Old school my arse: in the TOUR test we show seven modern, exclusive classics. Sven Krautscheid is a convinced steel frame solderer, he leaves no doubt about that. He is the son of frame building legend Günter Krautscheid, who has been supplying generations of racers in the Ruhr region with affordable steel frames since the 1970s. That's why 40-year-old Sven is also a contemporary witness who has experienced the development of steel frame construction over the last few decades at first hand.
Jürgen Wastl's customers also usually have highly individualised ideas about what their new road bike should look like. A good 60 per cent of road cyclists who order their new bike from his shop Passione Bici in Wendlingen, Swabia, opt for a custom frame. In return, they accept waiting times - Wastl calls it "anticipation time" - of four to six months. All for the certainty of receiving a unique bike that is perfectly customised to their needs.
Arendt van Deyk also confirms that it is often aesthetic reasons that bring steel back into focus as a frame material. The Stuttgart native is responsible for digital brand communication at Mercedes Benz and has been at home in the world of art and design in this role for years. Before founding his bike brand Vandeyk in 2010, the passionate bike enthusiast had long struggled with the fact that, in his opinion, sophisticated product design only plays a subordinate role in the world of bicycles. His goal with Vandeyk is to change this.
The test results of these steel-framed road bikes can be found below as a PDF download:
- Crema Cycles Doma
- De Rosa Corum
- Gios Steel Master 65
- Sven Krautscheid Project 2013
- Ritchey Road Logic
- Tommasini Tecno
Downloads:
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