Santa Barbara framebuilder Stinner Frameworks has spent two decades welding custom steel - now its first full-suspension bike, the Romero, pairs a 3D-printed steel front end with a Ministry Cycles 3VO alloy swingarm in trail (MT) and enduro (LT) flavours.
Stinner's first full-suspension bike
After two decades hand-welding custom road, gravel and hardtail frames in Santa Barbara, Stinner Frameworks has built its first full-suspension mountain bike - the Romero. It marries a TIG-welded steel front triangle, reinforced at the head tube with 3D-printed 316L stainless inserts, to a hand-fabricated 6061 aluminium swingarm, finished in powder coat and backed by a lifetime warranty.
The mixed-metal recipe is deliberate. As Stinner explained to Singletracks, “where steel's compliance is an asset up front, aluminum's rigidity is exactly what you want in a swingarm: torsional resistance under hard cornering loads, precise lateral tracking”. The Romero comes in two flavours - the trail-focused MT and the enduro LT - with the geometry of each scaled separately rather than shared.
The Romero by the numbers
Source: The Radavist
MT vs LT and the 3VO platform
Romero MT vs Romero LT
| Romero MT | Romero LT | |
|---|---|---|
| Intended use | Trail | Enduro |
| Fork travel | 150 mm | 170 mm |
| Rear travel | 130-140 mm | 150-160 mm |
| Head angle | 65 deg | 64 deg |
| Effective seat angle | 78-79 deg | ~77.8-78.6 deg |
| Reach range | 420-520 mm | 460-520 mm |
| Sizes | 7 (XS-XXL) | 5 (M-XXL) |
| Chainstay | 435 / 445 mm | 435 / 445 mm |
| Wheels | 29in or mullet | 29in or mullet |
Specs: The Radavist
View data table
| Fork travel | Rear travel (max) | |
|---|---|---|
| Romero MT | 150 mm | 140 mm |
| Romero LT | 170 mm | 160 mm |
The suspension is the headline. The Romero runs Ministry Cycles' patented 3VO platform - a dual-link design credited to Chris Currie - which Stinner re-worked with its own pivots for the steel-and-alloy chassis. The brand quotes roughly 105% anti-squat in a real climbing gear, ~100% anti-rise at sag to keep the rear active under braking, and a progressive ~3.1:1 leverage curve.
In plain terms, it's tuned to stay supple over small chatter and on the climbs, then ramp up hard enough to resist harsh bottom-outs. Both models take 29in wheels or a mullet (29/27.5) rear, and chainstays swap between 435 and 445 mm via interchangeable UDH dropouts. Figures via The Radavist and Bikerumor.
How it rides
“The early stroke is remarkably sensitive, and the late stroke is remarkably firm.”
What the reviewers say
Independent verdicts from across the cycling press — follow each link for the full review.
New climbing benchmark
“This bike has dethroned the Revel Rascal as my benchmark for rough-terrain climbing performance.”
Read the full reviewSpoiled for choice
“Tons of versatility, tons of choices. We dig it!”
Read the full reviewThe case for and against
- US hand-built steel front triangle with 3D-printed inserts - genuine craft, lifetime warranty
- 3VO suspension blends a very sensitive early stroke with strong bottom-out resistance
- Class-leading technical-climbing traction in The Radavist's MT review
- Hugely configurable: 7 sizes, two travel platforms, 29in/mullet, swappable chainstays
- Heavy for the travel - 36.3 lb (XL) as tested by The Radavist
- Premium pricing; complete builds climb well past the $6,200 (~R102 000) entry point
- Steep leverage progressivity narrows shock-tuning options (The Radavist)
- Niche US-direct brand with no established South African dealer network
A connoisseur's full-susser: the kinematics and craftsmanship are genuinely special, but you pay in dollars and grams. This is our labelled read from compiled reviews, not an independent BikeBuy test.
Tap to vote — see how readers lean
Stinner Romero: your questions
Where is the Stinner Romero made? +
Hand-built in Santa Barbara, California. It uses a TIG-welded steel front triangle with 3D-printed 316L stainless inserts and a hand-fabricated 6061 aluminium swingarm, and is sold with a lifetime warranty.
What's the difference between the Romero MT and LT? +
The MT is the trail bike (150 mm fork, 130-140 mm rear, 65-degree head angle, 7 sizes); the LT is the enduro bike (170 mm fork, 150-160 mm rear, 64-degree head angle, 5 sizes). Geometry is tuned separately for each.
What is the 3VO suspension system? +
A patented Ministry Cycles dual-link platform (credited to Chris Currie) tuned for roughly 105% anti-squat, ~100% anti-rise at sag and a progressive ~3.1:1 leverage curve - supple off the top, firm at bottom-out.
How much does it cost? +
Framesets start at US$2,999 (~R49 500) (no shock) and complete bikes from US$6,200 (~R102 000); The Radavist's test build came to US$8,950 (~R148 000). Prices are US-direct - see the live price box above for any South African catalogue matches.
Can I buy one in South Africa? +
Stinner sells direct from the US with no established SA dealer, so expect import duty, VAT and shipping on top of the dollar price. First complete bikes were due to ship in early June 2026.
Sources & further reading
- The Stinner Romero MT and LT Full Suspension MTB (launch) — The Radavist
- Stinner Romero MT Review: Elevated Metal — The Radavist
- The new Stinner Romero is a US-made full-suspension steel and aluminum mountain bike — Singletracks
- The Romero is Stinner's First Full-Suspension Bike — Bikerumor
- Romero Model Landing Page (official specs & pricing) — Stinner Frameworks
The Romero is exactly the bike you'd expect a two-decade framebuilder to make on its full-suspension debut: obsessive construction, a genuinely clever 3VO suspension layout, and ride character reviewers clearly fell for - at a weight and price that sit firmly in the connoisseur bracket. For South African riders it's a US-direct dream build rather than a showroom buy, so budget for shipping, duty and VAT. If you value soul and craft over grams and rand-per-millimetre, few bikes make the case as convincingly.
