High above the maelstrom of Interbike’s tradeshow floor, Alchemy Bicycles invited us to their suite to announce their new Ride DNA semi-custom frame program.
The program is one of the fruits of their growth efforts, which includes streamlined processes and expanded production capacity. It will include their Eros and Ben Serrotta inspired Aiolos titanium road bikes, and the carbon fiber Aithon, Balius, Helios and Xanthus. Geometry will be fixed, with frames offered in 52/54/56/58 for now, probably adding a 60 in the future.
The semi-custom aspect comes in the layup and options. Drop down menus on the Ride DNA shopping pages let you choose your desired drivetrain stiffness, steering precision and ride comfort on a scale from 1 to 5, with higher numbers being stiffer or sharper. The steering feel is accommodated through layup at the headtube junctions, not with changes to head angle. It sounds odd, but from our own experience we’ll confirm headtube area stiffness has a dramatic effect on steering speed and accuracy. The tradeoff is overall comfort and a twitchier ride for those not used to ultrastiff crit bikes.
You’ll also get to pick colors…
Carbon frames are base painted, then your choice of waterslide logo colors are applied, followed by a clear coat. The frame is then ready to ship or be built on site.
Titanium bikes get a satin finish in one of four colors.
Ride DNA framesets are priced about $750 less than full custom. That’s $3,750 for the ti models and $4,600 to $5,500 for carbon bikes. Delivery time from order placement is about 10 days. Each frame is made to order, and they’re all handmade in Denver, CO. Check our factory tour here for a look at how they do it. Complete bike will also be available with either mechanical or electronic versions of Shimano Ultegra and Dura-Ace. Frames can be built to accommodate either system or both.
In other news, the Helios Disc brake model gets a slightly revised rear end to accommodate wider tires. The originals maxed out around 25mm wide tires if you wanted decent clearance at the seatstays. Now, they’ve added 3mm extra width by raising the opening above the tire since the disc model doesn’t need to sit low for a rim brake caliper. That should push compatibility up to 700×28 tires with ease.
