Building off the funky do-it-all nature of their Trail Donkey 2.0, the updated Flaanimal 3.0 puts that versatile package into a steel frame that’ll work for just about any type wheel, tire or handlebar you wanna throw on it.
The bike can be set up as a chained or belted singlespeed, or fully geared with a single or double chainring up front. What makes this versatility possible is specific hardware for any drivetrain option. This keeps the frame clean no matter what setup you have, with no extraneous bits hanging off the bike.
The blue drop-bar bike shown here is actually a v2.0 model late stage prototype (and belongs to RAL founder Stephen), but represents the versatility of the bike.
There’s a peg for a full size frame pump, and a threaded bottom bracket keeps things simple and durable. Sliding dropouts in the back, along with a frame brake on the seatstay, let you run a singlespeed and adjust chainstay length to suit your riding style and purpose. Oh, and they’re claiming these are the first thru axle, flat mount, sliding dropouts on the market.
On board are five water bottle mounts, including two on the fork legs. Above and below those are reinforced rack mounts at the dropout and crown. Other than those inserts, the Spork fork is full carbon, steerer and all.
The Flaanimal is equipped to hold a 650Bx48 or even a 700×48 tire, letting you run oversized tires with both wheel sizes. And just when you thought you’d seen every possible spot for a bottle opener…
Color options include the Bleaux (blue) shown at top, Black and Copper…
…and Celeste, shown above on an older 1.0 frameset.
So, why all these not-quite-final models on display to promote a new bike? Because final production hasn’t started yet, but they wanted to show the paint options. Rodeo Labs is running a crowdfunding campaign to launch it, but not through one of the usual platforms. To keep it simple and as affordable as possible, the bikes can be pre-ordered on their website, and when they hit their target minimum, things get rolling. But wait, there’s more!
There’s also a titanium Flaanimal on offer!
Frameset pricing is $1,300 to $1,400 for the Reynolds 725 custom butted chromoly steel frame, depending on paint. The 3/2.5 titanium frameset is $2,460, and both include the latest Spork fork with all of the integrated mounting points. Complete (steel) bikes range from $2,350 to $4,250. Frame sizes are 48/50/52/54/56/68/61, geometry is:
Keep tabs on the roll out or pencil in your support on their website.
