Test: Titanium frame, Lauf leaf spring fork, elegant equipment, exclusive look - the Falkenjagd Aristos CX is a special gravel bike in every respect, which convinces in practice with a high level of comfort and which should win the hearts of bike lovers.
Falconry Aristos CX: The Facts
Frame material: Titan
Wheel size(s): 650b (700c compatible)
Maximum tire clearance: 50mm (650b) / 38mm (700c)
Axle dimensions (v/h): 12 × 100/142 × 12
Mudguard Eyelets: Rear only
Luggage carrier eyelets (v/h): No Yes
bottle holder: down tube up, seat tube
Other: side stand mount
Weight wheels v/h/total (with tires and brake discs): 1.490g / 1.616g / 3.106g
Weight complete bike without pedals (size M): 9,93kg
Price: € 7.638
Titanium Lover's Dream
Tradition, emotion, longevity, sustainability. All of these are values that are being lost more and more in the fast-moving world of bicycles. Falkenjagd Bikes from Bavaria very consciously wants to create a counterpoint here - without losing sight of the current state of the art. Titanium (or steel with sister brand Rennstahl) is used exclusively for the frame material, and with good reason: It combines the good damping properties of steel with the weight of light aluminum bikes, but is many times more sustainable than carbon in terms of production and recycling. Falkenjagd has been producing high-quality titanium wheels for 15 years now; The developers brought the necessary know-how with them from their previous work as engineers in large-scale industry. At first they built bikes for their close friends, but it quickly became clear that there was huge potential in this and not long after, Falcon Hunting was born.
The Aristos CX is the latest gravel bike in the meanwhile amazingly extensive portfolio of the small German manufacturer. Of course, also with a titanium frame and the intention to keep up with the best gravel bikes on the market. The look and workmanship should make the hearts of bike lovers beat faster: colored in the classic matt titanium look with inconspicuous decals and on the one hand classic lines but on the other hand modern tubular shapes, such as the cuboid chainstays. In any case, with the Aristos frame you shouldn't make the mistake of inferring backward technology or missing features from the very classic look at first glance. The bike doesn't have to hide from ultra-modern carbon counterparts here, on the contrary.
There is space for a Syntace thru-axle in the minimalist dropouts, the head tube accommodates modern 44mm headsets and the striking forged part at the transition from the bottom bracket to the chainstays allows the installation of front derailleurs and wide tires at the same time. The only thing we didn't like was the cables that ran freely on the outside - especially on the gravel bike, which you often ride in mud and dirt, we would have preferred either the use of a continuous outer shell or internal cable routing.
We just mentioned the tire clearance and here you can choose between 650b wheels like on our test bike or classic 28″ tires on the Aristos CX. The former have space for tires of up to 2 inches, with 28″ the limit is 38mm - in both cases, however, including mudguards. Without mudguards there might be one or two more millimeters. Extremely versatile - this also applies to the existing eyelets and attachment options. Racks, mudguards and even a side stand can be mounted on the frame, and the standard titanium fork also has mounting points for mudguards. However, if you opt for the Lauf Grit fork as installed on our test bike, you have to do without it.
The geometry of the Falkenjagd Aristos CX is extremely sporty and should appeal in particular to those who are otherwise very much at home on the racer. This is supported by the steep steering angle, the rather short chainstays for a gravel bike and the not too long head tube, with which you can achieve a noticeable saddle elevation. Remarkable: Each of the five frame sizes gets its 'own' frame. While other manufacturers often only increase the top tube, seat tube and head tube with each size, the Aristos CX also changes the chainstay length and bottom bracket height. So you should be able to achieve comparable driving behavior in all sizes.
Geometry Falconry Aristos CX Gravel
| S | M | L | XL | XXL | |
| seat tube (in mm) | 470 | 530 | 550 | 580 | 610 |
| Top tube horizontal (in mm) | 530 | 555 | 565 | 585 | 605 |
| head tube (in mm) | 130 | 150 | 165 | 185 | 210 |
| chainstay (in mm) | 425 | 425 | 425 | 425 | 425 |
| Steering angle (in °) | 72.5 | 72 | 72.5 | 73 | 74 |
| Seat angle (in °) | 74 | 73.5 | 73.25 | 73 | 72.5 |
Many equipment options thanks to the modular system
Different equipment variants do not exist in their traditional form in falcon hunting, not even with the Aristos CX. Instead, there is a basic version that can be adjusted according to your own preferences and wallet. The configuration of our test bike comes to just over 7.600 euros, whereas the basic version costs 6.299 euros. We have already talked about the big highlight, the frame – our test bike also comes with the Lauf Grit carbon leaf spring fork at the front. Visually, it certainly takes some getting used to, but the parallelgram construction generates maintenance-free (and damping)-free 30mm spring travel, which is clearly noticeable even when stationary.
With the fork, the bike is already trimmed for off-road use and our test bike is equipped with 650b wheels and 2-inch wide Schwalbe G-One tires to match. The wheels are very light and come from Tune - despite the wide tires, the entire wheel system weighs just 3,1 kg (including the tires and brake discs mentioned).
| frame | Aristos CX Gravel Titanium |
| suspension fork | Run Grit |
| Wheels | Rennstahl carbon rims / Tune King Kong hubs |
| Tubes | Schwalbe G-One Bite 27,5" 2,0" |
| derailleur | Shimano Ultegra |
| Gear levers | Shimano Ultegra |
| Crank | Shimano Ultegra Compact 34/50 |
| Front derailleur | Shimano Ultegra |
| Brake | Shimano Ultegra Disc |
| Seat post | Falconry Titan 400mm |
| Saddle | Selle Italia SLR TT Titanium Flow |
| Stem | Falconry Titan |
| Links | Acros Gravel Bar |
When it comes to gear shifting, things look more classic than fork and wheels. The Aristos CX comes with the current Shimano Ultegra group including the corresponding hydraulic disc brakes. With the 11-34 cassette and compact crank (34-50) you get a nice wide range, but given the otherwise clearly geared towards off-road use, we would have preferred a slightly lighter mountain gear and a rear derailleur with damping.
So far, so exclusive: The add-on parts are similar. The seat post and stem are made in-house and are – how could it be otherwise – made of titanium. On the one hand, the Aristos CX looks like it is made of one piece, and the support in particular should offer a lot of comfort. The Acros Gravel Bar handlebars also stand out in the cockpit, which we have already tested separately and which suits the orientation of the bike very well.
More tests, products and background information about the Velomotion Gravel Month:
- Storck Grix Platinum Ultegra Di2 gravel bike in test: Race tourer for gravel and off-road
- GT Grade Carbon Pro in the gravel bike test: Comfortable triangle for lots of driving fun?!
- Orbea Terra M30-D in the gravel bike test: Lively bike for training and gravel tours
- NS Bikes Rag+ 2 in the gravel bike test: Convincing aluminum all-rounder
- Rondo Ruut CF 2 in the gravel bike test: Fast gravel bike with a striking look
Let's Gravel: The Falconry Aristos CX
We look at the Falkenjagd Aristos CX almost in awe before the first ride. The high-quality titanium frame, the exclusive Lauf fork and the high-quality equipment promise a lot of driving fun and give the bike a really exclusive aura. In the first few meters, the fork is particularly noticeable. Admittedly, it's certainly not for everyone when it comes to looks, but the 30mm of spring travel is noticeable and is particularly noticeable on coarse gravel and lighter trails. Together with the thick Schwalbe tires, the titanium wheel unfolds a lot of off-road potential, even if the frame itself is not uncomfortable per se, but overall rather on the stiff side. If you venture out on a real trail with the Aristos CX, you have to adjust to this imbalance.
Since the fork has no damping, it springs back quickly in the event of hard impacts. If you sit in the saddle at this moment, the driver's center of gravity is briefly pushed in the direction of the rear triangle, which is correspondingly unyielding when faced with the same obstacle. Here it is advisable to get straight out of the saddle - then the fork can also exploit its full potential. Unfortunately, the chain bangs audibly on bumpy tracks, which is probably due to the lack of damping on the Ultegra rear derailleur. Here, for example, a current GRX rear derailleur might be the better choice.
The high rigidity of the frame and the light wheels mean that the Aristos CX accelerates fairly well despite the thick tires, even if it can't quite keep up with the top bikes in the test. This is certainly also due to the overall rather high total weight of 9,9 kg. However, the strengths of the exclusive Titan Graveler lie elsewhere: For us, it is the perfect companion for off-road exploration tours. The very good rolling properties and the great overall comfort also make longer tours possible without any problems - if you can get along with the overall quite sporty seating position. However, the gravel ramps must not be too steep, or you need fit legs in view of the easiest 34-34 mountain gear.
The option of mounting a full luggage rack at the rear also expands the area of use, even if the Aristos CX in the version we tested is certainly not the bike of choice for commuters or touring riders. Thanks to the convertible frame and the modular system, however, a corresponding configuration is not a problem and another good argument for the titanium bike from Bavaria.
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