For generations, touring cyclists have sworn by steel as the ideal frame material for their adventure bikes. However, many still cling to the myth that the last village blacksmith before the Chayber Pass could quickly weld a broken frame if necessary. "That's no longer possible with today's high-alloy frame steels," says Rennstahl boss Andreas Kirschner, dismissing the myth. At best, the highly developed CroMo material could be tack-welded using normal welding equipment. This is why the complex processing of the Reynolds 853 tube set is currently taking place in Italy, where the necessary practice and expertise for welding modern steel frames still exists. "But it is becoming apparent," Kirschner admits regretfully, "that we will have to relocate to Taiwan." This entails increased costs and delays. This is because the headquarters of the small company Rennstahl, an offshoot of the "Falkenjagd" brand specialising in titanium, is located at the Kirschners' private address in Ismaning, Upper Bavaria. This is where Kirschner designs and constructs his unconventional bicycles, which sometimes have a down tube that looks like it has been turned. Ovalised tube shapes, decreasing and increasing diameters or the double-shell bridge for the Pinion gearbox - which promotes stability - tell of the designer's aspirations and expertise. "Especially with the enormous forces that are exerted on the Pinion touring bike by the chain pull on the rear wheel and via the luggage on the frame, we consider a stable thru-axle construction to be the right principle," says Kirschner, promoting his view of things. The steering on the front wheel is much more precise, especially when you load the Tubus lowrider. Although it is limited to a payload of 15 kilos, in practice, the reinforced Big Apple version can handle significantly more kilos in the short term if you need to carry a few extra litres of water for the next desert crossing.
Kirschner actually wanted to come up with an even more unusual innovation: the 18-speed gearbox, which Pinion is currently bringing into circulation in a further optimised and now also significantly quieter version, was to be driven by a belt drive from the tyre company Continental. In contrast to its competitor Gates, this belt uses larger teeth, is somewhat narrower and places fewer demands on precisely aligned frame flanges or precisely adjusted tension. As a result, the Conti belt promises less construction and assembly work, and its handling would be less critical than its Gates counterpart. However, difficulties with the coating meant that the belt was not ready in time. As a result, a conventional bicycle chain now takes over the transmission to the rear wheel, and the separable seat stay in the racing steel frame is not being used for the time being.
For rougher trails, Rennstahl offers a 650B wheelset with a slightly smaller diameter. This makes the wheel architecture more stable and creates more clearance for more profiled tyres. On predominantly asphalted or paved trails, on the other hand, the 29ers roll easier and faster. Both are equally possible. The attachments from the sister brand are another luxury: Thanks to the material flex and wide extension, the titanium seatpost takes the edge off road vibrations with ease. The rider sits really comfortably. However, whether the three bottle cages also have to be made of the precious metal is up to the rider to decide. The handsome purchase price of 4590 euros is not significantly affected by not having them.
