PORTLAND, OREGON- Renovo Hardwood Bicycles – renovobikes.com – has collaborated with Glenmorangie, creators of Highland Single Malt Scotch Whiskies, to provide the world with the first bicycle made from whisky casks, the Glenmorangie Original. This innovative collaboration creates a one-of-a-kind bicycle with a rich history that is as unique as Glenmorangie’s wood management policy.
Since 1843, Glenmorangie has been renowned for its innovative whisky creation and expertise in wood – and Renovo shares that same passion for using wood to create their unique handmade bicycles. Unlike most distilleries where casks are filled five or six times, Glenmorangie’s are only used twice, preserving the wonderful wood notes of vanilla, almond, coconut and honey concentrated in the spirit maturing in first-fill casks. The parcel matured in second-fill casks invites more of the citrus tones of Glenmorangie’s spirit to shine through. Together, they create The Original’s soft and smooth style.
When the American White Oak casks’ work at the Distillery is done, their staves are shipped from Scotland back to the USA to Renovo’s workshop in Oregon. Renovo, the originators of the wood bicycle frame, utilize about 15 staves to construct the hollow frame of each Glenmorangie Original bicycle. Every bike is individually designed to embrace the trapezoidal shape of each stave, as well as the curve of the cask in the frame’s down and top tubes. These shapes are integrated into a frame with the same smooth-riding hollow frame technology Renovo pioneered, as well as “longbow” seatstays engineered to further tame rough roads.
The Glenmorangie Original bicycles are a rolling testament to the versatility of wood, exceeding expectations on an array of surfaces. A fast and responsive road machine with the stock 700x28mm tires, the Glenmorangie Original transforms into an incredibly smooth and stable adventure machine with a simple swap of the tires – up to 40mm wide – to tame the roughest of unpaved roads. The Launch Edition is built with a Shimano Ultegra mechanical shifting and hydraulic braking systems, a full-carbon thru-axle fork, highly versatile Velocity wheels and a lightweight FSA cockpit.
Renovo Founder Ken Wheeler is excited to be working with Glenmorangie, and explains that Renovo “is dedicated to honouring wood in the creation of our bicycles, engineered to perfection for a smoother ride,” and that “these beautiful machines, uniquely fashioned from Glenmorangie’s staves, will inspire anyone with a taste for innovation.”
The Glenmorangie Original bicycles by Renovo – Facts and Figures
- Trapezoidal curved downtube and toptube recall the shape of Oak staves from Glenmorangie casks
- Flat+Wide “Longbow” seat stays engineered to optimize vibration damping and stiffness
- Lightweight, hollow chain stays
- 27.2mm seatpost for maximal compliance
- Long wheelbase enhances stability and vertical compliance
- Tapered headtube, PF30 bottom bracket, front and rear thru-axles all increase stiffness under power
- Disc brakes offer superior stopping power on long descents
- Full carbon, tapered steerer tube fork with fender mounts
- Frame is Fender and rack compatible (management use requires adapter)
- 28-40mm tire compatibility
- Delivered fully tuned and 98% assembled in custom presentation packaging, ready to ride in 15 minutes or less.
- Includes assembly tools and mini-pump
- Available in Small, Medium and Large sizes
Launch Edition Specifications:
- The Glenmorangie Original Frame by Renovo, White Oak and Sapele Woods
- Shimano Ultegra 6800 Shifting and Braking Systems
- Custom 28 spoke Velocity Aileron Comp Wheels
- FSA Energy Handlebar, Stem and Seatpost
- Vittoria Rubino Pro 700x28mm tires
- Selle Italia XR Gel Flow Saddle
- Lizard Skins DSP Bar Tape
- MSRP: $6950
Beyond the Cask:
Glenmorangie’s collaboration with Renovo is the second partnership in the Distillery’s Beyond the Cask series, which celebrates the casks in which Glenmorangie Original is matured, by repurposing their staves in innovative ways. Last year, Glenmorangie created an exquisite limited edition of the world’s first Scotch whisky sunglasses, with renowned British eyewear designer Finlay & Co.
Awesome Scotch Awesome Bike
Gorgeous. Does the bike come with a case of whisky ? Or at least a few bottles ? I love bikes — but sadly my garage is already full. Lets get some Kentucky distillers into the game. Basil Hayden? Now, instead of arguing the virtues of steel, Ti, carbon, Alu., bamboo, wood …. we can ague about Scotch vs Bourbon!