The Real Beauty of a Renovo Frame is the Ride, the Looks Are Just a Bonus:

The smoothest bike you'll ever ride, stealth quiet, light and responsive, stiff as you want. Renovo hollow wood and laminated bamboo frames will forever change your understanding of what a bicycle should be, and what these natural materials can do.

Renovo R4 Pursuit road frame, black walnut and Port Orford cedar













Why Wood?

  • Lightweight; a frame weighs from 3.5 to 4.5 pounds--bikes, 16.5 to 20 pounds.
  • A magically smooth ride thanks to its unique ability to absorb vibration--you feel the difference immediately.
  • Stiffness to order: from carbon-stiff hickory and others, to the supple smoothness of laminated bamboo; you can tailor the stiffness and ride to what you want, not just what comes off a production line.
  • The hardwood frame is remarkably tough. It easily withstands impacts that ruin butted metal or carbon frames.
  • The fatigue life of wood rivals carbon and is substantially longer than aluminum or steel. The Renovo is an heirloom quality frame.
  • The Renovo frame is environmentally friendly, with sustainable woods, bamboo and low VOC waterborne sealers and finishes.

How Does a Renovo Compare?

After 4 weeks of testing the R2 with several riders, Men's Journal said 'It's pretty, but how does it ride? Damn well...it can hang with carbon-fiber rivals'.

A triathlete with the usual garage full of fancy bikes said he thought his Colnago C40 was stiff until he took his Renovo up hills. Of his collection of carbon and aluminum Colnagos, Cervelos and 8 or so others, his Renovo is now his favorite ride for its combination of smooth ride and stiffness. We tested his Colnago Dream and Surly Steamroller for stiffness.

R2 Road frame, maple and bubinga

The owner of a Cervelo Soloist said of his Renovo, 'The Renovo is easily as stiff, much smoother and looks way better. Yep, tested his Soloist for stiffness.

A customer who commutes daily (including rain and snow) in Portland on the maple and bubinga bike at the top of the page, said after replacing his Calfee custom carbon, 'The Renovo is much stiffer, smoother, much better looking, I love it.' We tested his Calfee for stiffness.

A customer who also owns a Pinarello said of his new Renovo 'Absolutely stunning!!'. After 100 miles said 'I love the ride' and after 800 miles, 'It's a great ride.'Comparing his Pinarello to the Renovo, 'both bikes very smooth on chip seal, the Renovo is much quieter, the Pinarello is lighter--feels almost skittish', and finally, 'Thanks for producing a great frame.'  We'd like to test his Pinarello, but it's in Texas.

Made On Our Side of the Ocean:

Renovo bicycles are made in Portland Oregon by a small but dedicated team of bike geeks with skills.

Functional Art then, if you insist.

Some folks view these frames as works of art, too nice or delicate for daily use, but they aren't your mom's dining room table. We chose wood for it's ride quality and sustainability, and got beauty as a bonus; but it's not a weakness. An impact that will dent and ruin a butted metal or carbon frame merely bounces off the Renovo frame leaving a small dent. Wood is tough stuff; a good example is the walnut stock of the 1903 Springfield rifle. Used in warfare from WW1 through the Korean conflict, they were thrown from trucks,dragged through sand, rivers and hell, used as pry bars, clubs, crutches and occasionally, rifles. But after the wars, civilians bought these battle-scarred relics and refinished the stocks into gorgeous sporting rifles.

Our Frames Will Outlast You and Still be Looking Good

Like the Springfield gunstock, or any bicycle frame, a Renovo can be dented and scratched. But, like those gunstocks, and unlike other frame materials, the Renovo is easily refinished, because it's wood all the way through, not just a paint layer. And the best news--a dent or scratch won't escalate into a frame-terminal crack as with other bike frame materials. So really, if you want a beautiful bicycle as your daily driver, the Renovo is your best bet, and yes, between rides some folks will park their Renovos in their living rooms as art they can enjoy from many perspectives in many environments.

The Renovo is semi-custom made with select woods chosen by the owner, and, thanks to the color, grain and figure of wood, each frame is completely unique, even if made from the same wood as another Renovo. Compact geometry in six sizes ranging from 49cm to 61cm fit nearly anyone.

The woods, adhesives, and finishes are probably not what you're familiar with, so please visit 'What You Don't Know About Wood' for an overview.

The Panda?

Renovo Pandurban Bamboo Commuter

The Panda series is our line of mostly handbuilt, affordable, complete bicycles in laminated bamboo. Laminated bamboo is ultra-green, ultra-durable, and strong, with the smoothest ride of any material we've worked with. There are two versions of commuters, a road bike and a fixie (we are in Portland). These bikes are a treat to ride, a treat to look at; they'll make you smile every time you ride.

 

Patents are pending on the Renovo frame.