Alutech Pelmo first look
At Eurobike, there was one overwhelming theme: a lot of buzz about new e-bike motors. While the big booths focused on scaling up, at the Alutech booth by Jürgen Schlender, there was a true masterpiece of craftsmanship to admire.
The mountain bike scene has undergone a rapid transformation in recent years. What once were small backyard companies have now become enterprises with over 1,000 employees. Some companies in the industry are even listed on the stock exchange. And even the automobile industry, once the star in Germany’s economic portfolio, increasingly sees an opportunity to position itself for the future with investments in the bike industry. The increased involvement of Bosch or ZF can be understood in no other way.
The once familial scene now has to bow to the harsh laws of capitalism. Investors exert pressure to boost sales and drive continuous growth. Those who can’t keep up are devoured and digested. The takeover and recent shutdown of Bold by Scott is the best example of what happens when a scene matures.
Alutech, a company that has seen it all
Jürgen Schlender has been in the bike business with his company Alutech for over 30 years. He knows the roots of the industry. He was there when bike brands only had champagne and caviar for breakfast. And he describes his current situation himself with the simple words:
We need to downsize just to get back on track.
Due to the decline in orders after the corona period, getting swallowed by an investor was never an option for the inventor from the Waterkant. Instead, he restructured his business. Instead of ordering and selling containers of new goods from Asia, he now welds his bikes himself again. One day he welds a frame.
Here, the boss still welds himself
There aren’t many company CEOs who can make such a decision today. Let’s be honest, out of the 10 largest bike companies in the world, no CEO can handle a welding torch anymore. In most companies, there isn’t even a welding torch available anymore. The detailed division of responsibilities undoubtedly drives up quality and technical advancement, but it also takes away a lot of freedom from the companies.
Only the very few have the option to slim down healthily. Most companies are trapped in the process carousel. Anyone who wants to sell more bikes currently must make their production as efficient as possible and calculate costs so tightly that the pencil lead almost breaks in the sharpener.
No time for passion. No time for experimental design. There’s no time to question yourself. The new Alutech Pelmo is the result of what happens when you take this time.
Economically unreasonable
How Jürgen Schlender approached the design of the new Pelmo is reflected in his words at Eurobike:
The calculation is messed up. Actually, I should charge 1,000 € more for the bike.
He wants 7499 € for the complete bike. If you want the welds to be so smoothly sanded that you can’t see them anymore, you’ll pay a good 1000 € extra. But Jürgen Schlender doesn’t just spend two days with the grinder; he also uses a special welding technique to assemble the frame parts.
The explanation of how he double burns the weld and applies extra heat the first time shows that the man knows what he’s doing. 30 years of experience pay off.
The Alutech Pelmo - a Child of its Time
The time Schlender invested in the Pelmo project is paying off not only with its top-tier and truly unique design. The details are on point too. There’s a storage compartment for tools and a spare tube at the bottom bracket. The main pivot of the frame is protected by an extra aluminum sleeve from the impact of a slapping chain. And the rear suspension kinematics can be kept consistent across all frame sizes with a flip chip. Additionally, the trendy cable routing through the headset is omitted.
The most beautiful bike at Eurobike
