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Rennstahl - Precious steel bikes from Bavaria

Sebastian Brust

 · 24.10.2013

Rennstahl - Precious steel bikes from BavariaPhoto: Hersteller
Rennstahl - Precious steel bikes from Bavaria
The company Falkenjagd from Ismaning near Munich is well known to enthusiasts as a supplier of innovative titanium bikes. Under the Rennstahl label, the company is now also launching bikes made from the most classic of all frame materials - steel. Also exclusive and classy.

It all began in spring 2013, when the newly founded Rennstahl Bikes brand presented exclusive trekking and touring bikes for geared and derailleur bikes. Made from high-quality Reynolds 853 tubes, they are offered as frame kits or complete bikes, including mountain bike versions.

Racing steel made from Reynolds 853 steel tubes, here with Pinion gearbox. The complete bike shown here costs 4250 euros.Photo: Hersteller Racing steel made from Reynolds 853 steel tubes, here with Pinion gearbox. The complete bike shown here costs 4250 euros.

Now the young brand is launching a racing version for mountain bike use. The frame is made of stainless steel (tube set: Reynolds 931) and - like the titanium bikes - does not require any paint. Only the lettering is applied to the hand-brushed frames using a sandblasting process - it couldn't be purer. In addition to corrosion resistance, the steel alloy used is characterised by its very high strength, which in turn allows thinner wall thicknesses of just 0.38 millimetres in some cases. Thin tubes and the lack of paint make frame weights possible that are only slightly higher than those of high-quality aluminium frames. According to the manufacturer, the scales stop at around 1600 grams (frame size M). The frame is designed for rigidity with a 92 millimetre wide press-fit bottom bracket shell, 44 millimetre head tube and 12 millimetre rear thru-axle and is state of the art. Only the IS brake calliper mount looks a little outdated. Here, the frame is once again very classic.

The 44 mm head tube accepts pretty much all fork steerer tubes. The titanium handlebars from sister brand Falkenjagd match the colour of the stainless steel and easily absorb vibrations.Photo: Hersteller The 44 mm head tube accepts pretty much all fork steerer tubes. The titanium handlebars from sister brand Falkenjagd match the colour of the stainless steel and easily absorb vibrations.

Frame geometry and price

Compared to the simpler touring version, the racing frame geometry is characterised by a slightly more stretched seating position with a longer top tube and shorter head tube. The racing frames are available for the two wheel sizes 27.5 and 29 inches, each in the frame sizes M (17.5 inches), L (19 inches) and XL (21 inches) at a price of 1990 euros. The complete bike pictured, weighing just 9.7 kilograms with the Cannondale Lefty carbon fork and lots of Tune components, costs 5780 euros. The colour of the Tune parts is then freely selectable.

Thanks to the lightweight tune components and carbon fibre leathers, the noble steel steed effortlessly undercuts the 10-kilo mark.Photo: Hersteller Thanks to the lightweight tune components and carbon fibre leathers, the noble steel steed effortlessly undercuts the 10-kilo mark.

The frame features at a glance:

- Seat tube designed for a support dimension of 27.2 millimetres
- Rust and impact resistant
- Hand-brushed surface with sandblasted lettering
- IS160 rear brake mount
- Inset 44 head tube, also suitable for Cannondale Lefty double bridges
- Racing frame geometry
- Equipped with 2 bottle cages
- Syntace X-12 rear thru-axle system, installation width 142 millimetres
- CNC-machined head tube, bottom bracket and dropouts
- 92 millimetre wide press-fit bottom bracket shell
- tyre clearance up to 2.4 inches
- Recommended areas of use: Marathon, Cross Country, Alpine Cross

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Stiff: X-12 thru axle and 142 millimetre rear hub width.Photo: Hersteller Stiff: X-12 thru axle and 142 millimetre rear hub width.

Sebastian Brust was born in 1979 and was originally socialised on his grandmother's folding bike, but has mainly been riding studded tyres since his fifth birthday. Loves all kinds of bikes - and merging with nature. Believes that disc brakes are much safer today than they were 15 years ago and thinks he has helped with his brake and pad tests. However, the trained vehicle technology engineer very much regrets that the bicycle industry is orientating itself on what he considers to be the wrong ideals of the car industry. At BIKE, he corrects, produces and organises digital content on the website.

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