We read and hear a lot of late about the struggles the bike industry faces at the moment, and phrases like 'challenging headwinds' are often used to describe tough market conditions. Whilst that may be true, and it's no secret that retailers and suppliers are still on the comeback trail post pandemic, there seems to be hope yet for bike brands.
Avona, is a brand new brand, launched today by two industry veteran, that looks set to offer very customisable, gravel, road, mtb and e-bike options, in a range of high-end specs.
Avona is the creation of Jonas Müller and Max Koch. Müller has worked at brands like BMC, DT Swiss, and Santa Cruz, and worked on the BMC Granfondo and Teammachine ranges whilst Koch comes from a product management background. Both men are also the brains behind the ARC8 bikes and Faserwerk carbon component brands, though ARC8 is probably better known in MTB circles than it is in the road world.
Avona was at the recent Bike Connection Agency event in Italy, where we were able to see some of the new models, test ride one, and chat with the founders about their new brand.
The Avona philosophy
Avona claims a holistic approach is taken when it comes to performance, and the attached brand press material states it considers overall performance is to do with more than just wattage-saving claims. Citing all aspects of bike and rider as consideration, including weight, friction, rolling resistance and bike fit. This may not come as new news to plenty of cyclists but it makes for encouraging reading at the very least.
Avona claims it has used ride simulations to try and provide the biggest gains for a rider where they matter most. Two interesting claims here are that we should never use anything but the best tyres and that 'a waxed chain is worth more than an expensive groupset' (in terms of efficiency savings). In simple terms, there are some huge gains to be had for all riders by using the right tyres (and pressures) and an optimised drivetrain with the right chain lubricant, so the brand has taken this into account.
Avona has partnered with CeramicSpeed and every Avona bike will ship with a chain pre-treated with CeramicSpeed UFO wax, good for 650km. This should save a lot of time and effort straight off the bat and help optimise drivetrain performance.
3D CFD (computational fluid dynamics) studies, virtual carbon layup testing, and wind tunnel testing have also been done as well as the creation of a tube shape library to help inform design projects and optimise overall performance. As an example, Avona claims it made a 44-watt saving at 35 km/h for the Avona gravel race bike, compared with its first iteration of the bike.
We believe the bikes will be manufactured in Taiwan and will assembled to order in Germany and then sold via European dealers. There are currently no UK or US dealers, the brand recommends emailing them directly if you live in a non-dealer region. You can also order framesets from the website. Customers will be able to specify crank, stem, chainring and handlebar size and or upgrade specific components. Custom paint options are available as are framesets for custom spec builds.
Prices start at €3,499 for a frameset and rise to €10,499 for a top-end road model. There are plenty of model choices, which we look at below. We have focused on the road and gravel bikes on offer, but there will be a full-suspension MTB and e-model available.
Callis
The Callis is billed as a modern gravel race bike and will be available from April. The brand says it was recently tested in competition, being ridden to 14th place at the Transcordilleras gravel race. The frame has a 50mm tyre clearance (45mm with a front mech) and is compatible with single or double chainsets.
The Callis will be available in five build options and a frameset with or without an integrated handlebar. The frameset has an RRP of €3,499 and has down tube storage and a UDH rear derailleur mount.
It seems like various build options will roll out in the coming months, but most will include the carbon-integrated Faserwerk Luftschneider cockpit.
Complete builds feature SRAM Rival, Force and Red XPLR builds as well as Shimano GRX 1X and double options. A SRAM drivetrain mullet option is also available with a 10-52 rear cassette at no extra cost.
Prices start at €4,599 and rise to €9,999 for the top-end model. Interestingly Avona offers the Callis with road or gravel tyres as an option in the form of the GP5000 35mm, or Schwalbe G One R in a 45mm size, or the Hutchinson Caracal Race.
Velum
By the brand's own admission the Velum, the brand's road bike, is still in development but is set to become available by autumn. The brand is working on UCI certification.
Headlines are a 730-gram frame weight for a size 54cm frame, as well as 35mm tyre clearances. Avona claims extensive CFD will put the frame in line with the best all-round frames on the market. By all-round, we assume that means not all out aero bikes.
The pictures above are of a custom-painted collaboration, though we understand it will be available to buy if it flicks your switch.
Though clearly very similar to the Callis in design, this frame doesn't have the down tube storage compartment and the bottom of the fork leg profile is clearly different.
It's refreshing to see non-dropped seatstays. Avona cites a sloping toping tube and compliant aero seatpost as comfort-boosting features.
A Velum frameset will retail at €3,499 whilst SRAM Red, and Shimano Ultegra and Dura-Ace builds will also be available, starting at €6,999 and rising to €10,499.
First ride impressions
I had an hour on the Callis gravel bike and tested it on a route that took in about a 50:50 mix of road and gravel, some of it pretty rocky and testing.
I was impressed by the bike during my ride. The geometry feels user friendly and I locked into the handlebars immediately. The bike has a reach number that's on the shorter side at 376mm for a size M, certainly shorter than the Canyon Grail CF SLX I recently tested. It was comfortable and not super low, being 6mm higher than the ever-popular Specialized Crux. I think racers could run zero headset spacers and longer stems comfortably if they wanted to.
The Callis felt fleet of foot and very nimble and quick, the fast tyres and wheels no doubt helped. A max sprint on the road gave me a good feeling and I, in particular, noticed the rock-solid Faserwerks handlebar. I couldn't detect any flex there whatsoever, even if the bar tape did feel a little on the cheap side.
As a brand new bike, I was giving the Avona the eagle eye even more than I usually would and generally everything looked very good, with zero issues, creaks or any other problems during the ride. I noticed the bearing topcap had rubbed some of the paint off the top of the headtube when I turned the bars on full lock but that was about it.
Overall I finished with a grin on my face and a positive first impression. There's plenty of doom and gloom out there, but here's hoping Avona make a good go of things.
