Sturdy has today announced the release of two new titanium bikes, both made in the UK and showcasing the brand's fresh design direction.
The first of the newly unveiled bikes is called the Fosse, named after the First Century Roman road that runs from Exeter to Lincoln, passing close by Sturdy's Somerset workshop.
The Fosse is designed to be the ideal UK bike. Its focus is on long-distance riding, so it comes with an endurance-friendly geometry. The frame has 38mm tyre clearances and the ENVE IN-Route fork comes with 35mm clearance.
Sturdy says it will be producing a new all-titanium fork with matching clearances to the Fosse's frame in 2027.
The second addition to Sturdy's line-up is the Drove, named after the drovers' roads, the rough tracks that once crisscrossed the Somerset and Wiltshire landscape. Sturdy says the Drove comes with modern gravel geometry, with a balanced front end to track straight in the rough.
The frame has triple bottle bosses, top tube mounts and proper mudguard mounts. There's 55mm tyre clearance, with the ENVE gravel fork having 50mm of clearance. As with the Fosse, Sturdy is in the process of developing a titanium fork with matching 55mm clearance.
New direction
While Sturdy’s original bike line-up relied heavily on part of the manufacturing process using additive titanium manufacturing (3D printing), the new direction sees chief engineer Tom Sturdy bringing all the manufacturing in-house in the brand's Somerset workshop.
That move required a whole new design direction, where all the components within the frame that were 3D printed have been reimagined as complex CNC-machined parts made from high-grade titanium billets.
I visited founder Tom and Jack Watney, Sturdy’s graphic designer and the man responsible for finishing the brand's gorgeously appointed titanium bikes, at their Frome base to get the background on these bold new designs.
Sturdy history
Tom’s involvement in titanium bikes started in 2014. Prior to that, a background in aerospace engineering (where titanium is widely used) and sports biomechanics seemed to signal bike building in Tom’s future.
Sturdy was one of the first builders to embrace 3D printing with titanium, and while Tom still believes 3D printing has its place in modern bike building, he sees it becoming a more mainstream option where multiples of identical frames are the goal.
Despite Sturdy being well known for 3D printing, Tom and Jack sensed it becoming a limiting factor for their designs rather than giving them the freedom to push titanium design.
Tom explains that because Sturdy's 3D printing was produced by an external supplier, turnaround times had an impact, and any design tweaks, updates or more custom options were time consuming, introducing long delays int development cycles.
Within Sturdy’s HQ, the engineering room has two state-of-the-art CNC machines and, with Tom’s engineering expertise, they realised they could create the parts they needed in-house, providing more freedom to develop designs.
Sturdy makes the tools that make the bikes
Jack adds that because all the frame parts for the new Fosse and Drove are made from high-grade solid billets of titanium, they can also be more confident of the quality of the material. This gives Sturdy more freedom to experiment with finishing.
Jack says: "We can create a range of finishes that exploit the inherent material properties of titanium whilst also celebrating the manufacturing process.
“With 3D-printed parts, yes, the additive printing is created without human hands, they then need to be finished by hand, which is incredibly time consuming and you’re relying on the quality of the finishers' work. Often, we were refinishing 3D-printed components here, adding much more time and expense.”
Tom also states that by bringing everything in-house, it means he has better control and confidence in those critical frame elements. Previously, in order to ensure the requisite structural performance, it was necessary to engineer additional redundancy into every design.
It’s the attention to detail the new models display that I’m impressed with. The chainstays' clamshell construction has a modular insert for the brake mount that enables Tom to adjust compatibility on individual bikes without having to use clumsy adaptors or extra machining.
He also uses bronze threaded inserts on the dropouts. "The bronze inserts may add a very small amount of weight over steel or alloys, but they’re very strong and won’t bind," he says. "That’s better for the owner, and as we ride the bikes we make, I want the best experience when living with a bike."
While I’m in the workshop, Tom is machining the bottom bracket shell for the Drove gravel bike due to be unveiled at this year's Rouleur Live show, starting today in London.
It demonstrates how involved Sturdy is with the whole process, also making the parts that make the parts. Each element has jigs, carriers and alignment tooling engineered and created in the workshop. It’s a mind-boggling series of elements to create a bottom bracket shell, chainstays, seatstay yokes and more.
Looking good
Both Jack and Tom are at pains to explain their bikes need to show great design and smart engineering, and be finished to the highest standards. Initially, Sturdy relied heavily on anodising, but as good as anodising can look, it’s not the toughest of finishes.
That has seen Sturdy switch to Cerakote finishing, again handled completely in-house by finishing expert Jack. Cerakote is a polymer-ceramic composite, which is applied as a liquid film and then cured with heat.
The advantage of Cerakote is it’s a tough finish that’s also remarkably thin at 25 microns (0.001in). It's resistant to UV, so won’t fade as traditional paints do, and resistant to abrasion, pollution and chemicals. It’s also available in a huge range of colours, metallics and even patterns.
Ample sizes and custom builds
Sturdy will make a fully custom bike to order, and with everything manufactured on-site, the smallest changes can be implemented. However, Tom is keen to explain the brand's new sizing matrix, which combines six sizes with three stack-height options, giving 18 individual fits, should cater for virtually any customer without the extra expense and time required to go fully custom.
To aid getting the right-sized bike, Sturdy has also introduced a new online Size Selector tool. With this, you can compare your current geometry, add your fit data and even calculate the bar position before you order.
The new Drove and Fosse are created with custom-drawn titanium tubes joined to CNC titanium parts (all machined, welded and finished at the Frome workshop).
The frames are completed with ENVE IN-Route forks, and titanium seatposts and stems (machined in house), along with an Enduro headset. Both bikes feature a titanium rear thru-axle, Universal Derailleur Hanger (with phosphor bronze inserts) and titanium bolts throughout.
Finishing as standard is shot-peened titanium with either brushed or Cerakote logos, and bespoke finishes are available.
New Sturdy Fosse and Drove spec details
- Headset: Enduro stainless steel, lifetime warranty
- Bottom bracket: T47-68 (68mm-wide T47 threaded shell)
- Rear axle: 142×12mm; titanium thru-axle included (167mm-long, M12×1mm thread)
- Derailleur hanger: UDH, titanium Sturdy edition with phosphor-bronze threads, included
- Brake mount: Adjustable for 140mm or 160mm rotors at the frame (fork: Fosse 140mm or 160mm, Drove 160mm or 180mm)
- Seatpost: Aero-profile titanium seatpost, machined in-house
- Stem: Titanium, machined in-house
- Fork: Fosse, ENVE IN-Route Road, 370mm design length. Drove, ENVE IN-Route Gravel, 395mm design length, with cargo mounts
- Cable routing: Through the headset, electronic groupsets only (SRAM, Shimano and Campagnolo). Wire exit points for Shimano added if required
- Bosses: Fosse, 2 bottle cage mounts in the front triangle and mudguard mounts. Drove, 2 bottle cage mounts in the front triangle, a 3rd under the down tube, top tube bag mounts and mudguard mounts
- Tyre clearance: Fosse, 35mm maximum recommended measured tyre width on a 700c rim (frame 38mm, ENVE fork 35mm), Drove, 50mm (frame 55mm, ENVE fork 50mm)
Pricing and options
Both the Fosse and Drove are launching with SRAM Force-equipped models. Sturdy also offers framesets and a range of custom build options.
Sturdy Fosse SRAM Force
- SRAM Force E1 (2X) or Force E1 XPLR (1X) groupset, with brake rotors
- Sturdy road wheelset
- Pirelli P Zero Race TLR RS tyres, 32mm
- Bjorn Rool handlebar and Bjorn Kort saddle
- Enduro Max Hit bottom bracket and Sturdy bar tape
- From £4,511.60 inc UK VAT / £3,759.67 ex VAT
Sturdy Drove SRAM Force
- SRAM Force E1 XPLR (1X) groupset, with brake rotors
- Sturdy gravel wheelset
- Pirelli Cinturato Gravel M tyres, 45mm
- Bjorn Rool GR handlebar and Bjorn Kort saddle
- Enduro Max Hit DUB bottom bracket and Sturdy bar tape
- £4,137.60 inc UK VAT / £3,448 ex VAT
