Ornus' Wooden Gravel Bikes Are Redefining High-Performance Frame Design

"Yes, you read that right; Italian cycling startup Ornus is betting big on wood to be the next big material innovation for their new line of high-performance gravel bikes. By combining "the strength of nature and precision of engineering," they have rounded out a two-bike lineup that is poised to not only turn heads, but also reimagine the way we look at materiality and sustainability in the cycling industry."

"For Ornus, the idea is simple: use the natural material properties of wood and build bikes that are equal parts beautiful, functional, and sustainable. TimberTech, as they call it, relies on high-quality ash and, when combined with advanced construction techniques like multi-axis CNC and some spec-grade adhesives, is a process that allows Ornus to build frames that are on par with the industry performance standards of carbon, aluminum, and steel, and that far supersede them in terms of sustainability and identity."

"The wood of choice is ash, which has been historically used in a wide variety of use cases, from baseball bats and hockey sticks to more complex and consequential uses like early automotive and aircraft parts. The magic lies in its exceptional strength-to-weight ratio and its naturally high damping coefficient. Ash is a ring-porous hardwood, which means that its fibers are organized in long parallel bundles, and the lignin (which is a natural polymer that serves a structural role in plants) acts"

Ornus produces high-performance gravel bicycles built from ash using a process called TimberTech that combines multi-axis CNC machining and spec-grade adhesives. The frames aim to match carbon, aluminum, and steel in performance while improving sustainability and distinct identity. TimberTech frames offer strength, natural vibration damping, ISO 4210 safety certification, and a lifetime warranty. Ash provides exceptional strength-to-weight ratio and high damping, with ring-porous fibers and lignin functioning as a natural binder. Two models, GRAIN and RADIX, prioritize performance, comfort, and environmental responsibility rather than mass production.

Read at BikeMag