SRAM + Stinner = Grinduro Purple
Earlier in 2016 when Duncan went to Stinner Framework’s headquarters in Santa Barbara, CA to assemble a SRAM XX1 Eagle equipped Stinner hardtail for The Radavist’s John Watson, the conversation about building a custom bike for Duncan began again. The bike finally came to life in October. It was built as a showcase for the Grinduro expo highlighting Stinner’s amazing framebuilding and painting abilities and our new SRAM RED eTap WiFLi drivetrain.
We wanted to get the full story on this amazing frame so we reached out to Aaron Stinner to tell us more about the bike.
What can you tell us about the tubeset? Are any of the parts unique to Stinner?
All of our bikes use a blend of tubing. What that means is we use different tubes from different suppliers to get the bike to ride the way we want it to. For this specific build, we used a blend of straight gauge and butted tubing that we get made to our spec. All of the tubing is Grade 9 and 3al-2.5v. This allows for the lightest weight build without losing the durability of the titanium. We build our bikes to be raced and ridden hard, so we try to provide a frame that gives the rider/athlete an advantage, while still enjoying the ride and trusting the bike underneath them.
The bike was built to fit this year’s Grinduro winner, Duncan Riffle. What is the geometry like? Were there any special tweaks made to suit Duncan?
Duncan and I have known each other since we were kids, both growing up in Santa Barbara and riding bikes. I have a bit of an inside advantage just knowing the type of rider he is and his mentality when it comes to riding. While I hope this bike sees some racing, I know a lot of its time will be spent smashing local dirt climbs in San Luis Obispo or Santa Barbara. The bike is stable but will handle quickly when he is ripping a descent. I think he will really enjoy it and I look forward to his feedback after he has put some miles in on it.
How much tire clearance does the bike have? Is it made to also accept 650B wheels with MTB tires?
Our Gravel bikes are set up to clear 40c tires. This one in particular could probably clear something slightly large if he chose to run a 40c on a wide rim. When we designed our geo for 2016 we didn’t design them to run dual tires (although you always could). For 2017 our gravel bike will be set up for either 700c x 35c or 650b x 45c and we’ll have a monster cross model that can run 700c x 48c or 650B by 60c.
The paint job is absolutely spectacular. Where did the inspiration come from for the paint?
Thanks! Well, first off, we took some inspiration from Grinduro, so obviously, we knew it needed to have purple. We knew it was going to be all dressed up with SRAM RED eTap WiFLi, so we knew we had to bring in a little bit of red. With the release of SRAM XX1 Eagle this year and all the gold bits, we felt it was only necessary to have some gold on the bike as well. Once we had all the colors picked, the designing commenced. We rolled with the idea of a Southern California lowrider. We were pretty stoked with what we came up with. We felt it fit the show well, but also would be a bike Duncan could relate to post Grinduro.
Anything else that is special about this bike?
At the end of the day, this thing is meant to go shred, so I hope the next time I see it, it’s dirty and has lots of miles on it!
Shifters/Brakes: SRAM RED eTap HRD
Rear derailleur: SRAM RED eTap WiFLi
Cassette: XG-1190 11-32
Crankset: SRAM RED 175mm GXP
Chainring: SRAM RED 52/36
Chain: SRAM RED
Seatpost: Zipp SL Speed 20mm offset
Saddle: Fizik Arione
Stem: Zipp SL Speed 110mm
Handlebar: Zipp Service Course SL-80 44cm
Wheels: Zipp 202 Firecrest Carbon Clincher Disc-brake
Tires: Clement X’Plor MSO 700x36c
Frameset: Stinner Ti 58cm custom geometry
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Words: SRAM Photos: Jordan Clark Haggard
