After a V1 tease at the MADE show in 2025, Stinner announced the new full suspension Romero the day Sea Otter kicked off. The event, as always, was crazy, and the BikeRumor team spent most of our time running around from booth to booth. Despite passing by the Romero several times, I missed mentioning it in my unique mountain bike roundup (the ones without the really big wheels).
Fortunately, Zach got the details in person at Sea Otter, and it’s cool to see small-batch frame manufacturers enter the full-suspension market.
Much of that is thanks to Chris Currie and his 3VO Suspension, which he licenses to frame manufacturers, especially the smaller, hand-built type. But this isn’t an off-the-shelf 3VO system. Instead, Stinner built a completely different rear end based on the pivot points of the original CNC rear end design to create something unique to Stinner.
One Frame, Two Stinner Builds
Stinner uses Velospec air-hardened steel for the front triangle and 6061 aluminum for the rear triangle. Unlike some other frame manufacturers that use 3VO Suspension, which have the rear triangles sent to them, Stinner manufactures the rear triangle in-house. This allows them to control the stiffness of the rear triangle, tailoring it to the needs and expectations of a full-suspension bike. They also standardized the bearing size across the frame to allow for one bearing with minimal hardware.
While most of the frame is made from more traditional tubing, the seat tube tower and lower section are 3D printed from 316 stainless steel. This allows the seat tube to be attached to the downtube while allowing room for the 3VO suspension components. As mentioned, everything, including the links, has been redesigned for this frame – only the pivot locations are the same.
Pairing the steel front and aluminum rear gives the Romero a unique ride feel, with bump-absorbing qualities of steel married to the snappiness of aluminum. The 3VO platform sits at approximately 105% anti-squat and roughly 100% anti-rise at sag. This platform allows for efficient pedaling while climbing and stable, consistent descending performance.
With this combo, Stinner built two Romero offerings: the Medium Travel (MT) and Long Travel (LT) (a short travel version is also in the works). The frame is the same for both travel offerings, with MX or full-29-inch wheel options available. Both the MT and LT also have size-specific chainstays, with 435mm stays on smaller sizes, and 445mm stays on larger frame sizes.
The most significant distinguishing feature between the MT and LT frames is the height of the lower shock mount.
Romero MT
If an MT and LT weren’t enough options, Stinner provides further choices for rear wheel travel within the MT and LT platforms. For the MT, both 130mm and 140mm are options depending on shock stroke.
Stinner utilizes an 185×50/55 trunnion-mount shock to deliver 130/140mm of travel on the Romero MT. This is paired with a 150mm fork on both rear travel options.
The Romero MT’s geometry is both somewhat expected and somewhat unexpected in the mid-travel trail bike category. First, they have more frame sizes than most big brands, with seven sizes (XS–XXL), including an M/L size.
Reach spans 100mm, starting at 420mm on an XS, stretching to 520mm on an XXL. For reference, the betweenie M/L size has a 480mm reach. The headtube angle is a moderate 65°, and the chainstays are 435mm (XS-M/L) and 445mm (L-XXL). All pretty standard and expected for trail-bike geo numbers.
What is perhaps somewhat unexpected about the Romero MT’s geo is the incredibly steep seat tube angle and high stack. Across the sizes, the seat tube angle is roughly 78°-79°, steeper than that of quite a few modern enduro bikes. The stack is also fairly high, with that M/L frame, which has a 480mm reach, having a 651mm stack.
Romero LT
Stinner also provided the Romero LT with two travel options. Again, using a trunnion shock, but this time with a 250mm eye-to-eye, a 60mm stroke will provide 150mm of travel. Bumping up to a 65mm stroke will gain 10mm more rear travel.
Regardless of 150mm or 160mm of rear travel, Stinner built the Romero LT around a 170mm fork. This lands the bike easily in the enduro category. However, Stinner reminds potential customers of the 3VO platform’s pedaling efficiency, explaining that the Romero LT isn’t just a “one-trick downhill sled.”
The sizing on the LT version is a touch more limited, with five options (M-XXL) instead of the seven options on the MT. Reach numbers start at 460mm and again stretch to 520mm, with the M/L frame still sitting at 480mm.
A longer fork means an even higher stack, with the M/L frame now sitting at nearly 460mm. The headtube angle slackens out to 64°, and the seattube angles remain super steep. Despite losing the two smaller sizes, the chainstays remain the same, starting at 435mm and jumping to 445mm for the three largest sizes.
Romero Builds
Stinner has a frame-only option for both the Romero MT and LT, as well as two build options. But because Stinner is a smaller brand, they can offer more custom-style component options, even within the two builds they offer.
What differentiates the builds is the touchpoints, brakes, and drivetrain. Stinner offers a SRAM Eagle 90 build, with Maven Base brakes and Race Face alloy touchpoints. The other build is a SRAM XO Transmission build, with Maven Silver brakes, a Fox Transfer dropper, and Race Face touchpoints of the carbon variety (Era bars).
Regardless of the build you choose, Stinner lets you select suspension and wheels. For wheels, they have an alloy DT Swiss M1900 option or a carbon Stoic wheelset option. For suspension, there are Marzocchi, Fox, and RockShox options.
With Marzocchi, Stinner provides a Bomber Z1 fork and a Bomber Air shock on both the MT and LT. If you choose Fox, you get a Factory 36 and Factory Float X on the MT, bumping up to a Factory 38 and Factory Float X2 on the LT. The RockShox offering sees a similar bump, with a Lyrik Ultimate on the MT and a Zeb Ultimate on the LT. However, both versions see the same Super Deluxe Ultimate rear shock.
The Stinner Romero frame is $2,999 (without a shock). Builds start at $6,200.
Tons of versatility, tons of choices. We dig it! Hopefully, we can get one in for review!
stinnerframeworks.com
