Bikes of the Bunch – Stoemper

May 15, 2012

In a day when many frame makers have moved to carbon, titanium and retro steel, aluminium has taken a backseat with most high-end bikes. It was the alloy of choice ten to twenty years ago but is now relegated to inexpensive cyclocross and mountain bike frames. Fortunatley aluminium still has a place in my mate Roger's heart and he managed to find a framebuilder in Springfield, Oregon who still specialises in using it.

Stoemper is Flemish for “mashing a big gear”, in English, or “Big Dog” in Aussie, or probably more literally, “Stomper”. It’s an Oregon-based custom bike builder that was started with the help of David Alvarez, former marketing manager for Ridley Bikes, who owns half of Stoemper. The other half is owned by the framebuilder himself, Todd Gardner. My mate Roger first noticed these bikes because he followed an Belgian cyclocrosser named Ben Berden who was riding a Stoemper on the US scene (Berden was busted for EPO in Belgium in 2005, suspended, then resumed racing in the US). Stoemper is better known for their cyclocross bikes but will build anything out of aluminium or steel.

I took this Stoemper out for a short ride and I can tell you that it doesn’t ride the way I remember an aluminium bike riding. Fast and stiff, but not uncomfortable and harsh like aluminium bikes are known for. This one is built up with some beautiful Ambrosia 32h box-section tubular rims with C-4 hubs, ENVE fork, Dura-ace, and FSA bars, stem, seatpost and crankset. It’s nothing that most people on Beach Road will turn their heads at, but those who know what they’re looking for will appreciate the simplicity and beauty of this bike. The bike weighs in at 7.2kgs built up the way you see it here. The only concession that was made for the sake of weight were the titanium spokes.

Visit Stoemper’swebsite and facebook page,

: Stoemper’s Bronto headbadge designed by Iwishiknewkungfu.com

: very nice aluminum welds

: Stoemper’s bikes are custom painted by Colorworks Bike Paining in Oregon

: Titanium Nitride coated chain made my KMC is said to last about 3000 kilometers longer than regular chains. And they’re BLING!

: The rear dropouts have a small slot so the skewer sits flush when closed

: Chris King headset. Always a popular choice of custom bike builds

: Ambrosio 32 hole box-section rims with titanium spokes. Still the choice of wheels for many pros riding Paris-Roubaix, although that’s beginning to change with carbon wheels getting stronger and cheaper (as well as a more predictable “bounce” over the cobbles).

Handmade by Todd Gardner

JD

Cannondale CAAD 10? Aluminium on quality roadies is not dead yet…
- Cam
  
  There is truth to the opening statement, though Australia is also ahead of many much larger consumer markets that are still emerging. At Giant’s new production facility in Kunshan, China, 4/5 production lines are dedicated to making aluminium bikes. They’re not all cheap USD300 mountain bikes, either. Half of the bikes in the domestic road bike range use aluminium frames; including a SRAM Force-equipped ‘TCR SL1′. Globally speaking, aluminium is far from being dead.
Notso Swift

Ti Spokes! that is one hell of a concession though: about 1.2 gram lighter than Lasers. KMC is also the weightweeny choice (I reckon the best value chain as well)
Love the subtle graphics, and good old Nemisis rims

Put it on the Big ring, son, the Big Ring ;-)
- http://www.cyclingTipsBlog.com cyclingTips
  
  I noticed that I forgot to put it in big ring after the first shot. Subsequent shots should be sound ;-)
Matt B

Seriously, watch some of the Cross videos that are up on the Stoemper Vimeo. If that doesn’t get you stoked to buy a cross bike and race this season not much will.
http://www.cyclingtips.com.au/ CTech

Very nice bike. The discussion about aluminium bike frames brings to mind my dream bike test: take one frame design and get it made in steel, aluminium, titanium, and carbon. Build each frame with the same parts and compare the ride of each. There’s too much range in the materials to expect one builder to take care of the entire job, so perhaps match a builder to each material: Pegoretti for steel, Baum for Ti, Serotta for carbon, and Gaulzetti for aluminium?

Any sponsors want to see this dream test come to life? Get in touch with me…
- http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1333971090 Sean Doyle
  
  The problem with that is within each material there is a massive range of outcomes possible. You can make a steel frame as stiff and unforgiven as much as you can make aluminium frame ride like a lounge chair.
  - http://www.cyclingtips.com.au/ CTech
    
    Part of the experiment would be to provide each frame builder with the same brief. A choice would have to be made as to the kind of ride that was wanted eg supple all day ride versus stiff sprinter. I take your point though, the outcome may be too variable to make any firm conclusions but I’m sure there’d still be plenty of interest in the outcome.
    - http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1333971090 Sean Doyle
      
      No doubt. I reckon to make it even more of an unbiased opinion you’d have to disguise the bikes somehow. Maybe foam and bubble wrap so you couldn’t tell which bike was which. Then again geometry makes so much more difference than frame materials and the geometry in one frame material would be different to the next to achieve the same handling/feel.
      This is why the argument that one frame material is better than the other is so ridiculous. All the materials are so advanced these days that any of them would be viable for most applications.
      Anyway, drifting a little. Stoemper make a righteous bike in both Al & Fe and they are highly regarded in the frame building community. Rightly so.
- Robert Merkel
  
  One frame design? Isn’t the problem with that that a frame design that works best in one material might not be best in another?
  
  I think a better comparison would be to give each designer the same brief, the same rider, and get them to build the bike appropriately for the brief and the rider.
  
  I think we all know that the end result would be four sensational bikes, though.
- Robert Merkel
  
  One frame design? Isn’t the problem with that that a frame design that works best in one material might not be best in another?
  
  I think a better comparison would be to give each designer the same brief, the same rider, and get them to build the bike appropriately for the brief and the rider.
  
  I think we all know that the end result would be four sensational bikes, though.
Todd!

Beautiful bike! Well proportioned and I love the different color to the status quo. Thanks for the great write up.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1333971090 Sean Doyle

If you want fast aluminium check out Gaulzetti. They make arguably the best aluminium race frame around.
ssanchez

Danish manufacturer Principia has been pumping out high quality Alu frames for decades. Their latest high-end REX is superb. This looks quite similar.
Anonymous

STOEMPER really is an excellent name, especially in all-caps. (The bike does look the goods, too.)
Porrsome153

I am a big fan of aluminium. I recently purchased a CAAD 10. I have several aluminium frames that I have spec’d up. I love them. My carbon TCR is slightly more comfortable however, the alu bikes are more responsive. Great to see independant builders doing alu frames.
purpletezza

I ride a 2005 Specialized SWORKs E5. All alloy frame with full carbon fork. All red. I can ride it all day. People think it is new. People think it is carbon. People ask questions about it. I love it. (7800 D/A, Ksyrium ES, Deda parts)

(I also have a 2010 Focus Izalco(7900, h/built wheels/Deda parts) and whilst the Focus tracks down fast descents better, has a stiffer bottom bracket and accelerates quicker, the E5 is my preferred ride in all but serious racing. Basically the same built as the E5 and only 300g lighter)
http://twitter.com/Tinea_Pedis Nick Squillari

Really is a top notch build with a severely (well, within Oz at least) underrated frame material. Kudos to the owner, hopefully will spot it in the flesh one day.

Bikes of the Bunch – Stoemper

May 15, 2012

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