German brands BALDISO and CarbonWorks have partnered on creating a road frame that promises to stand out from the crowd. The BALDISO One, or B1 for short, is a full carbon, disc brake road frame that focuses on the possible advancements that can be made in cycling by throwing the UCI rulebook in the bin.
With the rise of carbon fiber as a frame material in the ’90s, bicycle designers were able to completely rethink what a bike would look like. But then, the UCI stepped in and in many ways, stifled innovation by setting in place rules to keep bikes intended for racing looking a specific, traditional way. Some rules have been relaxed, but the traditional double triangle design is still a requirement. And since what wins on Sunday is what sells on Monday, brands have continued to focus on creating designs that fit within UCI guidelines, aside from triathlon specific bikes.
BALDISO founder Sebastian Baldauf and CarbonWorks founder Simon Bühler decided to take a different approach. Instead of being bound by tradition, Bühler, who was in charge of design and construction, looked at how forces would flow organically in nature when creating his initial design sketches. BALDISO currently produces frames in a range of materials, and Baldauf brings his experience from a professional career, which includes a German National Mountain Championship. Bühler, with a background as a mechanical engineer, has helped make a name for CarbonWorks as a innovative brand creating functional, extremely lightweight carbon products, like bottle holders and computer mounts. With the B1, they are bridging further into frames with BALDISO.
“Fiber composite materials offer enormous possibilities in component design,” explained Bühler. “But when the material was discovered in racing cycling, design freedom was nipped in the bud by regulations and racing was hardly allowed to differ from the tried and tested classic geometry of steel diamond frames. When we designed the B1, we didn’t allow ourselves to be restricted and took full advantage of the carbon material. A bionic-looking design language for ideal force curves and excellent aerodynamics were at the top of the agenda.”
One of the biggest changes is the lack of a seat tube, a requirement for UCI standards. While others have experimented with more radical shapes, like the Trek Y-Foil, Cervelo PX Series, and CADEX Tri frameset, these radical designs are not the most practical when it comes to road cycling, and with the exception of the Y-Foil, are reserved for triathlon.
“Our mission was to rethink the conventional UCI restricted frame shape and present a completely different design, a road bike that not only stands out from the crowd, but is completely unique,” continued Baldauf. “It should be visible from 500 meters away and attract attention.”
The goal of the B1 is not to just be a unique design concept, but also a functional bike that focuses on aerodynamics, stiffness, and weight. Instead of improving by a few percent in aerodynamics and a few percent in weight, Bühler and Baldauf had higher goals. By sculpting the shape and adjusting the layup and thickness of the tubes, Bühler hopes to also provide exceptional comfort. Without the seat tube, the upper portion of the frame can be designed to dampen vibration, while maintaining stiffness on the lower portion of the frame for efficient power transfer to the rear wheel.
An integrated seat mast adds stiffness to the frame, but will still include adjustability for fit. Fully internal cable routing for electronic drivetrains starts in the BALDISO bar/stem combo, and routes through the headset and into the frame to keep everything hidden. The B1 can be run as 1x or 2x with an adapter for a front derailleur. Personally, having ridden a road bike 1x for a few seasons, unless you are climbing big mountains on the regular, a 1x drivetrain helps to keep weight down and makes for a more aerodynamic set up. If you need the additional range of a 2x, you can also run a Classified rear hub to gain the range of a 2x with a 1x set up. While Classified equipped hubs are not available at this time directly through BALDISO, they do offer wheels from their sister company, ENNOBLE, along with Lightweight or Bike Ahead as part of a complete build. All of these brands are German as well. The B1 also comes with one of CarbonWorks’ 9g bottle cages, while a new two bottle cage is in the final design stages, keeping the functionality seen on traditional bikes.
Frame sizes run Small (1.65-1.74m/5’5″-5’9″), Medium (1.75-1.84m/5’9″-6′), and Large (1.85-1.94m/6′-6’5). For full bikes, you get the option of SRAM Red, Force, or Rival eTAP 1x with chainring from 40-46 and 10/42 or 10/44 cassettes. For 2x, 46/33, 48/35, or 50/37 cranks with 10/33, 10/36, or 10/38 cassettes. For Shimano, you only have the option for 2x with 105, Ultegra, or Dura-Ace Di2, with 50/34, 52/36, or 54/40 cranks and 11/34 and 11/30 cassettes. Crank lengths run 170, 172.5, and 175mm.
Colors are where you can have fun. Basic colors are black, white, blue, purple, grey, sky blue, red, and gold are available in both matte and gloss, with black, white, gold, and silver logos. For an upcharge, you can specify your own color, also in matte or gloss, with the same choice or logos. Chrome options are available in gold, silver, black and green.
While production is ready to go, BALDISO will soon be launching a Kickstarter campaign (link to follow in the future). As for now, you can preorder a frame or complete bike directly through BALDISO’s website. Once 50 bikes have been preordered, production will begin. The goal is to deliver frame orders in a first come, first served basis in the second quarter of 2024, with complete bikes coming a month or two later. Initial production will be capped at 1,500 bikes world wide.
Prices run from 5,540 Euros for frame only and basic color to to 7,320 Euros for a premium chrome color. Full builds run from 9,770 Euros for the lowest level groupset, basic color and ENNOBLE wheelset to over 18,500 Euros for a top of the line groupset, premium chrome colorway, and Lightweight Obermayer Evo wheelset.
Heckling Editor, Image Taker, Crash Test Dummy, and Beard Master at Bikeworldnews.com
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