We are big fans of domestically manufactured cycling components and frames. We don’t add bike brands often. Every bike on our floor has to earn its spot, and most of the time the answer is no (seriously, there are brands calling daily). Stinner we sought out ourselves.
Stinner Frameworks builds steel and titanium bikes by hand in Santa Barbara, California. They’re not a logo slapped on a frame from overseas that has become all too common these days. They’re a small crew of riders and welders who weld, paint and build every frame in their own shop. Here’s why we think they’re special, and why we’re starting with the Refugio.
Aaron Stinner raced road and mountain bikes across the country until he was 22, then managed a bike shop and ran a fitting service in Santa Barbara. In 2009 he took a framebuilding class to understand bike design better, and soon he was building frames for friends out of his garage. Word got around.
Every frame is built by hand, in California. Stinner frames are hand-welded and hand-painted in Santa Barbara. The welders are trained and certified in aerospace welding for both steel and titanium, and every frame gets checked on an alignment table before it leaves. Look closely at the joints and you’ll see what builders call a “stack of dimes”: a clean, even row of TIG welds that comes from hard earned skill and experience.
This is still a small crew of people who get out on their bikes. That shows in the details: smart tire clearance, sensible mounts, and geometry built around specific goals outlined for each style of rider. Stinner builds in steel for its lively, compliant ride, and in titanium for riders who want something lighter that will outlast the apocalypse. If nothing on the rack fits quite right, they’ll build one just for you: your geometry, your paint, your parts. We got one coming in soon and it’ll be something you can come check out at the shop.
Steel and titanium can be repaired, and Stinner backs its frames with a lifetime warranty. These are bikes you keep for decades, not trade in after two seasons.
While most of the industry builds overseas, Stinner has grown into one of the largest bike fabricators in the U.S., proving that great bikes can still be made here.
The Refugio: Gravel for our Scene
Stinner’s tagline for the Refugio is “Go Anywhere,” and around here, that’s a lot of places. Think washboard Caja del Rio roads, rocky two-track out up Pacheco Canyon road, and long climbs where you’ll be glad you’re not on a race bike.
The frame is Columbus Zona steel, and it rides like good steel should: lively when you push, calm and comfortable when the road turns rough. It clears 700×50c tires, so you can run big rubber for chunky gravel or go narrower and faster for mixed pavement days. Flat-mount disc brakes and a UDH rear end keep it ready for whatever drivetrain comes next.
Our builds come ready to ride with SRAM wireless electronic shifting, DT Swiss tubeless wheels and Teravail Cannonball 50c tires. We have a 56cm in Trailhead built up on the floor right now, plus a 54cm frame in Lake waiting for someone with a custom build in mind. Come in, look at the welds up close, and take it for a spin.
Coming in November: the Romero LT
Curious about full-suspension steel? So were we. The Romero is Stinner’s first full-suspension mountain bike: a hand-welded steel front triangle, an aluminum rear end and Ministry Cycles’ 3VO suspension, all on 29-inch wheels and in two travel setups.
We’ve got two Romeros on the way, a medium and a large. The LT is the long-travel version, with 150 to 160mm of rear travel and a 170mm fork, built for the steep, rocky stuff Santa Fe does best. The MT is 130mm to 140mm rear travel and 150mm up from. They land in November. With only two coming, give us a call if you want first dibs.
Come see one in person
Photos only go so far with a bike like this. Stop by the shop and look at the welds, feel how a well-made steel frame rides, and talk with us about a custom build if that’s where your head is at. Want the full backstory first? The Radavist’s visit to the Stinner shop is a great read.
See you at the Spoke.
