 650B bikes?

What about those Pinion gearboxes?

Where are Carver bikes built?

We are partnered with a six-man titanium building shop in Guangdong province, China. We have worked with them for the past six years and have been really impressed with their quality and workmanship. They have made hundreds of frames for us and we have a very efficient system of ensuring consistently great frames. We do all the final finishing, quality control and design work here in Maine. Needless to say, we would prefer to have our frames built in the US, but we have yet to find anyone that can match the quality and value of our builder.

What tubing do you use?

The titanium tubing that we use is imported for us from Taiwan. It is aerospace grade seamless 3A/25V titanium. The tubing quality is excellent and is available in a quite a variety of tubing diameters and wall thicknesses including double butted, ovalized and tapered gauge. Our head tubes and bottom brackets are CNC machined from 3A/2.5V or 6A/4V titanium, depending on the application.

Where are you located?

Our shop is in Woolwich, about thirty miles up the Maine coast from Portland. We are also Bath Cycle and Ski, as well as Bikeman.com. Just look for the Dalmatian spotted ski gondola on US Route 1, just north of Bath, Maine. Stop by to visit anytime! There is some great riding in the area, too.

What types of frames can you build?

Pretty much anything! We have built many different types of frames including trials, BMX, touring, racing, travel bikes, time trial, snow bikes. We also build custom forks, seat posts, handlebars, and stems. If you can design it, we can probably build it for you.

What types of finishes do you offer?

Our standard finish is a bead-blasted finish. The brushed finish, a great idea in terms of longevity, is a $100.00 upcharge. In addition to looking great, it can be touched up by the rider using just a Scotch Brite pad. We also offer bead-blast over brushed logos, brushed over bead-blast logos, and an engraved logo on the head tube. If you prefer paint or a combination of paint and titanium, we are partnered with Powder Plus in Bangor, Maine. Just let us know what you’re interested in, and we can quote you a price.

Where can I buy a Carver frame or component?

Carver frames and components are available either through our local dealer network or our sister website Bikeman.com. For custom frames, contact us via phone at 1-800-BIKEMAN or e-mail. Just let us know if you have any questions or ideas!

Can I purchase through my non-dealer shop?

Being a local shop ourselves, we respect and appreciate LBS loyalty. We will gladly work with EITHER your shop OR you, but regrettably we don’t have the manpower to do both. If contact by both parties is made, we will always default to a direct sale to the customer. If initial contact is made by the shop, we will work exclusively with them for the sale.

I don’t see your Mini frame listed anymore?

Unfortunately, our aluminum builder went out of business. We still offer the Mini frame in titanium, but the aluminum frames are no longer available. When and if we find another builder, we will produce them again. They have been very popular, and are still one of the best options in a lightweight mountain bike frame for riders 3’8″ to 4’10”. If you’d like to leave your e-mail address we’d be happy to contact you if they are reintroduced.

In the meantime, we have been building custom 24” Kona Hulas. We take a stock Hula bike and build it up with a rigid carbon fork, light wheels and tires, a 1 x 9 drivetrain, and lighter components. These custom 24” bikes are $749.95, and take roughly a week to build up.

How long will it take to get my custom Carver frame?

Lead times vary from six weeks to ten weeks depending on our backlog. If you have a specific deadline please let us know and we’ll do our very best to make sure that we meet that deadline.

What is the warranty on Carver frames and parts?

We offer a five-year warranty on titanium frames to the original owner.

Aluminum frames and components come with a three-year warranty. We also offer a no-fault customer goodwill program for rides whose frames are outside of the warranty period.

Titanium components (handlebars, seatposts, rotors) come with a two-year warranty against manufacturer defects.

Carbon frames and forks carry a two-year warranty to the original owner against manufacturer defects. We also offer a crash replacement program for frames, forks and wheels.

How does the ordering process work?

After consultation either by e-mail, telephone, or here at the shop, we will develop a frame drawing and email it to you. If you already have a bike that you’re very comfortable on, sending the frame measurements is great start. If not, we’re happy to do the frame fit using your body measurements, either by e-mail or here at the shop. After any necessary revisions, when the frame drawing has been approved by you, we ask for a 50% deposit to begin work.

Do you also offer complete bikes?

Sure thing! Just let us know which are interested in. We’re happy to quote you a build kit price. We can either ship you a completely built bike or if you enjoy building it yourself, we can ship the frame, fork, and build kit separately. We offer OEM pricing from great manufacturers  like Race Face, Shimano, Cane Creek, and many others.

You offer two Obeast forks. What are the differences?

Both of our titanium and carbon fiber Obeast forks are based on a 465 mm axle to crown dimension. They are both set up for front disc offset hubs. With the addition of a 5mm rotor spacer kit, they can be used with rear spaced 135mm front hubs, such as Surly, Salsa and others. The titanium-based forks can be used with a conventional star nut, but the carbon fiber fork should only be used with a compression plug. The tolerances on the carbon fiber Obeast fork steerer are fairly tight. If you have a problem installing either the fork crown race for the top race, don’t be afraid to use a bit of fine grit sandpaper to smooth the steerer tube and to bevel the upper surface of the crown race seating area. Alcohol works well as a lubricant. Another trick is to cool the fork and warm the crown race and/or the top race.

Do you offer 650B bike?

Sure thing! We’ve been building 650 B frames and bikes for the past seven years. Our most popular is the KillerBee which is a 650B front and rear set up. We also offer the BumbleBee (29″ front, 650B rear) and the Honeybee (650B front, 26″ rear).

What about the Pinion gearbox?

We’re pretty excited about the Pinion gearboxes. A little heavier than a traditional derailleur setup, but super durable, wide gear range and a nice low center of gravity.

We’ve listed most of the parts that you would need on www.bikeman.com, our sister company. In addition to the gearbox, you’d need crankarms, shifter and the spider or 32 tooth belt cog. The crank arms, spider, and Gates belt wheel that you choose really depends on if you were building a fat bike or a regular bike….the Fat bike chainline is 69 mm, versus 56 mm.

 Here is the list of all of the Pinion components
We also have OEM pricing on Gates belts and cogs, but they are not all listed on our site.
Just call for availability and prices.