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feature
2021 Twmpa Cycles wooden - 1Bike at Bedtime: Twmpa Cycles’ GR01 wooden gravel bike
One of the most eye-catching bikes at the Bespoked UK Handmade Bicycle Show last weekend was this beautiful wooden gravel bike from Twmpa Cycles, based in Hay-on-Wye.
The frame is made from European ash that’s grown in the UK under a sustainable forestry programme. The first thing you notice is that it’s gorgeous with neat detailing throughout.
Twmpa Cycles says that it uses wood because it has a higher strength-to-weight ratio than either steel or aluminium along with unique vibration damping qualities.
The frame is hollow and weighs from around 1.7kg to 2.0kg, depending on size, with complete bikes starting at around 9.5kg. If the use of wood worries you, Twmpa Cycles says that its frames have been tested to BS EN ISO 4210-2:2015 safety standards and that it has ridden prototypes over thousands of kilometres of trails for two years.
The wood is finished externally with three layers of epoxy and two layers of a two-part polyurethane yacht varnish to keep mud and rain out.
A layer of epoxy is given to the inside of the two halves of the frame before they’re bonded together, and a drain in the seat tube makes sure that water can’t accumulate in there.
That said, Twmpa Cycles recommends that its bikes be stored in a dry place and that the finish is checked regularly and repaired before water has the chance to get in and cause damage.
The frame takes a BSA threaded bottom bracket and a 30.9mm seatpost, and the head tube has a 44mm internal diameter. The cables run internally with continuous outers.
Frames include custom CNC dropouts made from anodised Al 6061-T6, and come with Syntace rear axle components including a rear derailleur hanger.
Standard frames start at around £3,000. You can also buy a frameset – with an Enve G Series fork, a Chris King headset and bottom bracket, and a Hope seat clamp – for £3,955. That’s some classy kit included there!
Check out this head tube on another bike from Twmpa Cycles.
Complete bikes are available too. A SRAM Rival 1 build, for example, with a Columbus Futura Cross fork and Hope 20FIVE wheels, is £5,600.
Chances are that you’ve never ridden a wooden framed bike before, so Twmpa Cycles allows you to visit and try a bike before committing. You’re looking at a delivery time of about eight weeks.
Mat has been in cycling media since 1996, on titles including BikeRadar, Total Bike, Total Mountain Bike, What Mountain Bike and Mountain Biking UK, and he has been editor of 220 Triathlon and Cycling Plus. Mat has been road.cc technical editor for over a decade, testing bikes, fettling the latest kit, and trying out the most up-to-the-minute clothing. He has won his category in Ironman UK 70.3 and finished on the podium in both marathons he has run. Mat is a Cambridge graduate who did a post-grad in magazine journalism, and he is a winner of the Cycling Media Award for Specialist Online Writer. Now over 50, he's riding road and gravel bikes most days for fun and fitness rather than training for competitions.
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10 comments
Sounds like a replacement for the Renovo - although it looks like you might be able to get one again. Not sure about the environmental impact of that imported wood though!
You should also mention that the paintwork and varnish finish on the frame is by the always amazing Kustomflow from Hull.
English Ash (don't know about this European Ash, could be dodgy) was used for Morris Travellers. It is reputedly fairly rot resistant, and I don't suppose they even had epoxy resins back then. And there's the Mosquito, and of course the Spruce Goose; I think we have forgotten how versatile wood is for such demanding engineering uses.
Isn't that what grounds our aircraft and leaves a dirty mess all over our cars and windows?
I'll gladly stipulate that it looks gorgeous. I guess there's a market for this but when I consider the use that I make of my Ti gravel bike that also doubles as a daily commuter, I think 'no'. How long would it take for a scratch or abrasion area to develop somewhere and allow water ingress into the wooden core?
While it certainly has the looks and would look great hanging on a wall as a beautiful object, for anyone purchasing a frame with utility in mind there's no escaping the weight and the hefty pricetag.
What do you mean about the weight? It seems competitive with metal framed bikes. I'm sure you can get lighter bikes, but at around the 10kg mark, I really don't class that as "there's no escaping the weight".
weight of the bike is driven by what is fitted to it.
My canyon weighs about 8kg, some of this will be the frame. This wooden frame weighs 1.7kg, so if I transfer all the parts acros from the aerod I would have a bike that weighed about 9kg. Hardly heavy.
Pricetag is high. But the ride quality may (or may not) be worth it.
Just looked up a mason bokeh aluminium frameset 1.7kg and £1300, and the bokeh ti frameset is 1.7kg and £3600 so the weight really is a non issue. The cost lines up against titanium rather than carbon, steel or aluminium. For those that can afford it and want something aesthetically different or decide the ride feel is something they appreciate, then why not? There's no reason why a wooden frame will not last for may many years, after all engineered timber is used for house frames.
No-one is going to buy this as a utility bike, are they, like they wouldn't with any high-end machine? But it might ride very well for general gravel bike duties while looking fantastic and unusual.
Disclaimer: I am part owner of the company.
It has been made for riding. If you scratch it (haven't seen it yet) it can be sanded and revarnished easily enough. If you are really concerned about abrasion, use clear heli tape at those points (frame bags for example). Really no different to any other frame. Look after it and it will last.
As for weight, not sure where the 2kg came from. The frame weights are 1.6kg to 1.8kg dependent on size. Not carbon, but then nor is the ride. If you are racing gravel then maybe go the carbon route but for anything else, including Enduro, this frame comes into its own. For fast road riding I will still use my carbon frames but most of the time just put road wheels on the GR 1.0.
Thanks for that. It really is a beautiful bike. I'm not in the market for buying one, but I'd still love a ride to see what it feels like