This American-Made Steel Full-Suspension Bike Has Us Seriously Excited

"In this episode, Aaron Stinner and Chris Ellefson explore the new full suspension mountain bike from Stinner Frameworks. A bike they have named 'Romero'. If you're familiar with the trails above Santa Barbara, California, and the rest of the bikes in the Stinner lineup, you'll see the trend in the name. Romero Canyon Trail, the namesake for this bike, is an icon in the area, and clearly the inspiration for what this bike is designed to accomplish."

"Although this is still very much a prototype, Chris and Aaron are fine-tuning the details and getting closer to a production model. Designed and built in August 2025, just in time for MADE 2025, the testing has been moving along quickly, and the final design has been mostly ironed out. The following steps involve final tweaks, building samples, sourcing production materials, and additional field testing, with an expected launch sometime early in 2026."

"For those unfamiliar with what Stinner is doing with the Romero, it features a steel front triangle combined with an aluminum rear end, blending the ride quality, flexibility, and quick development of steel with the performance benefits of aluminum. Stinner Frameworks has a heritage in steel manufacturing, and pairing the steel front triangle to an alloy rear end means it moves where it needs to and stays planted and stiff during travel. A formula that works, especially when paired with the 3VO suspension design."

Stinner Frameworks released a prototype full-suspension mountain bike named Romero, inspired by Romero Canyon Trail near Santa Barbara, California. The Romero pairs a steel front triangle with an aluminum rear end to combine steel's ride quality, flexibility, and rapid development with aluminum's stiffness and performance. The design employs the 3VO suspension layout to maintain traction and controlled travel. The prototype was built in August 2025 for MADE 2025 and is undergoing final tweaks, sample builds, materials sourcing, and field testing toward an expected early-2026 production launch. Stinner Frameworks recently moved to a larger shop and launched several new bikes this year.

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