We’ve seen some unusual bike designs over the years, but this is a new one on us. There’s no seat tube!
The bike is the work of Germany company Urwahn Bikes and a special collaboration with Vagabund Moto, a company that specialises in seriously trick looking handcrafted motorcycles.
The new Urwahn Bikes X Vagabund Studfuchs project is a bike pitched as a “pithy commuter” with a handmade steel frame, Gates belt drive, disc brakes, wide tyres and a Brooks Cambium saddle.
The standout feature of this new bike is of course the frame design. Where there would normally be a seatpost there is nothing, just thin air. Instead, the top tube flows into the dropped seat stays via a very short section of seat tube, just enough to house the seat post.
Far from being a funky design to entice bike journalists to write about it, there’s some interesting tech that helps the frame to stand out, which has been recognised with a Red Dot Award.
The steel frame has been produced using 3D printing technology for the main lugs (bottom bracket, head tube, seat tube cluster and rear dropouts) which it says has allowed it to reduce the weight close to the realms of an aluminium frame. Obviously removing the seat tube saves a chunk of weight.
A distinctive head tube houses two front lets and provides internal cable routing ports. A rear light has also been integrated into the back of the seat tube. It’s a 1x only bike naturally, since there’s no where to fit a front mech. It’ll even take a set of mudguards and rear rack too.
It’s an unusual design for sure. We’d love to know how it rides. Does it provide lots of seated comfort? How is lateral stiffness? Obviously it’s not UCI legal but this is not a bike that will ever see a race, other than the race from the traffic lights.
And how much does it cost? €4,499, available from https://vgb-essentials.com/collections/all/products/urwahn-x-vagabund-stadtfuchs
14 thoughts on “WTF? This 3D printed bike has no seat tube!”
There is a seat tube. It’s
There is a seat tube. It’s what’s holding the seat post. Just an abridged version.
I assume the price is a typo.
I assume the price is a typo.
From the website, I gather
From the website, I gather the hub is an 11 speed, so I’m guessing it’s an Alfine.
At that price I’d expect a
At that price I’d expect a Speedhub. It looks like an Alfine.
Boss to designer: “I really
Boss to designer: “I really like dropped seat stays, it’s such a cool hipster look. Is there any way you could turn that up to 11 and, at the same time, toss away the structural perfection of the double triangle?”
I think that is absolutely
I think that is absolutely beautiful, and I want one. Or I would if they spent a bit more time finishing the metal bit. I know it’s 3D printed but that doesn’t mean you can’t shot-blast it to an even finish.
jollygoodvelo wrote:
My thoughts exactly! What a truly awful finish on the bare (I assume clear lacquer?) back end.
Im saving up for a town bike as my next n+1 so that I can ditch the car completely when going into town. This looks interesting, but I’m still leaning more towards a Schindelhauer Wilhelm p-line with a Pinion gearbox and Gates belt drive. So far there is not much else in that category, and the finish is sublime (and yes, I know they are expensive, but it’s all relative).
PP
“Far from being a funky
“Far from being a funky design to entice bike journalists to write about it, there’s some interesting tech that helps the frame to stand out, which has been recognised with a Red Dot Award.”
I’m not sure how discerning the Red Dot awards are, or how many people apply for one and don’t win. They did at least manage to provide a finished looking product to photograph though: https://www.red-dot.org/project/stadtfuchs-37418
quiff wrote:
Yeah, Red Dot is an industrial design award. Actual engineering excellence, funtionality or performance doesn’t matter.
Stresses?
I am not an engineer, so feel free to correct me, but that looks like a design with some new and exciting stresses in places that you wouldn’t want to break while you were riding.
mdava wrote:
True but it would give a comfy ride if the stresses are taken into account. It’ll be like having suspension.
Kestrel have been doing bikes
Kestrel have been doing bikes like that for years (decades in fact)
https://www.mrbikeshop.com/products/kestrel-4000-ltd-di2-3125115459-road-bike
And a much older one:
And from what I can tell,
And from what I can tell, they are more of a design agency – they primarily modify motorbikes to make them look retro and cool. Not really a pedigree for building a good bicycle, maybe I will be proved wrong, but would be interested to hear how it rides (and potentially flexes).
PP
Been done years ago…
…Bianchi C-4 https://i.pinimg.com/originals/cf/a1/79/cfa1795860d87d8faa08e6baeeeee7c0.jpg