Custom Baum Orbis

Description

Easily one of the most technically-advanced metal framesets ever made, the Orbis is as bespoke as it is beautiful, down to the very tubes carefully butted for the individual rider each bike is built for. With the addition of disc braking and increased tire clearance, the Orbis takes Baum's legendary performance to the extremes, be it terrain, weather, and day-in-day-out dependability. Like Baum's other custom-butted bikes, each Orbis is designed around the individual cyclist's riding profile, history, aspirations, and style.

Built in Geelong, Australia, a mere hour's drive from the bustling metropolis of Melbourne, the Orbis is a wonder of technology. Instead of using pre-butted tubes from suppliers, each 6/4 Ti tube on the Orbis is externally butted in-house for each Baum client, a feat of resources, skill, and knowledge. Thanks to Above Category's careful interview and profiling process, this gives Baum Cycles the latitude to dial in the exact ride characteristics of the Orbis to the individual, as well as remove every spare gram possible from the frame's weight. The most striking features of the Orbis? Its massive tapered headtube, milled from solid block of titanium. Its huge T47-standard threaded bottom bracket, providing ample room for any crank spindle and the internally-routed rear brake line. And, our favorite, the massive, rectangular chainstays, whose shaping, divinated to handle the stresses of the flat-mounted disc brake, required all-new tooling in Baum's modest workshop to shape.

Of course, the Orbis wouldn't have the Baum name on the downtube without their peerless obsession with perfection. Above simple proficiency, Baum shoots for the moon with the Orbis and the rest of their line. Every weld is perfect. The 20 to 30 man-hours of in-house paintwork is immaculate. The bottom bracket has just enough threads to install the required cups - no more, no less. The inside of every tube is as clean as the outside, even though most clients will never see beyond the beautiful patina of their Baum. Simply put? They are the most finely-finished bicycle frames in the world.

When it comes to disc brakes, the Orbis is most certainly king. Built with ENVE's new road disc 12mm thru-axle fork, the Orbis has clearance for up to a 34mm (measured) tire. For riders seeking a pure-pavement steed, Baum produces the Orbis in an "R" variant, slightly tightening the geometry with a max-28mm tire clearance. Frame weight varies depending on size, paint, and rider weight/power output, but remains competitive with most top-shelf production carbon framesets. With no detail overlooked, the Orbis fuselage includes a Baum-painted ENVE seatpost and 3T ARX Team stem, with an ENVE stem upgrade and painted bar available for an upcharge.

As Baum's exclusive agent in the Western Hemisphere, Above Category is the most knowledgeable entity outside of their walls when it comes to their bicycles, construction methodologies, and leadtimes. Please feel free to reach out to us at any time with any questions you may have about the Orbis, and how to begin the process of owning your own custom Baum bicycle.