R&D
AURUM UNIVERSE
PASSION FOR EXCELLENCE AND DEDICATION TO INNOVATION
At AURUM, the constant pursuit of excellence and dedication to innovation are the pillars that breathe life into each of our products. Founded by legendary cyclists Alberto Contador and Ivan Basso after their retirement from professional cycling, AURUM has assembled a select group of highly skilled experts with extensive experience in the bicycle industry. Our shared mission is clear: to create the fastest and most exceptional racing bike on the market.
The birth of our first model, MAGMA, marked an ambitious challenge: to design a road bike capable of excelling on any terrain, surpassing the steepest slopes, facing dizzying descents, and gliding with elegance on both smooth, wide roads and uneven, potholed ones. MAGMA’s versatility was rigorously tested in real conditions, surpassing the limits of any laboratory test.
In our pursuit of perfection, Alberto Contador and Ivan Basso personally engaged in the development process, dedicating countless hours to the meticulous evaluation of different frame prototypes and components. These exhaustive tests were crucial for fine-tuning the riding characteristics, optimizing everything from stiffness to comfort, aerodynamics, and weight.
AURUM’s engineering team, at the forefront of technology, employed advanced techniques such as Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) to perfect the shape and design of the MAGMA frame, ensuring optimal performance in every detail. Beyond computer analysis, real performance tests were conducted with professional cyclists and training teams, whose valuable feedback further refined our product.
This is the hallmark of AURUM: a unique combination of passion for achieving excellence, dedication to innovation, and an unwavering pursuit of perfection in every phase of the development process. Each AURUM bike reflects the unbreakable spirit of those who seek to go beyond limits and elevate competitive cycling to unparalleled levels.
Through the innovative EFBE TRI-TEST®, we ensure the safety and quality of each bike. Fatigue tests, maximum load, overload, and stiffness tests ensure optimal performance throughout the frame’s lifespan.
DEVELOPING THE MAGMA FRAME
In the development process of MAGMA, both Alberto Contador and Ivan Basso invested countless hours in evaluating various prototypes. These meticulous tests were crucial for adjusting riding characteristics, from stiffness to comfort, aerodynamics, and weight. Our focus extended even to the materials used in frame construction, playing a critical role in defining its exceptional qualities.
TESTED IN ALL CONDITIONS
In the pursuit of excellence, Alberto Contador and Ivan Basso tested numerous frame prototypes made with different grades and modules of carbon fiber, with various orientations and layers. AURUM, with accumulated experience and data collected in test labs and stiffness banks, ensured that the frame and fork surpassed rigorous laboratory tests, meeting the industry’s most demanding standards and European norms. But our goal does not stop there; we seek a sublime balance of riding characteristics, integrating stiffness, comfort, lightweight, and aerodynamics in perfect harmony, and this vision is what inspired Alberto Contador and Ivan Basso to embark on this exciting entrepreneurial adventure.
CONSTANT EVOLUTION
During the 2019-2020 period, Alberto Contador and Ivan Basso conducted comprehensive tests of MAGMA bicycle prototypes in various conditions and terrains, utilizing both on-road experience and wind tunnel testing with Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) technology. The rigorous testing, coupled with valuable feedback from cyclists, contributed to refining the design, and wind tunnel results confirmed the success of the painstaking development work. Since 2021, MAGMA has showcased its exceptional performance in professional races, such as the Giro d’Italia, achieving significant victories and establishing itself as a bike of outstanding quality, backed by AURUM’s dedication to innovation and excellence in cycling. At AURUM, we recognize that the professional cycling season serves as the ultimate testing ground, and MAGMA’s successes in demanding events are a testament to its ability to overcome challenges. Each milestone reflects our unwavering commitment to innovation, pushing cyclists to new limits and taking cycling to unprecedented heights.
AURUM employs various technologies in its research and development (R&D)
COMPUTATIONAL FLUID DYNAMICS (CFD)
AURUM uses computational fluid dynamics to perfect the shape and design of frames. This advanced technology helps optimize the bike’s aerodynamic performance, resulting in reduced wind resistance and increased road speed.
The MANTO frame and fork, drawing from the MAGMA’s design, use similar tubes to create one of the fastest gravel bikes. Alongside stiffness, comfort, racing geometry, and lightness, aerodynamics are crucial. MANTO’s engineering team focused on aerodynamic shape development for key areas like the headtube and downtube, using aero-tested NACA airfoils. These tubes, adapted for gravel riding with wider rims and tires, have truncated trailing edges to maintain aero efficiency while reducing weight and volume.
EFBE TRI-TEST®
AURUM ensures the safety and quality of each bike through the innovative EFBE TRI-TEST®, including fatigue, maximum load, overload, and stiffness tests. These exhaustive tests simulate real-world conditions and ensure that frames and components withstand intensive use throughout their lifespan.
EFBE TRI-TEST®
The TRI-TEST® is EFBE’s proprietary development, which goes way beyond the established national and international standards and reflects the specific challenges faced by modern bikes. With its three modules – fatigue tests, maximum load tests and overload tests – in various load cases, it provides a time-lapse simulation of the stresses throughout a bike’s entire life. A frame, for example, has to undergo up to eight individual test stages before it can be awarded the EFBE TRI-TEST® seal.
MATERIAL ANALYSIS
AURUM focuses on the selection and evaluation of key materials used in frame construction. The choice of materials and their quality play a critical role in defining the exceptional characteristics of the bikes. Therefore, meticulous analysis is performed to achieve the right balance between stiffness, comfort, weight, and aerodynamics.
WIND TUNNEL
AURUM uses state-of-the-art wind tunnel technology to validate and adjust the aerodynamic shape of the frame. This involves generating 3D-printed models for the frame and fork, allowing for the perfection of every aspect of the design to reduce wind resistance and improve performance.
REAL-WORLD EVALUATION
AURUM conducts tests on various roads and terrains during the development process. AURUM prototype bikes undergo a rigorous testing process, equipped with different components and wheels, to accurately and objectively evaluate frame reactions under various usage conditions.
The carbon factory expertise partnered with AURUM, combined with the professional competition background of Alberto Contador and Ivan Basso, along with their meticulous attention to detail in perfecting the product alongside AURUM’s R&D team, culminates in a carbon treatment process that we have termed Experience Carbon Technology: ECT. The MAGMA frame represents the pinnacle of excellence and quality in the process, with an ECT rating of ECT-10.
In the manufacturing process, the key lies in the base material, with up to 6 different types of carbon used for MAGMA (including IM, HM, UHM fibers), one of which constitutes the base material at 60%. For ESSENTIA, 5 types of carbon (including HT, IM, and HM fibers) are employed, with the base material exceeding 60%. The mechanical properties (lateral stiffness, torsion, vertical flexibility) of MAGMA are superior due to the lower quantity of the base material used and the incorporation of specific reinforcements from high-modulus UHM materials.
STIFFNESS
MECHANICAL PROPERTIES
WELCOME PACK
With the purchase of a complete bike or frameset, you’ll receive a bottle and a bottle cage, an AURUM casual cap and a three-month free subscription to BKOOL as a complimentary gift.
FREE DELIVERY
Free shipping on purchases over €500 worldwide
