Earlier this month, Viral Bikes announced the release of the new Dérive CR. This new version of their bikepacking model is a 4130 triple-butted chromoly version of the titanium Dérive.
Viral says they’ve been hesitant about releasing a steel bike, stating they were worried that the weight would be too much. But at the same time, they recognize that the price of the titanium version is “prohibitively expensive” and the “ride quality of steel is still so sublime”.
Viral Bikes’ Founder and Engineer, Steve Domahidy continued, “We can now offer a complete bike at nearly half the price of our titanium bike, which just makes it more approachable to a lot more people”. Boom, the Dérive CR was born.
Dérive CR Details
The new Dérive maintains the same geometry as the titanium version. Instead of corrosion-resistant Ti, the new frames are coated in a rust-proofing process before painting. That allows the new Dérive to carry the same lifetime warranty as all of the Viral Bike models.
When purchasing the new Dérive CR, you can pick to run a color-matched Viral Carbon Boost fork or a Rock Shox Pike Select with 120mm of travel. Designed for all-day comfort, the frame’s ride quality with the 29 x 2.6″ tires will give you a smooth and supple ride.
You can also buy this new Dérive as a frameset only, in case you have an existing gearbox you’d like to continue to use. The frame can also be purchased with a mechanical or Smart.Shift gearbox.
When purchasing the frameset, you still get the same fork choice of either a color-matched Viral Carbon Boost fork or a Rock Shox Pike Select.
The Viral Dérive CR complete bike has a great build spec, with a PNW cockpit and dropper post, Ergon saddle, and grips. You also get Industry 9 1/1 Enduro wheels wrapped in Vittoria 29 x 2.6 rubber.
Retail
Retail: $1695 (frame only),
Complete bikes start at: $5895 (Smart.Shift rigid fork), and $5995 (Smart.Shift Pike Select)
Reach out to Viral for pricing on manual gearboxes.
Pre-orders are available now and require a 50% deposit. Pre-order customers will receive a 10% discount on retail pricing. Delivery of the frame kits and complete bikes is expected in August 2025.
