WHY
STAINLESS
STEEL
THE CASE FOR STAINLESS STEEL
Most premium bikes are carbon. And carbon is excellent at two things: stiffness and weight. But a bike isn't just stiffness and weight. It's comfort on long rides. It's durability over decades. It's the ability to be repaired, customised, and built exactly around your body. That's where stainless steel wins.
The finest watchmakers already know this. Some of the most sought-after watches in the world are steel, not gold: the Royal Oak by Audemars Piguet, the Nautilus by Patek Philippe, the Daytona by Rolex. Steel isn't the affordable compromise there. It's the connoisseur's choice, valued for how it's made and how it lasts. A bike frame is no different.
| Carbon | Steel (FL.S) | Stainless (FL.X) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stiffness | ●●● | ●○○ | ●●● |
| Weight | ●●● | ●○○ | ●●○ |
| Comfort | ●○○ | ●●● | ●●● |
| Durability | ●○○ | ●●● | ●●● |
| Handmade | ○○○ | ●●● | ●●● |
| Customisable | ○○○ | ●●● | ●●● |
| Bulletproof | ●○○ | ●●● | ●●● |
| Timeless | ●○○ | ●●● | ●●● |
Both FL.S and FL.X are steel. FL.S is Columbus Spirit. FL.X is Columbus XCr, a steel that never rusts.
FL.X stainless combines the stiffness of carbon with everything FL.S steel does better.
comfort is speed
We build complete road bikes down to 6.7 kg, even under the UCI limit. The lightest Jaegher ever to leave the atelier weighed 6.6 kg. But we don't let weight define our bikes. When it comes to performance, weight is only part of the equation, and not the most important part. A featherweight frame means nothing if it doesn't fit your body, your riding style, or your needs.
Most bikes come in three or four sizes. You get fitted to the frame with a longer stem, a different seatpost, a stack of spacers to bridge the gap. We work the other way around. We measure your body first, then build the frame around it, tube by tube. A frame that fits from the first ride is more comfortable, and a more comfortable rider is a faster one.
Comfort isn't softness. Over five hours, a frame that absorbs the road keeps you fresher and holding your position longer. You finish stronger. The rider who isn't fighting the bike has more left for the road.
A bike with perfect geometry is one where performance, comfort, and balance are in harmony. We optimise every aspect of your bike so it performs across all categories: speed, comfort, handling, efficiency. That's why comfort is speed. A rider who is comfortable rides faster, longer, and stronger.
the difference between FL.X & FL.S
FL stands for Flanders. X for XCr stainless steel, S for Spirit. Both come from Columbus. Both are steel. But they serve different riders, at different price points.
Columbus XCr (FL.X): the tube that changed steel
Columbus XCr is a stainless steel alloy developed in Italy, specifically for high-performance bicycle frames. It contains chromium, nickel, and molybdenum, which makes it corrosion-proof without any coating or paint protection needed.
Columbus has been drawing steel tubes in Italy for over a century. XCr is drawn up to fifteen times to reach wall thicknesses as low as 0.3mm, bringing the weight close to top-tier carbon while keeping steel's natural damping. Few tube sets demand this level of craft, and few welders can work them. It doesn't fatigue. It doesn't corrode. It rides better the longer you own it.
Columbus Spirit (FL.S): proven steel, perfected
Spirit is Columbus' top-tier chromoly steel. Heat-treated for strength, drawn to 0.38mm wall thickness. It's the tube set that Kristof Allegaert rode to two Transcontinental Race wins.
Spirit gives you everything that makes steel great, at a more accessible price point. Our FL.S models (Interceptor and Tornado) are built with Spirit tubes.
Stainless vs carbon: what the numbers don't show
Carbon is stiff and light. Nobody argues with that. But stiffness and weight are only two variables in how a bike rides. Here's what the spec sheet doesn't tell you.
Road feel
Carbon transfers every vibration. On a 5-hour ride, that adds up. Steel absorbs imperfections. XCr stainless steel does it while staying laterally stiff. You get power transfer without punishment.
Longevity
Carbon frames degrade. Invisible impact damage weakens the structure. A steel frame doesn't fail quietly. And stainless steel doesn't corrode, even without paint. A Jaegher is a frame for decades, not seasons.
Repairability
A steel frame can be straightened, re-welded, or modified. Drop your carbon bike the wrong way and you're looking at a write-off. Drop your Jaegher and we can fix it.
True bespoke
Carbon frames are moulded. Every size comes from a mould. Steel is cut, mitered, and welded tube by tube. That's why we can build a frame that fits your exact body, not a size chart.
welded by hand
Stainless steel is the pinnacle, and it is also one of the hardest steels to weld well. XCr holds its heat, so a joint that is rushed or overheated loses the very corrosion resistance and strength that make the material worth choosing in the first place. There is no mould to hide behind and no bonding agent to fall back on. Get the weld wrong and the frame is compromised. Get it right and it lasts a lifetime.
That is why every Jaegher is welded by hand. Before a single joint is made, your welding plan is drawn up from your measurements, your geometry, your riding strengths, and the components you have chosen. Each of the frame's tubes, more than a dozen parts, is cut and mitered to that plan, so every piece meets exactly where it should.
Then the frame is TIG welded, one joint at a time. A tungsten arc melts the steel while argon shields the weld from the air, keeping the joint clean and the corrosion resistance intact. The heat is controlled to the degree, because a stainless frame that warps under the torch can never be trued back to perfect. It is slow, deliberate work. It is also the difference between a tube set and a bicycle.
The same hands, in the same atelier, from your first measurement to the final weld. Handwelded in Flanders, the way it has always been done here.
The rider's verdict
"Never before had I sat on a road bike that felt so perfect from the first pedal stroke."
Tom Boonen, 4× Paris-Roubaix, 3× Ronde Van Vlaanderen, World Champion 2005
two material families, six models
Every Jaegher is built from Columbus tubes. You choose the alloy that fits your priorities.
Your Jaegher starts with a conversation
Book a 30-minute introduction at our Gent atelier or online.
We'll talk about your riding, walk you through the process, and find the right starting point.
The first step is always a conversation.
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