Standert, is to bicycles in Berlin, as Berghain, is to Berlin Techno. They’re achingly cool whilst being very specifically ‘of the city’. Standert is also almost as stylish as Berlin’s most famous nightclub, whilst also somehow, perversely, being relatively affordable.
Their new bike, the accessibly-named Erdgeschoss, is built to, in its words, “Bring the farthest corners of the globe just that little bit closer”.
You might need to bring the bars closer however, as the stack and reach are as long, and lower, than a Specialized Aethos, at 568mm and 391mm respectively, meaning this bike is still, as are many of Standert’s offerings, discerningly hardcore in terms of who they’re designed for. A little like Berghain.
(Image credit: Standert)
But there is some adjustment. Whilst the bike is UDH compatible, and launched as such, it also unusually features a sliding dropout. I reached out to the brand, which in the press release, suggested this was to ensure you could control chain tension in the event you lose the rear mech.
I called them on that, given UDH’s superior robustness, wondering how and why you’d seek to solve a problem that, candidly, no longer really exists except in pretty extreme event-ending events, and the response was pretty detailed, and unusually satisfactory. They confirmed that they felt the get you home flexibility of the system, where chain tension was adjustable in an emergency was valid, but they also said:
“We’ve always used sliding dropouts on the Erdgeschoss to allow adjustable chainstay length, providing a more stable ride when carrying panniers or racks. Gravel terrain varies greatly depending on location.”
Fair enough, we thought, you can make the bike a little longer when the terrain…