Kai Bendixen, namesake and head of the frame construction company Bendixen, is what you would call a career changer. The 31-year-old is actually a secondary school teacher of geography and technology. His enthusiasm for bicycle technology arose from his hobby: even as a young mountain biker, he spent his free time tinkering in bike shops. At the end of 2000, when he was studying to become a teacher in Freiburg, he started working in production for frame builder Florian Wiesmann until he set up his own business as a frame builder in 2004 and was entered in the Freiburg Register of Craftsmen.
Today, after almost five years of self-employment, Bendixen can't complain despite the general economic crisis. In addition to frames and forks for racing bikes, mountain bikes and singlespeeders with the Bendixen logo, the young entrepreneur builds prototypes, small series and show bikes for manufacturers such as Tout-Terrain and Fixie-Inc.; their "Five Star" design study, soldered by Bendixen, won the gold trade fair award at Eurobike 2008.
As diverse as his product range is and as numerous as his clients are: Bendixen never compromises when it comes to materials. His creations were, are and always will be made of steel, the traditional material of all frame builders. However, contrary to tradition, Bendixen does not use tubes from just one manufacturer, but draws from the entire range of Dedacciai, Columbus, Reynolds or True Temper. And it also happens that he uses tubes from three different manufacturers for one frame. Wherever possible, he uses stainless steel for brazed-on parts; he also has dropouts laser-cut if necessary and his company logo on the head tube anyway. Bendixen brazes all frames without a socket using the so-called "fillet brazed" method.
Bendixen came up with the idea for the touring racer in 2004 on a tour from Rosenheim to Athens, to the Summer Olympics and back again. During the four-week trip, he found enough time to think about tube dimensions, geometry and equipment. The result is the "Randonneur". For the frameset, Bendixen chose a mix of "Zona" tubes from Columbus (38 millimetres in diameter) and Dedacciai's "Sat" tubes (35 millimetres) for the down tube and top tube, which is quite voluminous for steel. The focus was not on lightweight construction, but on sufficient rigidity for adequate riding stability, as the weight of the rider also has to be added to the weight of the luggage, and three kilos for the frame set is not that significant.
The equipment list of the touring racer contains few road bike parts: the "F-139" stem and "Racelite" handlebars from Syntace, the "Pro" seatpost from Ritchey and nine-speed shifting brake levers from Shimano - that's the road bike equipment listed; the drivetrain comes from Shimano's "XT" mountain bike groupset. The 28-inch wheels are hand-built from Mavic's "CXP-33" rims with 32 spokes each, "XT" hubs and 32 millimetre wide "Marathon Racer" tyres from Schwalbe. The bike is braked with mechanical "BB7-Road" disc brakes from Avid, while the tried-and-tested "Tara" lowrider at the front and "Vega" at the rear from Tubus are responsible for transporting the load.
The eye-catcher of the lime green globetrotter - and therefore fitted - are the elegant wooden mudguards. They are undoubtedly too good for tough travelling, but can be replaced with more robust ones at any time. However, the wooden mudguards emphasise the bike's excellent workmanship. The powder coating is neatly applied and, above all, durable, which is a big plus in tough everyday travelling. The braze-on parts for the pannier rack and disc brakes are simple, beautiful and functional, and this line is continued in the gear cable routing under the bottom bracket and on the polished Bendixen logo on the head tube.
With a wheelbase of 1,035 millimetres and a caster of 74 millimetres, the Bendixen is designed for a stoic ride over long distances. The long wheelbase also creates space so that you don't bump into the panniers at the rear with your shoes. The sloping top tube guarantees sufficient headroom - important when you have to dismount in tricky passages, for example, and balance the fully loaded travelling truck. The stiffness values are very good for a steel frame, and the bike can cope with all riding situations even when fully loaded. The gear range is just as suitable for travelling as it is for mountain biking, the only unusual feature for road bike loaders is the larger pedal spacing of the off-road crankset. The mechanical disc brakes squeaked annoyingly at first and disappointed with moderate braking performance. It was only after around 200 kilometres that the squeaking subsided and the braking performance increased significantly after a few full braking manoeuvres before bends on fast descents. A shortcoming that Bendixen admits. The frame builder therefore recommends the use of Jagwire brake pads for effective brake tuning.
Conclusion: Travelling cyclists who like to go on long tours will find Bendixen's "Randonneur" a practically designed, individual travel companion. The cockpit is familiar, the equipment sensible and the riding stability is guaranteed even when fully loaded. However, better brakes ex works would be desirable.
*test bike frame size greased; **projected measurement from centre of bottom bracket to upper edge of head tube/saddle/head tube rise at 75 cm seat height (centre of saddle frame-upper edge of headset cover); ***adjusted weight for frame size 57 and fork steerer length 225 mm; ****the grade includes further individual grades which we cannot print for reasons of space.
Photos: Matthias Borchers
