Here we’ve tried to gather as many frequently asked questions as possible. If your question isn’t below, just shoot us an email!
Sizing and Geometry
Choosing the right frame size is a big question. It’s like, what is the best mid-2000s-vintage Merlot to pair with an aubergine-heavy dish? Some people go to school for years just to answer that (hint: it’s 2005, of course). Stack and reach are a great starting point however personal preferences, but also how and where you will use the bike will influence your size. All the numbers and all other relevant sizing information can be found in our geometry tables. To help you decide, we have assigned the different frame sizes to the body sizes and the inner leg length. This information should serve as orientation, so if you have further specific questions, please contact us! Don’t forget to include the following measurement: height, inside leg length and saddle height/extension.
We have a limited number of premium shops/partners that can provide you with particular models of our line-up. Otherwise you may have to make your purchase sight unseen. If this makes you nervous, please do get in touch with us prior to your purchase.
Although we don’t pay too much attention to the total weight of our own bikes (we’re more of the School of Send It), we realise some people have goal weights in mind. All of the weights of the frames and forks are listed in the specifications of the model you are looking for.
Generally speaking everything is good to go up to 125kg system weight. Of course, feel free to get in touch about your situation and we can help you with specific information.
We love custom colors! We have some pretty fancy powdercoating skills and can create some pretty wild paint jobs. Yes, even clearcoat “raw” is possible.
If you want a custom color, or a transparent coating, just click the “Custom Color Downpayment” option when selecting your frame options and we’ll be in touch with you!
Custom colours have a deposit of €180, but the price ultimately depends on the coating time, frame preparation, and complexity of the colour. We’ll be in touch to discuss all the details before we get started.
In our colour gallery you will find examples of colours that we have already tested, and we can reproduce with great accuracy. For all other colours we can not guarantee and exact replication of the color displayed on your screen.
Sometimes! We offer different build kits with certain models for time to time. If you didn’t see a complete bike option in our shop, it’s not currently possible. If you want to build your dream bike yourself with parts of your choice, you can either assemble it on your own or visit one of your local dealers for all the help you’ll need. Send us an email for more information.
The frame and fork warranty for our products is 3 years from the date of purchase and covers manufacturing defects only. Please remember to keep your sales receipt.
Our frames are made in our own little bicycle factory in a former accordion factory just outside of Dresden. All finishing and painting is done in Dresden. In early 2022, Sour Bicycles began a new chapter in the brand’s short and exciting history by moving frame production to Germany, near our headquarters.
Yes and no. Since powder coating is baked at high temperature, it is possible that decals or stickers will deform, discolour, or even completely peel off during the curing process. Therefore we only use our own sticker foil that is made specifically for powder coating. However, it is possible to send your own design as a vector file and we will get in contact with you to discuss whether or not it is possible and about the extra costs incurred. Due to the high thermal stress during powder coating, only very selected colour stickers are possible.
Yes. If your frame is damaged beyond the point of “patina” and you want to have it re-powdercoated, that is possible. We can chemically strip your frame and repaint it, preserving your warranty. Any and all paint modifications done outside of Sour will void your warranty due to the difficult nature of removing powdercoat.
Of course! When your bike is ready we will get in contact with you to set up an appointment, just let us know that you’re keen to pick up your bike in Dresden… We’ll provide the drinks if you bring the snacks.
Each of our frames is thoroughly inspected for manufacturing defects before powder coating and before shipping. We test each powder coating for colour consistency and quality before we make it available in the store. Please note that due to the manufacturing and processing, slight discolourations, minimal differences in colour brightness and small particle inclusions may occur.
Please note: screen settings, brightness, photographers doing their magic often lead to different looks of the same color. Depending of the production run of the powders basis and other factors, results may vary.
We checked with a scientist about this and they told us that steel does indeed rust. But jokes on them! We have a few tricks to keep the rust away.
Internal wax. A “hollow section wax” like that from Motip about once a year is more than enough rustproofing for even the most wet of climates. Additionally making sure that the breather hole on the underside of your bottom bracket stays free is very important. If you have a Sour frame with an EBB you don’t have to worry about this one.
Rust is a fact, but rust is seldom a problem. Surface rust is not a problem, and even then powdercoating will keep that away. Making sure your frame is oiled or waxed every once in a while, and otherwise dried out after riding in the wet will help prevent internal rust… that’s the mean kind of rust.
We have also written a blog post on this topic. SOUR Blog!
Unfortunately no. As our decals are baked into the coating, we are unable to send our decals separately. We also do not ship frames without our decals. Headbadges can be re-ordered if damaged, please contact us.
Yes, we have sufficient spare parts in stock for all parts that are included in the delivery of our frames.
If you have at least 10 million subs and want a free frame, get in touch with us ASAP!
But in all seriousness, we love working with athletes and just generally rad people out there doing rad things. If you’re a rad person, and you’re out there doing rad things, drop us a line! We are a small company, and our capacity to support other cyclists on a sponsorship basis is only so large, but we love collaboration, so who knows. When writing to us, please take your time and let us know what’s happening in your world… any copy/paste letters will likely be ignored.
We have equipped our singlespeed-ready frames (Pasta Party, CanCan and Bad Granny) with an eccentric bottom bracket shell. The advantage of this system is that we can continue to use the dropouts we’ve developed and use across almost all our models, and we also achieve a higher stiffness for a similar weight compared to other systems. We also believe that the final result is a tidier integration and a more coherent overall appearance, and maintain higher functionality by allowing rear wheel removal without having to re-adjust chain tension.
Our EBB has 14mm of travel to tension the chain.
Bottom bracket drop is the vertical distance between the center of the bottom bracket and a horizontal line between the front and rear wheel axles. The BB drop of our bikes with eccentric bottom brackets is measured from the center position of the EBB, that is, with the EBB shell in it’s “middle” height position all the way forward or rearward in the bike frame.
The Pasta Party is our full-tilt XC and bikepacking frame and is designed for brake discs from 160mm to 180mm. During the design process we started thinking about using a FM160 mount on the frame (rear) when we saw a growing number of manufacturers adapting their brake calipers for flat mount. Once we saw some of our favourite brakes being offered in flat mount we decided to look at the other benefits, and eventually decided on including it in the design of the Pasta Party. By using FM160 we are able to alter the seatstays more to our liking, and to build bikes with an adapter-less 160mm rear mount. What results is a light and more stable FM160 that we are happy to continue using. Keen on 180mm rotors? No worries, just add a standard FM+20mm adapter (Magura part no. QM51).
Learn more here: BLOGPOST
By using rubber plugs in the frame, we are able to offer our frames as ready for all mechanical and electronic groupsets. These plugs are available in 2-hole, 1-hole, and just a simple plug when using wireless systems, running singlespeed, or a fixed seatpost on a dropper-ready frame. We’ve found it to be easiest to first route the cables through the plugs needed, slip on any anti-rattle foam, and then feed the cables through the frame. Once repeating the process on the other side, spray the plugs with a little silicone spray and then push them, one end at a time, into the frame.
We install in our frames only headsets with extra bearing shells. Below is a chart for all the measurements you’ll need for our frames. Other measurements may depend on your fork. Headsets can be confusing, if you have any questions hit up your local Sour dealer or drop us an email!
Check out this blog post for more information on headset sizes! https://sour.bike/en/headsets/
Our aluminium forks are designed to carry 3kg per eyelet.
Our current carbon forks are rated for 3kg per side (when using all three eyelets).
Our newest carbon forks will carry a total load of 15kg. (available from July 2022)
Our Gravel Carbon and steel forks have flat mount brakes and are designed for 140mm and 160mm rotors. The maximum size of the brake rotor is 160mm.
Pasta Party, Purple Haze and Clueless have a FM160 brake mount for the rear brake. So you will need the following combinations when mounting the rear brake.
– Flat Mount caliper with 160 mm disc: no adapter
– Flat Mount caliper with 180 mm disc: 20mm adapter FM to FM
– Post Mount caliper with 160 mm disc: 0mm adapter FM to PM
– Post Mount caliper with 180 mm disc: 20mm adapter FM to PM
Since the flat mount standard was originally developed for 140mm, most adapters are classified as such. Our frames are designed for 160mm brake discs as standard (and minimum), therefore the designations of the adapters shift up by 20mm. For example: a Shimano adapter for 160mm rotors becomes 180mm on a Pasta Party FM160 mount.
ATTENTION:
Special case HOPE
Pasta Party:
Hope X2 flat mount brake caliper -> 160mm brake discs without adapter
Purple Haze, Clueless:
Hope RX4+ Flat Mount for 160mm brake disc: without adapter.
Hope RX4+20 Flat Mount for 180mm brake disc: without adapter.
Hope RX4+ Postmount for 160mm brake disc: adapter 0mm FM to PM.
Hope RX4+ Postmount for 180mm brake disc: adapter 20mm FM to PM
Any other questions about Hope fitment, contact your local Hope dealer.
Our gravel frames are designed for 700c (also know as 29 inch) wheels except for frame sizes S, XS and XXS. Since our frames can accommodate fairly wide tires even with 700c wheels, we have only adapted the smaller frames to the 650b wheels to avoid toe-overlap and to produce similar handling and riding characteristics to the 700c frames..
If you still want to ride 650b wheels in the larger frames, please check the changes in geometry. Among other things, the bottom bracket will be lowered a fair bit. This can be counteracted with shorter cranks.
If you want to use 700c wheels in the smaller frames, keep in mind that the inverse will be true, your bottom bracket and standover height will increase and the maximum tire size will decrease.
You are welcome to experiment with our frames, but please be aware that some things aren’t tested , and may be unsafe, outside the limits of how the frame is designed.
As 650b models we have:
Purple Haze: XXS, XS and S
Clueless: XS and S
Crumble: S
Our frames are designed to allow trailer use with most trailer attachments, however our favourite is the Weber axle.
Definitely! We work on site with a specialist who can measure, cut, and apply a protective foil to your frame from day one. If you’re interested, just let us know when ordering and we’ll confirm the extra cost and lead time.
Our geometry data are all without suspension sag. This is the clearest measurement method for us and corresponds to the installation heights of the forks.
For example, if you install a 20mm longer fork, the steering angle will be about 1° slacker.
The seat tube angle is a fixed value. The seat angle is variable and is defined by the saddle position and the type of seat post. A seatpost with 2cm setback results in a seat angle that is about 0.5° more relaxed. Moving the saddle horizontally by one centimetre results in a change of about 0.5°.
Most of our frames have classic, straight seat tubes so the effective seat angles are equal to the geometric seat tube angles of the frame.
The Crumble and Big Fun are a little different.
Due to the bend in the seat tube, the seat angle is given here as if you would ride exactly 0mm saddle extension, so in this case we are talking about an “effective” seat angle.
If your saddle is slightly higher, the real seat angle will be slightly more relaxed, and if your saddle is lower (actually only with dropper down) the real seat angle is somewhat steeper than in our specification.
We use individual, frame-specific and size-dependent Taiwanese steel tubes for our frames. The main tubes are multi-butted, partially heat treated and depending on the intended use of the frame and the frame size in the wall thicknesses and tube diameters adapted to give you an identical riding pleasure throughout the sizes.
For the number nerds out there, here is a comparison:
R…s 531 = Tensile Strength: 800 MPa Stiffness: 206 GPa
Sour Sweet Steel = Tensile Strength: 840 MPa Stiffness: 207 GPa
R…s 853 = Tensile Strength: 1200 MPa Stiffness: 207 GPa
