Sage Storm King Gravel Bike 3D-prints Mega Tire Clearance
The Sage Titanium Storm King gravel bike gets a full makeover, adding stealth internal routing and massive tire clearance, with two options based on your preferred drivetrain.
The geometry gets an update, too, with longer reach paired to shorter stems for a snappy yet stable feel. Here’s all the details…
The Storm King v2’s changes cascade through the frame, each one leading to other updates, starting with the increased tire clearance, which was made possible by a new 3D-printed titanium drive side chainstay yoke.
Available in two versions, the standard “Gravel” yoke opens up clearance for huge 700×50 tires while maintaining double-chainring compatibility.
It’ll fit the popular 48/31 Shimano GRX and 43/30 SRAM Wide 2x chainring combos, or up to a 46-tooth 1x chainring.
Want more? Opt for the wider “Gravel+” chainstay yoke and you can fit 650×2.4″ tires in there, but will be limited to 1x drivetrains up to 44-tooth chainrings.
The new chainstays worked with their existing bent seat tube to keep chainstay length at 42.3-42.7mm across the eight frame sizes, same as on the original model. But they did update other aspects of the geo…
Reach and effective top tube lengths increase by 20mm, and stems are shortened by the same amount. This keeps the rider in the same spot, but improves toe/front tire overlap clearance, which is especially important when running the largest tires.
That means the wheelbase is stretched out by 20mm, too, which founder Dave Rosen says makes the bike a bit more stable at speed, but the shorter stems maintain snappy steering at lower speeds.
When purchased as a frameset or complete bike, the 44mm headtube now comes with a Chris King AeroSet headset and a choice of stems and cockpits. Most bikes will come with ENVE setups, but the smaller frame sizes come with shorter stems than ENVE offers, so FSA and Deda options are also available…as are FSA and other headsets that offer stealth internal routing, because…
…the new frame runs everything inside, from the headset back. Or directly from the levers back with compatible handlebars and stems (like ENVE’s). This includes dropper seatpost routing, and, perhaps surprisingly, mechanical shift cables and housing if you’re opting out of electronic shifting.
It also gets their sleek new 3D-printed titanium dropouts, which fork the rear disc brake mounts into the same piece (and trail off with a gorgeous tear-drop shape).
Their owl logo looks pretty smart on the back side, keeping an eye on anyone trying to pass.
Not shown on this bike, all new Storm King v2 frames will ship with a UDH and T-Type compatible drive side dropout. The key distinction here is that more and more gravel and road frames are UDH-compatible, and getting spec’d with the Universal Derailleur Hanger, but not all of those are T-Type compatible with SRAM’s latest Transmission drivetrains. True, those groups are only for mountain bikes (for now), but if you wanted to build a mixed drivetrain with MTB cassette and derailleur, it matters.
Frames are made in the USA from US-sourced 3/2.5 titanium and start at $6,000 before adding paint, anodizing, or Cerakote (this frame has a custom Cerakote finish, click any image to enlarge). Framesets include bar, stem, and ENVE Adventure Fork, from about $6,500. Complete bikes typically range from $9,500 to $14,000 including stock finish options.
Headed to the MADE show? Be sure to swing by Sage Titanium’s booth for a sneak peek at more new bikes and bits.
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