When the Alutech Pelmo was presented at the Eurobike 2024 was presented for the first time, fans of beautifully shaped aluminium frames got their palms wet. The bike community had to wait a long time for a completely new fully from Alutech. It almost goes without saying that the Pelmo has some very special features. The aluminium fully clearly stands out from the grey mass of mountain bikes that are always the same. The Alutech Pelmo is not just visually appealing to test. For the sake of quality and the environment, it is produced locally in Europe. Thanks to the small series approach and the decades of expertise of the Alutech team, there are some exciting details on the brand new Pelmo. We have already been able to put this individualist all-mountain bike on our test benches and take it off-road.
Alutech Pelmo: Born from European bike history
Every good story has a powerful hero. In the case of Alutech, that hero is Jürgen Schlender. Spurred on by the wild mountain bike boom of the 90s, the Berlin native welded together an aluminium fully and rode it to the first BIKE Festival on Lake Garda. A mix of the martial look of the bike and Schlender's charismatic one-man show took the hearts of the young German downhill community by storm. However, another ten years passed before Schlender decided to turn his private pleasure into a business. In his own eyes, his experience as a haute couture tailor and in the used car trade did not qualify him to be the managing director of a bike brand.
In 2001, he took over the small CNC label Alutech in Bielefeld and welded the first "Wildsau" model. Schlender now has 24 years as a developer and frame builder under his belt. His creations are still unmistakable. The Pelmo, the latest creation from the North German by choice and named after a mountain massif in the Dolomites, also bears the legacy of this history with its curved tubes. However, this is only partly due to the company's image. During the coronavirus pandemic, Alutech, as a buyer of small quantities, had major availability problems with production, which had been relocated to Asia in the meantime. Schlender decided to bring production back to Germany.
The first Pelmo was created from surplus tubes from the "Fanes" enduro model. Material that has already been cut to size is also reused in series production to conserve resources. What the Fanes didn't have before: milled parts. Schlender is well connected and found a suitable partner in a CNC specialist from the Netherlands. However, the sustainability of the Pelmo does not end with recycling and local production. A storage compartment is concealed behind a hinged cover in the down tube. Jürgen Schlender's wife sews the matching tool bag by hand from old advertising banners and Alutech pavilions. If you want the Pelmo with a special signature, invest 1200 euros extra and click on "Sanded Welding" in the configurator. Schlender then sands each frame itself for a full 1.5 days. However, due to the immense effort involved, the exclusive finish will be limited to a homeopathic number of ten bikes. Standard frames start at 2999.95 euros, complete bikes at 4599.95 euros.
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Details about the Alutech Pelmo
- Range of use: All Mountain
- Price: 5999,95 Euro
- Weight: 15.4 kg (BIKE measurement, without pedals)
- Frame material: Aluminium
- Suspension travel: 160 / 150 mm
- Wheel size: 29" / 27.5"
- Maximum system weight: 120 kg
- Warranty: 2 years
- Special features: Made in Germany, offset bushings, interchangeable dropouts, down tube storage compartment
Equipment
- Fork: Rockshox Lyrik Ultimate
- Shock: Rockshox Super Deluxe Ultimate
- Gearing / Bandwidth: Sram GX Eagle AXS Transmission / 520 %
- Brakes: Formula Cura 4 / 203/180 mm
- Wheels: DT Swiss EX1700
- Tyres: Maxxis Assegai 3C Maxxterra, 29 x 2.50 / Minion DHR Exo, 29 x 2.40
- Seatpost / Stroke: Twinworks Vario / 200 mm
The Alutech Pelmo on the trail
To cope with our harsh test terrain in Finale-Ligure, we ordered the Pelmo with ten millimetres more fork travel and a mullet set-up. The all-mountain bike can be converted to a 29-inch rear wheel using interchangeable dropouts. If you order the full luxury from the cult manufacturer, you can reduce the weight by around two kilos for just under 8000 euros. Even if the chic look with impeccable workmanship seems familiar, the Pelmo has something that Alutech has not had for a long time: a bottle cage mount. On first contact, our test team raised their eyebrows in positive surprise. Even though 15.4 kilos is mid-range all-mountain at best, the Pelmo feels anything but heavy. The agility is fine thanks to the moderate wheel weight. However, you cheat yourself out of this with a light EXO tyre carcass. There is a risk of flats on the rear wheel!
In the saddle, the body position is extremely front wheel orientated. With a lot of pressure on the flat control centre and a small 30-tooth chainring, the bike takes on every ramp, no matter how steep. On flat terrain, the 77.9 degree seat angle is too much of a good thing and the wrists have to bear a lot of weight due to the compact riding position. Meanwhile, the rear suspension remains pleasingly neutral. Only when pedalling out of the saddle does the rear end pump along. The platform lever provides a remedy. Caution is advised when the climb gets technical. Due to the low bottom bracket, the 175 millimetre long cranks threaten to touch down. In addition, at low speeds the rider has to actively work against the tipping of the extra-flat steering angle.
Light and shade: Downhill on the new Alutech Pelmo
The fact that not all test riders warmed up to the Pelmo on the downhill is mainly due to the special riding position. The rearward-angled handlebars with little rise do not create a comfortable position. The 800-millimetre bar is too wide in tight spots and the chainstays are too long for agile, playful riding manoeuvres. In addition, the rear suspension doesn't manage to match the sensitivity of its predecessors and always seems over-damped. Comfort is not one of the Pelmo's proven strengths.
Only when we raise the cockpit and switch to full throttle mode does the handling come to life. Then the powerful Rockshox Lyrik Ultimate fork in a 62.2 degree flat position, together with the sweeping rear end, creates a smooth ride. The estate takes extreme steep sections in its stride. At high speeds, the rear suspension also does a better job, increasingly absorbing rough hits and bringing calm to the system. With 200 millimetres of travel on the dropper post and an extremely short seat tube, the saddle never gets in the way. The highly controllable Formula brakes are another equipment highlight.
Explanation of the BIKE rating spider diagram: Uphill, playfulness, downhill refers to the riding behaviour: The larger the deflection, the better the suitability. Equipment: is made up of different points such as quality/workmanship, usability, bottle cage volume, saddle lowerability. Propulsion: Influence of total weight and wheel inertia. The Alutech Pelmo was assessed in the All Mountain category.
Data from the BIKE test lab
- Total weight: 15.40 kg (without pedals)
- Weight of wheels: 5291 g (per set with tyres, cassette, brake discs)
- Wheel inertia: 4120 kg x cm² (the lower the value, the easier it is to accelerate)
BIKE conclusion
Thanks to its quality, sustainability and beautiful details, the Alutech Pelmo has what it takes to become a collector's item. Despite being "Made in Germany", the Alutech has nothing to hide when it comes to value for money. It's a bike with corners, edges and a blatant geo. Fans can probably overlook the special riding characteristics. Everyone else will have to be prepared for deficits in suspension comfort. - Jan Timmermann, BIKE editor
Pro
- seems easier than it is
- Smooth running in demanding terrain
- top brakes and fork
- Top-quality aluminium frame made in Germany with a sustainable approach
- Quiet background noise
Contra
- Steering and seat angle too extreme on flat terrain
- little chassis comfort
- Driver integration with weaknesses
Jan Timmermann
Editor
