Founded in 2007 by Ken Wheeler, whose background is in composite aircraft design, Renovo builds hollow laminated hardwood road and mountain bikes. Although Renovo is primarily an engineering company, not a woodworking company, Wheeler believes that wood is “the single material that combines the properties of vibration damping and stiffness; (the bikes) have carbon-like stiffness while the entire frame acts to smooth shock and vibration.”
These frames are designed for durability and ride quality rather than the lightest possible weight, resulting in a frame weight of 4 to 5 pounds. There is no internal reinforcement, but there is an aluminum sleeve for headset bearing loads, another sleeve for the seatpost clamp, and an aluminum bottom bracket shell. Besides ride quality, they claim better resistance to damage and fatigue, easy repairability, and environmentally friendly manufacturing.
Specifications:
Designer/builder: Renovo Hardwood Bicycles
Country of Origin: Portland, Oregon, USA
Weight: 8618/ 19lbs.