Most of us are pretty familiar with steel and titanium as frame materials at this point. But stainless steel? That is a material that has certainly been more a niche – mostly due to the price. Previous stainless steel frames have promised the same ride qualities we love from chromoly steel, but with the corrosion resistance of titanium. Though, stainless frames usually come with a price tag similar to titanium frames as well.
Now, thanks to the use of austenitic stainless steel, bikes like the Otso Warakin are able to offer all of the benefits of stainless but at a much more appealing price. Factor in some clever Otso touches, and you have a unique gravel bike that shouldn’t be overlooked…
Introduced last year, Otso is essentially the bike division of Minneapolis based Wolf Tooth Components. In between turning out tons of new drivetrain parts and accessories, the team had a few novel ideas for the bikes themselves, and Otso was born. Along with their intriguing Voytek carbon fat bike (which is stellar), Otso introduced a gravel bike with a completely different material. The Warakin is made from stainless steel, but it’s the process of cold working and butting that gives the material its strength while bringing the price within reach.
In addition to the material of the Warakin, the frame features the same Tuning Chip dropout system which allows riders to tune not only their chainstay length, but tire clearance and small changes to the BB drop and head tube angle. While it’s still in development, WTC is also working on a single speed system for the Tuning Chip system which should be available in the future. With chainstay lengths set at 420, 430, and 440mm, the frame is capable of swallowing 50mm tires in both the 430 and 440mm settings.
In stock and shipping now, Warakins are sold complete with Shimano 105 ($3,199) or Shimano Ultegra mechanical ($4,399). Framesets are also sold for $1,799 with a frame and carbon fork. Additional Add-Ons can be ordered as well with wheels from Industry Nine, WTC drivetrain parts, and Schwalbe tires. Frame sizing is set at 49, 52, 54, 56, 58, and 60cm with claimed weights of the complete builds specified as 22.8lbs for 105 and 22.4 lbs for Ultegra (56cm). Frame only weight is listed at 2120g for a 54cm, and 490g for the fork.
Details from Otso:
- Patent pending Tuning Chip™ system developed by Wolf Tooth Components provides 20 mm of chainstay length adjustment and subtle changes to the bottom bracket drop and head tube angle. Choose a shorter-higher-steeper 420mm position for a fun and nimble cyclocross feel or a longer-lower-slacker 440mm position for fast and stable touring or gravel grinding handling. A middle position chip is also available. Swapping between the two positions is very simple and can be done in about 2 minutes.
- Unparalleled ride quality results from the combination stainless steel and carefully thought out frame geometry.
- Brushed finish stainless steel with bead-blasted logos create a classic look that will keep this frame looking great after a lifetime of miles. Matte silver paint on carbon fork perfectly matches the bead blasted frame accents.
- Numerous braze-ons to accommodate: cable routing clamps, 3 water bottles, fenders, racks, frame bags, etc.
- Full length cable housing for flawless shifting in even the worst conditions.
- Designed by the Otso engineering team and manufactured by one of the top steel frame fabricators in Taiwan. All bikes inspected and assembled at our headquarters in Minneapolis, MN USA.
- Tire clearance is 40 mm @ 420 CS setting, 50mm @ 430/440 mm CS setting
- 5 year limited warranty on all Warakin framesets.
- All bikes can be customized with upgrades and add-ons from companies including Industry Nine, Wolf Tooth, Enve, and Schwalbe.
Check out the site for full geometry details and more information.
