Entering a new era - The PROPAIN TERREL CF Gravel Bike - Mountain Bike Press Release

PROPAIN GOES GRAVEL

Our first bike that is not a gravity mountain bike. The first bike with a drop bar - a big step and somehow, we are supposedly “late to the party“. When we take such a big step, it has to be spot on. That’s why we took our time, observed the development of the scene and the industry and are now launching a product on the market that we believe is the perfect modern gravel bike. But why are we releasing a gravel bike now? Quite simply: We ourselves are stoked about it, our customers are stoked about it, our brand can grow with it, and simply because we can. Our credo “We build the best bikes for us and our friends“ also applies to gravel.

MAKE IT YOURS

THE TERREL CF

No other bike is as versatile as a gravel bike today. From daily challenges to long off-road rides, multi-day bikepacking trips or long-distance gravel races - every gravel rider has his or her own personal perception of this discipline. The Terrel CF was developed around this enormous versatility and comes with a massive ace up its sleeve - the PROPAIN online configurator. No matter what Gravel is to you, whether it’s a carbon fork and an aero wheelset to quench your thirst for off road speed, or a suspension fork and a dropper post with integrated suspension for a plush ride and trail shredding capabilities. Whether you’re into the efficiency and versatility of a 2x drivetrain or you want the most extreme range possible and sharp shifting under load with a Transmission derailleur and cassette, you can tailor the Terrel to your needs.

HIGHLIGHTS

OVERALL CONCEPT AND GEOMETRY

Developing a platform that can completely change its area of use with different components and that lacks nothing - that’s a pretty ambitious goal. Now that we are standing in front of the Terrel, we are absolutely certain that we have succeeded. For the lightweight frame, we redesigned our well-known Blend Carbon layup and adapted it to the requirements of a gravel bike. With a high ratio of a high-modulus fiber at the critical points, we achieved very high stiffness for maximum pedaling efficiency while at the same time providing vibration damping against fatigue on long rides. The positioning of the seatstays and the layup in this area allow a high degree of flex at the seatpost, providing maximum comfort. In addition, the frame meets our standards for durability from the gravity sector, all at a weight of just 1090 grams in size M. The geometry of the Terrel has undoubtedly been influenced by our gravity experience, but it is anything but a mini-MTB. Light and natural handling was the goal alongside efficiency and comfort.

With a 70.5° slack head angle and 73.5° steep seat angle in size M, longer reach and moderate stack values in combination with overall shorter stem lengths, we achieve just that: A hand position slightly behind the front axle for optimum control, even when it gets a bit more technical, and a sporty but not overly stretched riding position. Thanks to the high stiffness, the Terrel is also very efficient on asphalt despite the gravity influences in the geometry and can easily take part in a road bike group ride and lets you beat your buddies to the city limits sign. The frame geometry is fully “suspension-corrected“, meaning it was developed for use with a 40 mm travel suspension fork. Our rigid carbon fork has a correspondingly adjusted fork height to avoid distorting the geometry. The frame and carbon fork have clearance for tires up to 700x50C for maximum comfort and grip, and of course the appropriate tires can also be selected directly in the configurator. This overall concept, a range of practical and clever features, and the ability to customize it through our online configurator make our Terrel the ideal gravel platform.

MOUNTS FOR BAGS, RACKS AND FENDERS

To be best prepared for bikepacking and commuting, in addition to the efficiency and comfort of the frame itself, the ability to stow equipment on the bike is extremely important. With mounts for frame bags and top tube bags on and under the top tube, mounts for bags or cages on the fork, and mounts for fenders and racks, as well as three bottle cage mounts, we’ve pulled out all the stops with the Terrel.

SIXPACK GRAVEL SERIES

Sixpack Racing is introducing a gravel component line together with the Terrel - the Sixpack Gravel Series. In addition to two handlebar options in aluminum and carbon, a slim aluminum stem and a carbon seatpost with 0 mm setback will all be available in the PROPAIN configurator.

GRVL BLEND CARBON

For a modern carbon frame that can withstand ambitious riding for years, using one good quality carbon material alone isn’t enough. Instead, it takes a blend of various carbon fibers and fabrics exploiting their unique properties to meet the demands. PROPAIN carbon frames are made from pre-impregnated (prepreg) carbon fiber layers. These ensure an optimal resin content and far higher strength values. Each individual layer has special properties and corresponding duties in certain areas of the frame. Based on the requirements for stiffness, flexibility, impact resistance, weight, strength and stress direction, different fibers and fabrics are used. On our Terrel, we deliberately use an additional high-quality high-modulus fiber which allows us to make the frame extremely stiff against torsion when pedaling, without compromising vibration damping and comfort.

FRESH NEW COLORS

T E R R A C O T T A G L O S S || C A R B O N R A W M A T T

The Terrel is available in two colors, “Terracotta Gloss“ and “Carbon Raw Matt“. Our well-known Raw Carbon gets its unique look through the clear coat, and our special processing of the “Blend Carbon“ becomes visible. “Terracotta Gloss“ is a new color that is available for the first time at PROPAIN. On the Terrel, small reflective PROPAIN logos and graphic elements are placed under clear coat. Therefore, the customer can configure the Terrel as clean as possible without any additional PROPAIN decals or keep it tonal. Of course, old and new colors for the decals and the badge can also be chosen. So, everyone has the freedom to create their favorite color combination. A very robust, plotted vinyl film is used for the decal kit, while the emblem is a relief made of ultra-thin metal.

BUILD KITS AND PRICES

When selecting the components, we rely on a large and high-quality variety from which every customer can configure their dream bike precisely for their individual intended use. In addition to the components of the Sixpack Gravel Series, we offer drivetrain options from Shimano and SRAM, wheels from NEWMEN and DT Swiss, tires from Schwalbe and Continental, saddles from Selle Italia and a suspension fork and dropper post from RockShox. In addition to the individual configuration, we offer four fixed build kits for our gravel bike which make it easier to choose the right bike. The build kits are recommendations from us to our customers, as this is exactly how we would build our own bikes.

The starting price of the Terrel CF is 2,599.00 €/£/$.

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

During the development, our frames are extensively tested on the test benches at our HQ in Vogt, Germany. During load tests, with a total of over 500,000 load cycles per frame, they are punished to ensure the best performance, load and longevity. All frames are tested far beyond regulatory standards, resulting in our gravel bike being listed in Category 2 and therefore suitable for use on trails.