“The fastest UCI-legal road bike, bar none”: check out the Stromm Raktt

When a brand says that its new model is “the fastest UCI legal road bike, bar none”, well, you have to sit up and listen. That’s exactly the claim that Stromm Cycles makes for its Raktt aero road bike that’s scheduled for delivery by the end of October, so let’s take a look.

Stromm Cycles, then… It’s a US company that, back when it was looking for crowdfunding for a new track bike, described itself as “a team of longtime friends, athletes and bike nerds who also happen to have a combined 30 years of experience in producing the fastest bikes in the world”.

You might not have heard of Stromm before, but members of its team have backgrounds in brands like Felt Bicycles, 3T and Roval. We covered its track frameset here on road.cc back in 2023.

> Stromm Cycles reach for a new type of track bike designed around UCI rule changes

The key feature of that track frameset, now in full production, is the use of 8:1 tube profiles, taking advantage of new(ish) UCI equipment rules.

You know about those rules, right? UCI rules used to say the height/depth of frame tubes could be no more than three times their width, but those rules were scrapped a few years ago. The UCI still has tight equipment rules, but the 3:1 requirement has gone.

> Why the aero road bike is making a comeback

The Stromm Raktt aero road bike follows a similar theme to the track frameset in that it’s all about aerodynamic efficiency.

“There are few road bikes that take advantage of the UCI’s new 8:1 aero rule, and none that do so as well as Raktt,” says Stromm. “Our fork and head tube achieve the lowest possible drag, and our seat tube uses the flow angle induced by your legs to propel you forward like no other bike on the market.”

It’s hardly unusual for a brand to claim that its bike is, hands down, more aerodynamically efficient than anything else out there, of course, but Stromm has produced a white paper to support its case, which you can check out and decide whether you’re convinced. Stromm comes out fighting here.

“We’re sick and tired of road bikes that are halfway aerodynamic,” it says. “NACA airfoil shapes and crazy, curved tubes that do nothing but make the marketing guys’ job easier? Please. NACA shapes are 1930s technology. We think you deserve tube shapes more modern than black and white television, and aerodynamic design that delivers incredible performance instead of just shouting about it. So that’s what we made.

“We custom-designed the shaping of every tube on the Raktt for the right balance of aerodynamics, strength, and weight for that exact spot on the frame.”

The Raktt fork uses an 8:1 profile while the bayonet-style head tube (meaning it has an external fork steerer) and hidden routing “keep flow clean even at high yaw angles”, according to Stromm. The head tube is super-skinny and Stromm says that the “seat tube takes that yawed flow [caused by your legs] and makes thrust”.

Raktt is fitted with a Stromm’s own handlebar/stem (which will also be available separately).

“The tops are the most aerodynamic on the market – less than half the frontal area of some other ‘aero’ drop bars, the thinnest we’ve seen,” says Stromm. “The tops also modify the pre-rider flow via lift and vortices to help with rider drag.”

They come in a 39/36cm width (drops/hoods) and a 36/33cm version. Obviously, the fact that they’re narrow helps keep the frontal area low. 

Okay, okay, those are some of the design features, but what is Stromm claiming in terms of performance?

Measured in the wind tunnel at 40km/h (25mph) across “the yaw ranges we know matter” (Stromm’s graphs show yaw from -10° to 10°), Stromm says that the Raktt is “10 watts faster” than its fastest competitors. Of course, watts measure power rather than speed; Stromm is saying that you could produce that speed while putting out a significantly lower power.

At sprint speeds of 60km/h (37mph), Stromm says the Raktt has a 30-watt advantage over these competitors.

What are those competitor bikes? We asked, but Stromm isn’t naming names.

“While we’re very much in favour of increased data transparency (perhaps selfishly, since we think it works in our favour), singling out a specific competitor strikes us as being in somewhat poor form,” says Stromm’s Ben Rothacker.

“To some extent, it doesn’t matter. I’d happily stand behind that drag savings statement for any of the bikes listed in the Tour Magazine tests, including those at the very top. To be frank, when we designed the Raktt we weren’t trying to beat a single competitor’s bike, but rather all of them – otherwise, if we couldn’t do so there’d be little point in being a small brand with an ‘us too’ sort of product.”

Stromm says, “The Raktt is the fastest UCI-legal aerodynamic road bike on the planet, and we have the data to prove it. Competitors don’t even come close – even the absolute best other aerodynamic road bike performs like an all-rounder in comparison. If you want an unfair advantage at your next race or town sign sprint, or even just want more days to feel like you have a tailwind, this is your bike.”

We’ve not ridden this bike, so we can’t comment on the performance, but those are certainly big claims.

Stromm says the frame weighs about 900g, depending on size and finish. In terms of practicality, the Raktt takes tyres up to 34mm (measured), comes with a BSA threaded bottom bracket, and you can fit a standard 1-1/8in stem if you like.

Price? The Stromm Raktt frame module is £5,356 with complete bike prices starting at £6,694. That gets you a Shimano Ultegra Di2 build. A Stromm Raktt fitted with top-level SRAM Red AXS or Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 components is £9,946.

As mentioned, delivery is expected later in the year.

strommcycles.com

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