AVALANCHE RANDONNEUSE - stainless

MANUFACTURING DATE : MAY 2025

CYCLIST : Woman , 1m 65

PRESENTATION:

Some of you may have already seen this beautiful touring bike.

It was christened between Paris and East Germany, on its way to Ferderfest, an event created by our friend Tom (Merglass Cycle), where it won the public vote for best modern touring bike. Some may also have spotted it on the roads of Cézanne Cyclo Classic, where participants also voted it the best modern touring bike. Finally, this bike was presented at the Bespoked 2025 show in Dresden, where it won the award for best finish. But enough bragging, let's take a closer look at this bike.

This bike was conceived and designed with a classic touring bike in mind, with a slim and slender silhouette, rather refined in its overall shape, but, on the contrary, very detailed and well-crafted.

MANUFACTURING DETAILS :

The frame is made of Columbus XCR stainless steel, using thin-diameter tubes to increase flexibility and comfort. The fork was also designed with this in mind, using a pair of XCR chainstays as the fork legs, combined with a stainless steel fork crown, specifically designed and 3D printed. The idea behind this fork was to maintain a slim, fluid and minimalist silhouette, while retaining a certain contemporary feel, thus avoiding the use of a more classic, retro-style head. Four eyelets have been welded on each side to accommodate the luggage rack as well as a pair of titanium Avalanche forks.

On this frame, the seat post clamp has also been designed with simplicity and discretion in mind, as it is integrated into the seat stays. This detail, although minimalist, requires a considerable amount of work and adds a small amount of stress, as it is carried out when the frame is already fully welded.

ACCESOIRIES AND COMPONENTS :

Optimised for travel, a single chainring setup was chosen for this bike, with a wide range of gears, allowing you to ride with a heavy load without difficulty. A Garbaruk crankset and cassette, designed and manufactured in Poland, have been combined here with a Sram Force mechanical derailleur to maintain perfect autonomy. To maintain consistency and a ‘full cable’ look, the brakes are mechanical discs from the Japanese brand Growtac, whose braking power is on a par with hydraulics.

As on many Avalanche touring bikes, dynamo lighting has been installed to maximise the bike's autonomy. The iconic front light from the brand is paired here with a rear light machined in France by the craftsman ‘Purple Dog’.

The stem also caught the attention of many people. Presented on this bike for the first time, three of our customers whose bikes were on the waiting list chose to change the standard stem that was initially planned and asked for this one to be made for them :) As with the overall design of this bike, the aim here was to create a slim and elegant design, with a structure triangulated by thin tubes, but leading to a 4-screw clamp, classic of ‘headset’ stems, allowing the handlebars to be easily removed if necessary. This ‘double’ spirit, which can be found in the design of this stem, is also reflected in various details of this bike, such as the double bridge, which accommodates the attachment of a mudguard, but also in certain details of the racks.

This transition is the ideal moment to introduce this stainless steel luggage rack and pannier holder set, the design and manufacture of which also required many hours of work. For the rear luggage rack, the aim was to create an element that would remain permanently attached to the bike, but without being too ‘obtrusive’ or conspicuous, especially when not carrying luggage. It therefore fits perfectly with the silhouette of the wheel and rear mudguard, blending in with the bike as a whole. Thin, minimalist structures, welded from thinner tubes, are added to each side to stiffen the assembly and support the side panniers.

The front luggage rack is designed and manufactured in the same spirit: a simple and refined silhouette and structure, embellished with details, also welded from thinner tubes, such as the small front lamp protection cage or the double ‘backrest’ supporting the pannier.

PAINTJOB :

As is often the case with Avalanche bikes, the finish required extensive research and long hours of preparation and application. Inspired by the geometric patterns of embroidered guitar straps from the 1970s, a series of designs are featured throughout the bike, mixing four different colours in a palette of warm tones that also echo the natural colour of the silver solder used for the welds.

Taking advantage of the properties of stainless steel, part of the rear triangle was left raw, just finely brushed, further highlighting the paintwork. The overall aim for the colourful aesthetic of this bicycle was to create a bright and vibrant bicycle, blending shades of silver and gold.