Stinner Frameworks, run by Aaron Stinner in sunny Santa Barbara, California, has only been around for a few years. A graduate of the United Bicycle Institute, Stinner hand-crafts steel frames, such as this disc-equipped cyclocross bike we spotted at NAHBS.
The Stinner Frameworks’ Steel Cyclocross Bike is fillet brazed with an Enve carbon cross disc fork © Greg Klingsporn
The steel, fillet-brazed frame features internal cable routing, S-Bend seatstays for added mud clearance and an oversized headtube to accommodate the Enve carbon disc fork. An understated paintjob highlights Stinner’s ‘S-and-shield’ logo.
Cyclocross Magazine chatted with Stinner about his disc cyclocross frame with a tapered fork, designed to be a cyclocross racing machine for a pro rider in Santa Barbara. However, the racer wanted it for racing and training, primarily gravel riding, so comfort on longer rides was prioritized.
The bike is equipped with cable actuated disc brakes, and to accommodate modern tapered steerer carbon disc brake forks, Stinner adopted an oversized, 44mm head tube. A Chris King headset kept the ENVE Disc fork spinning smoothly.
“I bend all my stays by hand,” he explains, of the frame. “We used the same bend that we use on our MTBs. It’s not a ton of clearance for the tire, so the biggest concern was mud. You don’t want to have your stays coming in too close because you don’t want to run the risk of running the disc into the frame.” To that end, Stinner widens the rear stays to add rotor clearance. As you can see in the above photo, the seat stay bridge is quite tight to the tire, but thankfully Santa Barbara doesn’t see much mud during the average cyclocross season.
The build Stinner brought to NAHBS contained a Chris King headset, Zipp Service Course SL seatpost and stem, Avid BB7 disc brakes, and a 2012 SRAM Red groupset.
The 16mm True Temper steel seat stays are similar to what he uses for his other frames, but make no mistake, this rig is fully-custom. “Everything is a one-off, for the customer and for their intended use.”
That may not be the case for long though, Stinner notes that some more ride-ready options may be in the works. “You may see some more stock sizes and readily available ones in the future, but right now we’re fully custom.”
The lead time at this one man operation is 10-12 weeks, and Stinner notes, “I like to keep it relatively short. As I get busier, I usually just work more. I answer phones, I build the bikes, I do whatever.”
When asked whether he gets more requests for road, mountain or cyclocross builds, Stinner admitted that road is still the norm, adding, “The ones you have to market a little more are ’cross bikes or mountain bikes, road bikes are the default.”
Stinner Frameworks bikes are hand-made in Santa Barbara, California by Aaron Stinner © Greg Klingsporn
Stay tuned to our NAHBS 2013 page for full coverage of the cyclocross bikes and parts from Denver, Colorado.
