Berlin boutique bike brand Standert has launched a development squad that it says will target UCI Continental status by 2026, with the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics a longer-distance goal for its young riders. Team Standert Brandenburg is the latest stage of the über-cool brand’s journey, which started in a “humble” bike shop and cafe in 2012. Standert is known for its stylish straight-tubed aluminium and steel bikes – there isn’t a single carbon frame in the line. The brand's bikes achieved cult status in the capital and will now be raced internationally if the plan comes off.
According to the press release: “Standert Bicycles teamed up with the Brandenburg State Association to create a program that is not just fun, but also fills a real void and creates purpose.” Previously there was no local U23 team for juniors graduating from the LV Brandenburg programme so they were forced to find a new setup but, says Standert, “by merging the interests of Berlin and Brandenburg, we create a huge pool of talent that can find a home in Team Standert Brandenburg for their U23 and elite racing careers without leaving their homes, families, schools, studies, friends, and jobs. Real life and racing life can go hand in hand, and that's what we want to provide for the next generation.”
LV Brandenburg, who already rode Standert's bikes, were overall 2023 junior team champions in the cycling Bundesliga, a season-long series of nationwide races in Germany, with several of its riders on the national track squad and aiming for Olympic medals. Meanwhile, the bike brand’s own amateur Team Standert was established in 2015 “with the vision of championing a new spirit and setting a new standard in German competitive cycling. The team has been a major influence in shaping the Standert brand into what it is today – building cool-looking, innovative bikes that win races.”
The 14-rider roster is, according to Standert, a mix of youth and experience, with the likes of Jakob Geßner (KOM Deutschland Tour 2022) and Pierre-Pascal Keup (2nd on GC at Paris-Tours Espoirs 2023) heading up the squad and mentoring younger riders.
The team will be riding Standert’s Kreissäge RS. ‘Kreissäge’ is German for circular saw – Standert also has a model called Kettensäge (chainsaw) and a Stichsäge (jigsaw). The team bike is made in Italy from Dedacciai Scandium aluminium with a monocoque carbon fork, matching purple Deda Alanera integrated cockpit, Deda seatpost and fully integrated cabling. It has a WorldTour-level spec with a SRAM Red groupset with CeramicSpeed OSPW rear derailleur upgrade and DT Swiss wheels, and despite the retro-looking lines, the frame can take up to 30mm tyres (pictured here with 28mm Vittoria Corsa Pro). Fizik supplies the saddles – there’s a 3D-printed Vento Argo Adaptive here – and Wahoo the Speedplay pedals and computers. Other supporters are MAAP, 100%, Maurten and Red Bull.
The last rider to win the Tour de France on an aluminium bike was Marco Pantani in 1998, but of course German prodigy Jan Ullrich – who was also based in Berlin but trained under a very different sports programme in the late 1980s – was Tour champion in 1997 on a Pinarello Paris with Columbus tubing. It will be fascinating to see how far an aluminium bike will go in today’s world of high-modulus carbon aero all-rounders that weigh 6.8kg on the nose. According to Standert the Kreissäge RS is “stiffer, lighter and faster than ever”.
Team Standert Brandenburg’’s team bike will be sold via Standert's website at EUR 1,949.01 for the frameset or from EUR 4,799 for a Shimano 105 Di2 build (the ‘entry level’ option).
Earlier this month Standert announced it had hired UK PR specialists Fusion Media to support its expansion in Germany and the UK, noting that it was looking at further expansion into its neighbouring DACH countries.
