While we’re not as loud as others when it comes to promoting our products, riders out there have been spreading the good word about our Stavanger. 

Marcus Nicolson tested his Stavanger on some very hard off-road miles across his home in Scotland and had only good things to report. Road.cc also paid attention to his journey. Excitingly, Marcus will be racing across Morocco at the 2024 Atlas Mountain Race 2024 aboard his Stavanger, so look for that.

In an in-depth review on BIKEPACKING.com, Josh Meissner called the Stavanger “the definition of versatile.”

If you prefer reading German, you can see what Gravel Collective had to say about the bike their review.

We feel honored by the positive feedback from these experienced riders. Here are three details that make the Stavanger as great as they say.

1. A Highly Versatile Geometry

While working on the Stavanger’s updated geometry, one of the key drivers was to maximise maneuverability for a fully loaded bike. We paid special attention to get the steering right for the front cargo. (See the second point for the fork). We lengthened the top tube a touch across all sizes, which stretches the bike. You’d be surprised how much more stable this makes the bike when the going gets steep. 

Thanks to the longer frame, you can fit a frame bag and toe overlap is all but non-existent, even with the biggest tires. Best of all, the Stavanger fits and handles exactly like a typical road or gravel bike because we spec a shorter stem on the complete bikes. We’ve had hard time defining the bike under one label because it fills many commonly seen categories; gravel, all-road, bikepacking, exploring, randonneuring, intercity commuting — feel free to choose your favourite.

2. The unique lugged cargo fork

We’ll say it just this one time, but we’re quite proud of the Stavanger’s unique lugged cargo fork. It grants the contours of a classic road bike with all the modern standards you might need for touring: through-axles, flat-mount disc brakes, mounts for stylish aluminum fenders and practical stainless racks, cargo bosses for our Fork Racks, you name it. 

The fork’s forward bend is tuned to make the Stavanger handle with the delightful agility of a road racer even loaded down on dirt—it’s true multi-talent.

For those who want to shave the weight, there is also a good carbon fork option coming soon. More about that later.

3. Clearance for properly big tires 

Big bikepacking adventures need big tires, and our chief designer made sure the frame takes up to 50mm/2” on 700C and 57/2.25” on 27.5” wheels. With that much rubber, you’re good to go pretty much anywhere a drop-bar bike can reasonably take you—all in supple comfort. Handles also the winter bike paths which at times may get a bit mushy and bumpy. Your wrists will be thanking you! We’ve seen some folks squeeze in even a bit more, but you didn’t hear that from us. 

Alternatively, clearance for large tires also means you can fit large tires even with durable aluminum fenders to keep you dry and clean in the mud. 

We’re just scratching the surface of what makes the Stavanger great for bikepacking and beyond, so for more info, head over to the Stavanger’s product page. Pre-orders for delivery in early 2024 are open now.