Rodeo Labs Flaanimal 5.0 Frame (or bike)
Flaanimal 5.0 isn’t a “steel bike” or a genre bike. Its design is the natural result of setting tradition aside and endeavouring to build the best and most capable Flaanimal yet.
5.0 set a new bar for the Flaanimal platform, one that has been in a continuous state of evolution since its inception in 2015. The innovative construction and massively adaptable feature set of this bicycle platform represent what Rodeo Labs consider to be a new high water mark for a production steel (and carbon) gravel /adventure bike. Flaanimal is meant to be built and ridden in any way that its rider imagines. It can be blisteringly fast on pavement on skinny slicks. It can be smooth, efficient, and competitive on gravel. With it’s win at the 2021 Tour Divide as piloted by Jay Petervary, Flaanimal has added bikepacking racing to it’s list of proven accomplishments.
The quest for increased Flaanimal function led first on a search for more tire clearance. Not every Flaanimal owner needs more tire clearance, but every Flaanimal owner can potentially benefit from it over the ownership life of the bike. Tire clearance isn’t just about cramming huge tires into a frame though, tire clearance also relates to increased mud clearance when not running huge tires. An easy solution for increasing tire clearance would have been to shift the q-factor of the frameset to a MTB q-factor, allowing the chain stays to be spaced further apart thus creating more room for bigger tires. Going to an MTB q-factor also would have resulted in us deviating from Flaanimal’s road-oriented roots, which was something Rodeo Labs was not willing to do. The solution for increased tire and mud clearance was to design a steel yoke for the drive side chainstay. Starting from scratch, they worked up an entirely new yoke design that solved our clearance needs and allowed Flaanimal 5.0 to retain its road q-factor. The yoke contributes to Flaanimal 5.0’s ability to run 700c x 50mm or 650b x 2.4” maximum tire sizes. Slider position is adjustable for tuning chainstay clearance per tire size. The max 1x chainring size on Flaanimal 5.0 is 46t. 2x cranksets as small as 24t/36t up to 34t/50t are also possible on the frameset.
Custom drawn Japanese steel with size-specific butting profiles. Unidirectional carbon seat tube and head tube.
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All of our bike prices include pro-assembly.
One of our highly experienced pro-bike specialist mechanics will build your bike, then test ride it in the parking lot to verify everything works flawlessly. We will then remove the rear wheel, seat post, and front stem plate for shipping. Your bike will be packed for shipment in a manner that fully eliminates any possibility of arriving to you in less than perfect condition. Once you have your new bike, simply install the front wheel, slide in the seat-post/seat, and attach the stem front plate. You will be ready to ride or race in minutes.
The selection of the correct size frame (and stem, bars, cranks, etc.) is a crucial aspect of the road-bike buying experience.
We will contact you once you have placed your order to discuss and verify the sizes of each item that you need. Once you receive your new bike, ride it for a week or two and verify that you are comfortable with your chosen stem length, bar width, and crank length. If not, you may exchange any of these items for another size, as long as they are returned in as-new condition. (As-new, meaning: unblemished in any way other than bar-tape residue, pedal installation marks on the cranks, etc.) We will then rush you the size that you desire of the item, and sell the returned item as a test-ridden item at our retail store. If desired, we will provide a full comprehensive bike fitting free with any bike purchase. We work with the sizing system from of our favorite full-custom frame builder, Moots. Just go to moots.com and print out their highly comprehensive sizing questionnaire (with very detailed, easy-to-use instructions and pictures.) You will then be contacted by one of our in-house sizing specialists. We welcome all of your questions on any and all aspects of the sizing process when you are purchasing a frame or bike from us!