Developing a bicycle frame from scratch is one thing — getting it officially certified for real-world use is another. Anyone who’s ever looked into ISO certification for bicycles knows how complex (and expensive) that process is. The exact standard depends on the category of bike — for example, ISO 4210 applies to safety and performance requirements for road and mountain bikes — and obtaining approval involves rigorous fatigue, impact, and assembly tests.

For an open-source project like OpenFrame, that certification process simply isn’t realistic at this stage. Each frame is continuously evolving through community input, iteration, and redesign. Instead of freezing the design for testing, the goal is to keep learning — improving joinery, geometry, materials, and 3D-printed lug structures along the way.

That’s where the indoor trainer concept comes in. By creating frames optimized for smart trainers like the Wahoo Kickr Core, we can safely test and showcase new frame generations without requiring full ISO certification. These trainer-specific builds don’t experience the unpredictable stresses of road use but still allow us to validate structural integrity, ergonomics, and design details under real pedaling loads.

The first of these indoor builds is called Kanibaal — a nod to power, endurance, and obsession with refinement. Built with the same modular bamboo and 3D-printed lug construction that defines OpenFrame, Kanibaal bridges the gap between open-source experimentation and practical performance testing. It’s a fully functional, trainer-ready frame that lets us iterate safely, measure progress, and share results openly with the community.

As OpenFrame continues to evolve, the plan is to grow both paths side by side:

  • Open-source DIY builds, available with full documentation and BOMs for makers who want to craft their own version.
  • Pre-built smart trainer frames, designed for plug-and-play use at home, combining digital precision with natural materials.

The idea remains the same: open design, transparent development, and shared learning — one frame at a time.