Putting carbon fiber into an aero road bike isn't noteworthy — unless your bike was made out of wood to begin with.
Renovo Hardwood Bicycles has updated the Aerowood as its first wood/carbon frame, which the Portland, Oregon company claims offers better vibration absorption and a smoother ride than either material by itself.
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Renovo Aerowood features
- Hollow frame construction of wenge and curly maple wood
- Carbon fiber inside down tube
- Lifetime warranty on craftsmanship and materials including finish
- Internally routed brake cables
- Electronic shifting only (Shimano/SRAM/FSA)
- Headset/steerer tube: 1-1/8” internal/ straight
- Tire clearance: 25mm
- Frameset $5,495; full-build starting at $9,995
Wood meets carbon
Renovo has been building wood frames since 2007. Now, Renovo added a layer of carbon inside the down tube for what it claims is an enhanced ride quality. Renovo has dubbed the alleged ultra-smooth ride FFSVD (full frame shock and vibration damping).
Aero details
Like other aero road bikes, the Aerowood slices the wind with specially shaped frame tubes. The seat tube hides the rear wheel, the down tube gets aero shaping, and the seatpost receives an aero fairing made out of wood.
To keep the aero seat mast benefits throughout the size range, the frame comes with the seat mast sized to fit the customer. The seat mast is an aluminum tube bonded to the frame with a shortened 27.2 mm seatpost for a bit of height adjustment. Surrounding both is the lightweight wood aerodynamic fairing.
While not mentioned as specifically for aero purposes, the steerer tube is a straight 1 1/8in rather than the more common tapered affair found on most road bikes.
Renovo Aerowood pricing and availability
Like any handmade bike, regardless of material, the Aerowood doesn't come cheap. The frame plus an Enve 2.0 fork retails at $5,495. (UK and AU pricing not available.)
Complete bikes start at $9,995 for an ENVE 2.0 fork, Ultegra Di2 kit and Vision Metron 40 SL Carbon wheels surrounded by Schwalbe Pro One 25mm tires. The Dura-Ace Di2 complete bike sells for $11,995 and features an ENVE 2.0 fork, Dura-Ace Di2 components and Rolf Ares 4 Carbon wheels with Schwalbe Pro One 25mm tires.
Renovo also offers custom builds as well as partial builds should you have some parts needing to be used.
The Aerowood is available now at Renovo's site.