"We want to build bikes where customer benefit is the top priority," says Jonas Müller, co-founder of the Arc8 brand (pronounced like the English word "arcade"). You would think that every brand should have this as its goal, but the 40-year-old Swiss rider takes a critical view of the development of the road bike market in recent years.
Arc8 wants to fill the gap
There are too many overly specialised models and hardly any "low-maintenance all-rounders", says Müller. This has long been the case with mountain bikes, and the same trend is threatening road bikes. "However, we see that most sporty cyclists only own one model. The market is increasingly moving away from the customer. We want to fill this gap," says Müller.
To this end, the mechanical engineer, who has gained expertise with brands such as DT Swiss, BMC and Santa Cruz and has been working as a freelance bike developer in Taiwan for eight years, founded the Arc8 brand together with Swiss marketing expert Serafin Pazdera in 2018. The deliberately streamlined portfolio includes a road racer, a gravel bike and a handful of mountain bikes. We took a closer look at the road version called Arc8 Escapee.
Practical down to the last detail
At first glance, the angularly designed racer looks very mainstream, and the Arc8 Escapee's unique design features are few and far between. But the duo are not interested in standing out visually. What sets their interpretation of a racing bike apart from others only becomes apparent on closer inspection. First and foremost, this includes the maintenance-friendly details that are no longer a matter of course on modern racing bikes, such as a round seat post, a threaded BSA bottom bracket and a cable routing that allows for both mechanical and electronic shifting.
The ability to fit tyres up to 32 millimetres wide also creates a wide range of applications for the Arc8 Escapee. The only striking feature is the separate stem, which clamps the round handlebars with two slim, off-centre clamps. It integrates the cables invisibly, yet allows different handlebar models to be mounted.
Technically, the Arc8 Escapee is solid, the weight and stiffness are competitive and the suspension comfort of the seat post is even exceptionally good. Only the moderate aerodynamics of the bike prevent a better score - on the other hand, many all-rounders from established brands do not perform much better in this discipline. The riding position is balanced - not too radical for long tours, but also not too upright for racing. On the road, the Arc8 Escapee impresses with excellent directional stability and safe handling at high speeds.
This should appeal to many cyclists. This may not be enough to make Arc8 a "relevant player in the sports sector" - according to the makers' goal. However, the prices of the Arc8 models could well attract buyers. While many top models are only available for five-figure sums, you can get an Arc8 Escapee with Shimano's top Dura-Ace Di2 groupset for 7699 euros.
Our Arc8 Escapee test bike with twelve-speed Ultegra Di2 is also around 25 per cent cheaper than comparable models from major manufacturers, with fair prices for the frameset (2449 euros) and ready-to-paint frames that can be customised by the painter of your choice. The bikes can be purchased from specialist dealers; the dealer network is currently focussed on southern Germany and Switzerland, but is growing steadily according to Jonas Müller.
Facts about the Arc8 Escapee
- Price: 5799 Euro
- Info: www.arc8bicycles.com
Weight frame/fork/steering bearing* 939/426/70 grammes
Frame sizes** 48, 51, 54, 57, 60 cm
Seat/top tube/head tube 495/560/156 mm
Stack/Reach/STR*** 583/382 mm/1.53
Wheelbase/caster 1,005/67 mm
Features of the Arc8 Escapee
Drive/Circuit Shimano Ultegra Di2 (2x12, 11-30 t.)
Brakes Shimano Ultegra (160/160 mm)
Wheels/tyres (weights)**** Arc8 Carbon 50/Wolfpack Race 26 mm (1,310/1,720 grams)
*Weighed weights. **Manufacturer information Test size bold. ***Stack/Reach Projected vertical/horizontal measurement from the centre of the bottom bracket to the top of the head tube; STR (Stack to Reach) 1.36 means a very stretched, 1.60 an upright riding position. ****Impeller weights including tyres, cassette, quick release/threaded axles and brake discs if necessary.
All technical details and individual ratings can be found in TOUR issue 8/2022
Jens Klötzer
Editor
