Introducing the Gloria All World — the titanium travel bike with a packable frame that you can take anywhere

Earlier this year we caught up with Gloria Cycling’s Carlos Ramirez and marvelled at how his Crawley-based company was able to bring titanium bikes within the reach of more cyclists, with frames starting at £949 and full builds from £2,699.

Ever broadening his horizons – and a seasoned traveller himself, having come to the UK from his homeland in Venezuela, to study for an MBA – Carlos has moved on from just wanting more people to own titanium bikes to wanting people to take their titanium bikes to even more places. 

The result is the All World: a breakthrough travel bike that makes use of modern developments in frame and hydraulic hose couplings, and wireless gearing, to produce possibly the most accomplished packable bike in the world.

The inspiration

“We started working with a customer, a guy called Rodrigo Louro, who had a titanium bike already. Whether with work, family or friends he was always travelling, always on the move, and he wanted to take his titanium bike to the cool places he was visiting,” Carlos says.

“But he didn’t want trouble at the airport. He didn’t want to deal with oversized luggage, and he didn’t want a less capable folding bicycle once he got there. He wanted a bike that was as similar as possible to his current set-up – a titanium Gloria All Road bike that could also explore the gravel.

“Historically, as far as I’m aware, there were only a few companies that had packable bikes available. Ritchey has its steel Breakaway bike, which we used as the target price for our bike, although our bike is made of titanium. Then there is No. 22 and Firefly, both of which make lovely titanium bikes but placed themselves at a very high price point.”

Inspired by Ritchey’s approach to their Breakaway bike – although determined to “do it slightly better, do it slightly more modern, and continue using the material we had become accustomed to and love: titanium” – Carlos worked with his customer Rodrigo on the prototype of this new product. 

“The resulting prototype had custom geometry because Rodrigo is quite a tall guy. When we built the bike, we thought: wow, this is actually a pretty good product. You can go for a weekend trip for work and easily take your bike with you. With no charge for oversize luggage and no problems getting it into a car, regular taxi or public transport. All the complexity that comes with travelling with a full-size bike is removed. That’s when we started to get super excited by this product’s potential.

“We knew from customer feedback that with the Gloria All Road, we had already created a great product that offered great value for the price point, so we said: well, why don’t we provide that same experience but with a bike that can be split in two and packed?”

The tech – frame

So how is the All World able to be split in two? When it comes to the frame, the magic happens thanks to an S&S coupler at a split in the downtube, and the ingenious use of the seatpost as part of the clamping system at a split in the seat tube.

“The S&S coupler is essentially a precision lug that is installed into a bicycle frame that uses a large thread and a large nut to lock the two sides of the frame together,” Carlos says.

“There is also a clamp on the seat tube. We use the seatpost as an internal structure within the seat tube as part of the clamping system. The seatpost is actually the part that is clamped. That way you have a very robust structure that doesn’t result in extra flex because essentially you have two tubes – the seatpost and the seat tube around it – reinforcing each other.”

Drivetrain and brakes 

“We designed this bike to accommodate SRAM’s wireless eTap gearing from the start. The revolution of eTap is just perfect for this – it’s wireless, meaning no more cable issues needing to be fiddled with around the bike. It just made sense because, when you’re packing the bike away you only need to remove the chain and the rear mech. Do those two things and the bike is essentially protected,” Carlos says.

“We wanted to provide the same disc braking performance as found on the All Road, so when it comes to the hydraulic braking system, we work with a Taiwanese company called Zeno, who provides all the couplers for the hydraulic hoses. These are unbelievable: you can unplug and plug the hose with no leakage whatsoever. That allows you to cut the hoses, and that means we can do an internally-routed disc brake bike – essentially a standard titanium bike, albeit with a coupling system.”

Travel box 

“The All World easily breaks down to fit into its own travel case – we usually recommend the Ritchey one – helping you to avoid airline baggage fees,” Carlos says.

“The box size is 21cm x 68cm x 78cm. A standard size All World will fit very easily into this, and this box will then fit very easily into anybody’s travel requirements, whether they’re travelling by plane, train, or car.

“The only area of complexity occurs if you fit bigger tyres. As well as rack and fender mounts, the frame has clearance for 700c x 45mm or 650b x 2.0in tyres. Anything up to 35mm tyres are not a problem to fit in the travel box, but as soon as you go to 45mm, it is tight without taking the tyres off the rims while packing."

Pricing and performance

“When we started developing the All World, we wanted to make it more affordable than similar options already on the market. Build options start around £3,749 with the SRAM eTap wireless groupset and hydraulic disc brakes, and you can even buy it on the Cycle to Work scheme,” Carlos says.

“We know this is still a substantial purchase and it is obviously not cheap. It is, however, something that people can dream about owning, but with a more realistic chance of actually being able to buy at some point. 

“The important thing for us is that the All World still rides as a premium titanium bike should. We don’t encounter flex or anything that provides a different feeling. It’s not necessarily a bike to race a crit on – although you could – but it is the perfect bike to do a sportive, or a gravel event, or an ultra, or a bike to explore and visit new places. 

“So this is an opportunity for us to differentiate ourselves slightly but also to provide a product that actually fills a gap. It’s the perfect 'N+1 bike', but even if you don’t want any other bikes, you can still enjoy and ride the Gloria All World all year round. At the end of the day, it’s a great bike – just one that doesn’t take up much space!”

Rodrigo’s testimony

What is it like to be the inspiration behind the creation of a new bike? Rodrigo Louro, the customer that first came to Carlos and the team at Gloria with the request of a packable titanium bike, explains all…

“I think most cyclists salivate at the thought of exploring the unknown roads, sights and smells of new towns and villages they visit. How many of us plan holidays with cycling as a backdrop or excuse, perhaps even veiled family holidays?” Rodrigo says. 

“However, finding a serious bike, especially a proper road or gravel bike, outside of major cycling destinations is an impossible task. And travelling with a bike can be a nightmare. Packing a delicate carbon bike into a cumbersome bike box or bag is always a risky job. Followed by the always problematic and usually expensive task of finding a vehicle with a boot big enough to fit your bike box plus your luggage on both ends of your journey, in and out of the airport or train station. 

“I stumbled onto the concept of a packable bike with couplers on the frame and hoses and immediately fell in love. The perfect solution to get a bike into a bag that fits into any car, and adheres to any plane or train luggage restrictions. 

“However, the frames available weren’t to my taste; either too expensive or not the ideal geometry and material. So it was either pure luck or maybe fate that I met Carlos, who had also fallen deep in love with the perfect material for the job, titanium, and decided to create Gloria as his passion for the metal. 

“We bonded over the love of bikes, travel and Venezuela. And I shared with him my desire for a bike purposely built to explore the world. A bike that could be taken on any trip, and ridden on any road, any surface, anywhere on the planet. Out of this conversation was born the All World. I am proud to own prototype no. 1!”

To find out more about Gloria Cycling’s All World model, visit www.gloriacycling.com