Is the Gelu Carbon Creations Dracon the lightest hardtail ever?
Gelu Carbon Creations, a brand best known for its boutique and incredibly lightweight carbon saddles and components, turned to a complete frameset, creating a bike that weighs just over seven kilograms.
With Gelu’s new Dracon cross-country mountain bike, the brand wanted to create something using components sourced almost exclusively from Portugal as its main focus. However, Gelu, being known for its sleek and lightweight carbon components, it’s no surprise that the complete build is ridiculously light with a large frame and the whole kit weighing in at 7.285kg.
Gelu achieved this by creating their own carbon frame and pairing it with prototype carbon wheels, all made in Portugal. Along with that, the bars, seat post and saddle are from Gelu’s existing line. The bike also uses a Fox 32 Step-Cast Factory fork which has been upgraded with the OVR system and carbon steerer by Portuguese company ND TUNED.
It goes without saying that not everything can be sourced locally and that goes for the Magura MT8 brakes, SRAM XX1 AXS drivetrain and GarbarUK cassette, but the SRAM chainring, of all things, is made locally.
Finally, the bike’s name, “Dracon”, is a throwback to Gelu’s roots.
