A steel bicycle frame brings back the feel of the legendary cycling of Coppi, Anquetil, Merckx and Indurain while also offering solidity and the modern technology applied to a custom bicycle.
In the 2013 and 2014 seasons, the English pro team Madison Genesis rode a stainless steel bicycle, the Genesis Volare. It was like a turning point for a material that had almost disappeared from the upper end of the market, and even more so from the highest level of professional racing.
Little by little, steel began to appear on the bicycles of certain professionals. On the final stage of the 2019 Tour, Oliver Naesen rode a steel Eddy Merckx on the Champs-Élysées.
A steel bicycle in the 21st-century Tour? How long had it been since a steel bicycle was last seen in the greatest race in the world?
Would a modern steel bicycle be retro? Absolutely not. Top-grade steel for bicycle construction has evolved considerably over the last few decades, thanks to major companies such as Columbus, Reynolds and Dedacciai. The material of Naesen’s bicycle cannot be compared in any way to the steel of the 90s.
Oliver Naesen, the best classics rider of 2019, with the best UCI numbers to prove it, rode a custom bicycle, entirely hand-built for him, with his own angles, measurements and personal characteristics.
A step back in the commercial evolution of the bicycle: the aim is to offer something distinctive for what comes next. Highly distinctive and personalised bicycles, very specific and specialised.
These days, every maker in the market offers the same thing; standing out lies at the root of things. From this comes a wave of new custom steel frame makers. My aim with Oxia Cycles is to create a bicycle entirely tailored to the rider. I build steel road bicycles, mountain bikes and the now fashionable gravel bicycles. All of them are custom-built.
A few years ago, buying online felt strange, but today, who doesn’t do it as a matter of course? The buying process for a hand-built bicycle usually happens online, from first getting in touch with the builder to the continuous exchange of messages that defines the details of the steel frame. After that, communication continues steadily and fluidly, keeping you informed throughout the build.
That’s why anyone looking for a custom steel frame knows the process itself should move them, because at the end of it all, they’ll have a one-off piece, with unique details that will make it the best for them.
Details that always go with you, details you’ll always feel; a custom-built bicycle should be an extension of your body.
From the paintwork to the selection of tubes, including the measurements that make up the DNA of a rider.
The emotion and feeling of something built from scratch to fit you — that’s what the steel bicycle brings back.
A process of months, measuring, calculating and refining details, drawing gold from every centimetre and every thought. Viewing videos and photos so that the final experience on the machine is as expected and pleasurable. An experience where all the feelings and emotions with which the project began will come flowing back — an indescribable moment.
A steel bicycle offers a feel very different from carbon. It brings something a catalogue bicycle — whether carbon or aluminium — cannot achieve: the sensation of flowing on something unique and personal, created for you.
I work with a methodical, detailed process and constant communication with the rider. It makes everything so personal that the bond formed is strong enough to grow into a friendship.
It’s all about returning to the rigid mountain bike, a tank beneath your legs and yet light, agile and alive, elegant and powerful. Bringing the elegant, firm road bicycle back to life, with a stunning ride and a stiffness and geometry tailored to you. Discovering the new gravel bicycles ready to take on every challenge along your route, with panniers or simply a rucksack for a weekend trip.
You may be at a point where you need more information: get comfortable, read, look at the photos, watch the videos and enjoy. In the menu you’ll find links to all the steel frames I’ve built, how the full build process works, and even how to learn more about me.