If you’ve ever looked at a carbon-fibre gravel bike and thought, “Nice… but what if it were made of trees?” – well, Ornus has been reading your mind. The Italian brand has just launched Grain, which it describes as “ the first high-performance wooden gravel race bike”.
To be super-clear, that’s a bike designed for riding gravel and made of wood – just in case you’re wondering what “wooden gravel” is. It’s as well to get these things sorted to avoid confusion.
The Ornus model line-up consists of:
Grain – the fast one
Radix – the adventurous one
Each is said to have its own distinct personality – one for racing, one for roaming – united by the fact that they’re both wooden.
First up: why wood?
“Wood has an inherent ability to dampen vibrations, resulting in less fatigue, greater control, and longer hours in the saddle without muscle stress,” says Ornus. “This ensures precise handling and stability, even on technical gravel or uneven surfaces, with a predictable and safe response in all conditions.”
The use of wood as a material goes right back to the early days of bike design, of course, and we’ve covered loads of modern wooden bikes here on road.cc, but Ornus’ take on it is new.
> Check out 10 stunning wooden bikes
Ornus comes from the research of MLK Innovazione, a Tuscan startup with a patent for something called TimberTech technology – a system that turns FSC-certified wood (FSC stands for Forest Stewardship Council, and certification is designed to ensure that forests are managed with respect for the environment, wildlife, and people who work and live in them, and that trees are harvested sustainably) into a lifetime-guaranteed bike frame.
“It’s a project that goes beyond the romantic idea of the artisan workshop, proving that wood, when engineered with scientific precision, can compete on equal terms with carbon and metal,” says Ornus.
Ornus CEO Michele Cammisa says, “Wood is an extraordinary material: light, strong, and naturally capable of absorbing vibrations in a way that no other technical material can replicate. With Grain, we complete our vision: to prove that nature and innovation can travel at the same speed.
“With Radix, we speak to those who see gravel as exploration and travel. With Grain, we speak to those who seek speed, reactivity, and a sporty ride. Today, gravel has many souls – Ornus interprets them all, with a single wooden DNA.”
Souls, huh? Ooo-kay. But we’re intrigued by the wooden thing.
Ornus says, “TimberTech technology is the heart of Ornus frames: CNC-machined wooden semi-shells joined by internal membrane joints and structural aluminium nodes, selected according to the stresses in the different areas of the frame. The result is a monolithic structure with controlled stiffness, capable of combining handling precision and vibration absorption.”
Each frame passes ISO 4210 tests (a global standard for bicycle safety, specifying requirements for the design, performance, and testing of bicycles and sub-assemblies), meaning yes, you can sprint on it without worrying that anything bad is going to happen.
The wood undergoes vacuum-controlled drying and has a waterproof treatment “to ensure dimensional stability and protection against humidity and temperature changes, guaranteeing consistent performance over time in all riding conditions”.
If you have lingering concerns, the frames come with a lifetime warranty.
Grain – the wooden gravel race bike
The Grain is the speed-focused bike in the Ornus range, designed for racing, high-intensity riding, speed… all that kind of stuff.
“The full-integrated frame is developed with FEM [finite element method] optimisation, ensuring stiffness where needed and sensitivity in areas of controlled flex.,” says Ornus. “Its compact geometry and short rear triangle maximise power transfer while maintaining the natural comfort typical of wood, reducing vibration and fatigue even on long rides.
Grain is available as a frameset for €5,490.
A complete bike, built up with a SRAM Force XPLR 1×13 groupset and Fulcrum Soniq Carbon wheels, is €8,990.
Radix – designed for Comfort, adventure, and long distances
The Radix is built with a relaxed geometry and a longer rear triangle, and is designed for “stability, comfort, and a smooth ride even under full load”. It’s intended for bikepacking, adventures, and endurance races.
A Radix frameset is €4,490.
A complete bike, built up with a Shimano GRX 820 1×12 groupset and Fulcrum Soniq ALX wheels, is €6,990.
6 thoughts on ““The first high-performance wooden gravel bike”: check out the Ornus Grain”
I’ll have to add a bottle of
I’ll have to add a bottle of Titebond to the saddle back tool kit
I’ll have to add a bottle of
I’ll have to add a bottle of Titebond to the saddle back tool kit
I can’t see any rack mounts
I can’t see any rack mounts on that Radix, but I own a drill and screws are cheap.
Hammer and nails are just as
Hammer and nails are just as effective.
“First high-performance
“First high-performance wooden gravel bike”…
Renovo and Woodalps might argue that fact and there are at least a few more brands out there making wood road/gravel bikes so the statement is pretty dubious.
In any case, I like the idea but the costs seems to have followed the rest of the industry into the realm of ridiculous. It’s really tough to even consider spending that much on something so unproven. A lifetime warranty doesn’t mean much if the company doesn’t exist in the future.
Clearance looks a bit tight.
Clearance looks a bit tight. Anyone got some sandpaper?