Following the Pelago design philosophy of durable, functional and beautiful products, we’re introducing a concept stainless steel bicycle frame to cherish our 10 year journey building bikes. This concept reflects our vision of the perfect all-road bike and serves as a test platform and playground for some innovative technical solutions. The concept frame is based on the beloved Pelago Stavanger. Its geometry originates from the classic randonneur bicycle but is modernized for demanding all-road and gravel cycling.

The concept bike will be on display at our Paris Pop-Up as from May 16th.

For this project, we picked Columbus XCr stainless steel for frame tubing and tweaked a number of aspects in the Stavanger’s frame geometry and details. The build is finished with the freshly released Shimano GRX 810 2×11 groupset.

The GRX groupset is a brand new launch from Shimano, developed specifically to offer reliability and comfort for riding a drop-bar bike on rougher terrain.

The Frame

The concept frame is compatible with 700c or 650b wheels and a wide range of tire widths. The stainless steel frame is a perfect match with carbon forks, like the feather-light custom painted Columbus Futura Gravel Carbon used on our build. The frame features through-axle dropouts, BB shell and flat mount disc brake mounts by Paragon Machine Works.

The 38mm Rene Herse Steilacoom tires pair up nicely with the all-purpose mindset of our concept, offering uniform grip and comfort on mixed surfaces.

The frame has internal routing for dynamo cables and the fender eyelets are hidden inside the seat stays for clean looks. With three bottle cage mounts and improved details for carrying frame bags, the frame is set for some fast-paced bikepacking.

The Material

The Columbus XCr can be described as the crown jewel of steel bicycle frame materials. It is an innovative, high grade, seamless triple butted stainless steel tubing. As it’s stainless, there’s no need for paint or clear-coat after polishing.

Thanks to the high stiffness-to-weight and ultimate tensile strength (UTS)-to-weight ratios with the elevated characteristics of corrosion resistance, one can build extremely lightweight yet indestructible frames. The tubing material features high corrosion resistance for long-term use in any weather condition — perfect to embrace the Built to Last ethos of Pelago bicycles.

XCr is made in Italy by Columbus, who have been pioneers in the bicycle industry for 100 years.

Full parts list of the concept build

Frame: Pelago Concept Gravel w/ Columbus XCr tubing
Fork: Columbus Futura Gravel Carbon
Gears: Shimano GRX 810 2×11
Stem/Post/Bar: Easton EC70
Headset: Columbus 737SS34
Bottom Bracket: Wheels Mfg T47
Tires: Rene Herse Steilacoom Extralight 38-622
Wheels: (Hubs/Spokes/Rims) Hope RS4/DT Competition/Pelago
Saddle: Fizik Aliante R3
Bartape: Fizik Superlight