Stefan Schmolke laid the foundation for his reputation in the lightweight construction scene in 1991 with an internship at TOUR, at that time still under cycling technology legend Hans-Christian Smolik. The topic of his student research project at the time: "New materials in the theory of a carbon racing handlebar." Just one year later, Schmolke had produced the first handlebars, and when they were used on Jan Ullrich's competition bike, the product enjoyed a similar career to the wheels from Lightweight or the carbon saddle from AX Lightness. From then on, Schmolke enjoyed a reputation as one of the most competent lightweight construction gurus in the industry. Even today, handlebars and seat posts are still made by hand in Constance. Schmolke continues to develop his parts in small steps: weight down, safety up. He has the carbon frames manufactured in Taiwan, and his knowledge flows into the design and the type and layup of the fibres.
With the new Grenoble model, the programme has now been extended to include a comfort racer. Formally less spectacular, the unpainted frame with its sparse red decor exudes the charm of the handmade, which suits Schmolke. The assembly with components from Schmolke's workshop and the Black Forest parts manufacturer Tune creates a harmonious overall picture. On the scales, one of the strengths of the exclusive mix is immediately apparent: at 5.6 kilos without pedals, the bike is far from the UCI minimum weight. Weighing 885 grams for the frame is not a sensation in the current year, but it is respectable for such a small manufacturer - especially when the frame and fork are as stiff as the test bike, which did not show any weaknesses on the test benches.
The outstanding comfort of Schmolke's seatpost is remarkable: with 93 Newtons per millimetre, it puts everything in the shade - even Canyon's patented Flex post. This is noticeable on the road: even at high speeds, the bike glides over bumps with confidence and directional stability; the selected components also contribute to this, such as Tune's "Komm Vor" saddle, 25 millimetre tyres and the comfortable oversize handlebars, whose large diameter extends into the lower handlebars - nice for the hands, which are flattered by the large contact surface, costly for Schmolke because it forced him to laminate larger clamps for the shift brake levers. Schmolke tries to compromise on the comfort of the riding position:
You don't sit extremely upright on the bike, but you're not stretched out race-style either. Schmolke's carbon Grenoble model offers a coherent concept with convincing technical values at a fair price: similarly lightweight framesets cost €2,200, even from mass-produced manufacturers.
Price complete wheel 6,666 Euro
Frameset 2,222 Euro
Weight 5 ,6 Kilo
Available via mail order
Reference/Info www.schmolke-titan.de
Frame sizes*** 48, 5 1, 54, 57 cm
Seat/steering angle 73°/73°
Seat/top tube/head tube 570/575/190 mm plus 15 mm headset cap
Wheelbase/caster 1,000/59 mm
Stack/Reach/STR**** 591/391 mm/1.51
EQUIPMENT
Steering bearing FSA, top 1-1/8, bottom 1-1/4 inch
Brakes/gears/bottom bracket SRAM Red (53/39 t., BB30)
Wheels/tyres Roxcycle Space Mission/Tune/Tufo Elite
Handlebar/stem Schmolke Carbon OS/Tune Awesome part
Saddle/post Tune Komm Vor/Schmolke Carbon (27.2 mm)
MEASURED VALUES & INDIVIDUAL NOTES
Weight of complete wheel 5.6 kg (without pedals)
Weight frame/fork/steering bearing**** 885/322/65 g
Standardised weight frame set***** 1.331 g: 1,7
Steering head stiffness 92 Nm/°: .1.7
Lateral stiffness fork 50 N/mm: .1 .3
Bottom bracket stiffness 53 N/mm: 2.0
Comfort frame 93 N/mm: 1.0
Comfort fork 81 N/mm: 3.3
* The frame set accounts for 40 per cent of the overall score and the features for 60 per cent. Individual grades are included in this assessment, only some of which are printed for reasons of space. The grades are calculated up to the final grade with all decimal places; however, for the sake of clarity, all grades are given with rounded decimal places.
** Manufacturer's specifications; test size in 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.
**** Weighed weights.
***** Adjusted weight for frame size 57 cm and fork steerer length 225 mm.
