1 / 11
Each Stoemper is custom painted to suit the order. This one looks amazing. 
2 / 11
The welds are super-tidy, and many mechanics would be happy to see a BSA bottom bracket. 
3 / 11
It’s all about the details. The rear hydraulic hose (or cable outer) for the disc gets threaded through the eyelets on the stays. While it’s a little more arduous if you’re stripping the bike down it looks way better than zip ties, and is easier than full internal routing. 
4 / 11
The Stoemper headtube and badge houses a tapered steerer and internal head set. You can see the slot on the top tube for the rear brake hose. This is perfect for left-to-rear braking. This is by design. 
5 / 11
The Stoemper frames come perfectly finished. But Greg at Wheelhaus checks threads and alignment on any frame (from any brand) they build in store. 
6 / 11
Not a day goes by where you don’t see some shonky bar and lever configurations. None of the bikes that roll out of Wheelhaus suffer from that. Greg sets the Shimano Ultegra hydraulic levers in the ideal position. 
7 / 11
There’s no doubt that Greg wouldn’t wear a pale grey top in his workshop unless he knew exactly what he was doing. A good, organised mechanic can wear pale colours for bike builds and stay clean. 
8 / 11
Chain length is set on the Stoemper’s Shimano Ultegra group set. 
9 / 11
Wrapping tape correctly is mostly practice – but preparation counts too. 
10 / 11
The finished product with custom Wheelworks wheels is a sight to behold. 
11 / 11
We’re reviewing this stunning bespoke steel bike for Issue #20, out on 4th September. Don’t miss it.
Recently, Sydney-based boutique bike shop Wheelhaus built up a custom Stoemper Taylor Disc for us to test. Their shop is a little different to most, as the majority of bikes are built from the frame up to your exacting needs. This doesn’t mean everyting that rolls out of the shop has a five figure price tag – but it does mean that each bike has been built with attention to detail, and a parts mix that has been matched to your needs – or desires.
Wheelhaus build a number of Stoemper bikes, and for good reason. You’re hardly choosing a frame or bike from a catalogue. While their range suits most riders after a road, cyclocross or track bike, they are able to offer custom options, for usually little or no exra cost.
“Every frame is custom,” says Greg Chalberg, owner of Wheelhaus. “Stoemper does have their own ‘standard’ geometry for each model, but most adjustments to this geo (say, 5mm longer top tube or 5mm shorter seat tube) are usually no charge. Full custom geometry is also possible and would be priced on application.”
As for colours, the world is your oyster. Or palette.
“Every Stoemper paint job is unique. Pick your favourite colours or palette or theme…” says Chalberg.
No one bike comes out the same – but each gets care and attention.
Building the Stoemper Taylor
The Taylor is a handmade steel race bike, made from True Temper S3 tubing, Stoemper say it’s built to be ridden hard and fast – and the geometry matches that. The taylor can take 28mm tyres, as fitted to our test bike, but there is a Dirty Taylor model that can take 35mm for your all-rado adventures. Available in both rim brake and disc options, this Taylor uses Shimano hydraulic disc brakes, and a full Ultegra mechanical group set. There are numerous other custom options if choosing your own frame, like whether you want full internal or external cabling, building around an integrated seat post, and the number of bottle mounts.
This frame and fork combination costs $4350, and the build with Ultegra and custom WheelWorks wheels costs $8899 – your choice of build would be discussed with Greg at Wheelhaus.
The frame itself is beautiful, neatly finished, and with such high quality paint these images barely do it justice. It’s drawn favourable comments from anyone who has seen it. But beauty is more than skin deep, as Chalberg attests.
“Todd Gardner who builds Stoemper frames does a great job sending them to us ready to build, but the basics like double-checking hanger alignment, getting the handlebar/lever angle right, trimming the cables to the correct length, taping the bars properly… all that stuff is standard with every Wheelhaus build.”
We’re in love with the finished product, and the first few rides have demonstrated all that is good with a high quality steel ride. It’s forgiving yet spritely, combining stiffness out of the saddle with great road feel – exactly what you would want from a high performance steel racing bike.
Don’t miss our full review in Issue #20 of Bike, out on September 4th. If you don’t want to miss an issue – why not subscribe?
