An island, two bikes cut from the same metal but built nothing alike. Both titanium, both claiming to be the one bike for life. One leans on classic welds and a laid-back all-mountain attitude, the other on 3D-printed components and an unmistakable urge to push on. Are these hardtail heroes defending the throne of a fading kingdom, or are they the gravel bikes of the future?
Clash of the Titans: Falkenjagd Hoplit RS | from €7,005 vs. Falkenjagd Hoplit RSR | from €7,225 | Manufacturer website
Act 1: Hardtail vs Gravel
Cyprus, somewhere in the Akamas Mountains, not far from the Baths of Aphrodite
Falkenjagd Hoplit RS: Tell me, what are we actually doing here?
Falkenjagd Hoplit RSR: On this trail?
No, here. In this drop-bar magazine.
Far below, a wave crashes against the shore.
Maybe this is where we belong.
Silence.
See where I’m going with this? Flat versus drop bars. Hardtail versus gravel. Titanium dream machine versus some resin-soaked carbon fi…
… Don’t start with the carbon gravel bike bashing again.
A gravel bike rattles down the fire road. Sharp impacts echo through its narrow rims. Then silence returns.
We’re hardtails. Icons of the cycling world. We were crossing the Alps before the gravel MAMILs were even toddling around in their Pas Normal nappies. And now we’re supposed to appear in a publication that celebrates mutated road bikes with a measly 50 mm of tire clearance? Who do you think we are?
I think we’re the better gravel bikes.
Act 2: Ambition vs Reality
A warm breeze drifts in from the sea. Deep ruts scar the trail.
Did you see how I saved that?
120 mm of suspension travel, 2.4-inch tires and four-piston brakes. I’d love to see those drop-bar boys picking their way down here on their “gravel bikes”.
“Oh no, a rock hit my carbon frame and I forgot to put a protective film on first.”
Or they’ll start asking for 32-inch wheels.
I’m glad I’m not a gravel bike.
Silence.
I quite like gravel, actually.
Silence.
So what does gravel mean to you?
The bike should never be more important than the experiences it allows me to have.
A shiny hero: with its 3D-printed titanium elements and polished finish, the Falkenjagd Hoplit RSR is the kind of bike that will still be turning heads in 20 years’ time.
I think gravel takes itself rather seriously.
Gravel means having one bike for everything.
Aero gravel bikes, race gravel bikes, adventure gravel bikes, expedition gravel bikes. Doesn’t that rather give the game away? Sooner or later you end up with a road bike or a…
Silence.
(quietly) They have stolen everything.
THEY STOLE IT!!! Tubeless tires, wide-range cassettes, direct-mount derailleurs, 1x drivetrains, dropper posts and now even suspension forks. They’ve stolen all our good ideas.
Pause.
And now they’re stealing the bad ones too!
Pfff. A marketing gimmick…
… that just won a stage at the Cape Epic.
A marketing gimmick with a cracking sales pitch. Luckily, nobody around here knows what the Cape Epic is anyway.
It’s the Tour de France of mountain biking. And a stage was won on a 32-inch bike. Now there are 32-inch gravel bikes lining up at Unbound too.
Doesn’t matter. It doesn’t fit your idea of how things should be…
… and it doesn’t fit any existing standard either. 32 inches means new axle standards, a huge cassette range, a significant weight penalty in tires and rims, toe overlap and a lot more complexity in frame design…
… but it also rolls over obstacles far more easily…
… and adds a huge amount of rotating mass in the worst possible place. At the very edge of the wheel. By the time you’ve accelerated a 32-inch wheel to 30 km/h, there’ll already be another wheel standard to replace it.
The Hoplits just laugh at 50 mm of tire clearance. Is the hardtail the better gravel bike?
Ten years ago, you were saying exactly the same thing about 29ers. Just take a look at your front wheel now.
Fair enough. But 29″ wheels work for everyone. Thirty-twos don’t. Anyone under 1.80 m will need a different wheel size anyway. Before you know it, we’re drowning in standards and everything’s more complicated and more expensive.
Innovation is what keeps this industry alive.
And it’s what’s killing it.
Somewhere in the distance, a disc brake squeals.
If that’s your hardtail philosophy, it’s no wonder you’re headed for extinction.
What nobody wants is manufacturers desperately chasing short-term demand with gimmicky innovations, only to turn expensive bikes into disposable products a few years down the line.
For your birthday, I’ll buy you rim brakes.
You were the one who said it’s all about the experience.
Sure, but it’s also about the excitement of something new.
Of course you’d say that… LOOK OUT!
Gravel flies. Sand sprays.
Classic tubing and a matte finish meet 3D-printed junctions and polished surfaces.
The Falkenjagd Prometheus CNC-machined titanium crank complements the Hoplit RSR perfectly.
Act 3 – Titanium vs Titanium
A wooden cross watches over the sea. Rocks, sand, a blood-red sun.
Titanium, eh. If that had happened to a carbon frame…
… we’d be binning it by now.
Both laugh.
A touch of eternity: minor scratches simply polish out of titanium.
What where you saying there before?
“Of course you’d say that.”
I was just thinking about those 3D-printed bits of yours. You’re one of those… “innovative” types.
Dynamic, actually. Fast. Focused…
Do you know what makes a great off-road bike?
I know you’re about to tell me.
It has to be forgiving. Distractions. Bad line choices. Riding over your head. And titanium forgives. It’s supple and stiff at the same time, with that subtle titanium spring to it. Compliance. A frame that feels alive. A frame for life.
What? Are you saying I’m not forgiving?
Silence. Somewhere in the distance, a derailleur clatters.
Both bikes are exceptionally well-rounded machines. Side by side, the Hoplit RSR feels just a touch more eager.
Classic welded craftsmanship meets 3D-printed innovation.
The differences…
…lie in the junctions.
Fair enough. The 3D-printed bits are nice and all, but you’re stripping away the very thing that makes a titanium frame special.
Which is? That it looks like a steel frame. That it lets the welds do the talking. That it’s… done. Nothing left to prove. Nowhere to evolve to?
That it’s minimalist. Purposeful. Optimised around the way forces flow through the frame. Those chunky transitions between your 3D-printed parts and the drawn tubes add stiffness where nobody asked for it.
That’s a design philosophy.
No. Precision. I want feedback. From the trail. The roots. The race course. I want stability when things get fast…
… and somewhere to bolt on a pannier rack.
Seriously? For someone who keeps talking about a “frame for life”, you’re surprisingly offended by a few mounting points.
A frame for life shouldn’t be a fashion statement in the first place. Titanium is subtle. No gimmicks. No attention-seeking. Just quiet confidence. There’s probably more engineering in my left chainstay than in some complete aero bikes.
That’s not exactly subtle…
It is, because every bit of it serves a purpose. The tube profile changes from tall oval to wide oval to square. The butting is tailored to the load paths. The contact areas at the junctions are maximised. None of it’s there for show. That’s framebuilding.
That’s only one side of titanium, though. With that attitude, you’re denying it the chance to evolve. What you call a trend is the future of titanium frame design.
A future where titanium frames look like carbon frames?
A future where 3D printing is used where it actually makes sense.
Flower vases, for example.
At the junctions. Where different tubes and tube profiles come together. It’s clean, it’s stiff, and it allows exactly the kind of flowing lines you’re always banging on about.
CNC-machined dropouts and a four-piston post-mount brake on the Hoplit RS.
3D-printed junctions and a two-piston flat-mount brake on the Hoplit RSR.
Have you actually looked at my down tube?
What am I supposed to see?
That’s the point. It’s perfectly straight.
Well, good luck with that when your fork crown smacks into the frame halfway through a switchback.
Because as a cross-country racer and part-time gravel bike, you never ride proper trails?
Because the 3D-printed head tube creates the clearance for a straight down tube.
And take a look at the chainstay. What do you see?
Other side, you muppet. Ever heard of load paths and stress risers?
Ah, the flat-mount brake. Trying to be a bit aero, are we? Look at me, I’m an aero hardtail…
… I’m talking about the clean lines and the elegant silhouette. A classic 3/2.5 titanium tube flows into a 3D-printed 6/4 titanium section. Press-fit, welded, then machined smooth.
You’re seriously trying to lecture me about chainstays? If anyone knows chainstays, it’s…
A gravel bike comes to a halt in the sand.
Sorry, could you tell me which way is back up?
Pause. Silence.
Come on. Let’s catch him.
Falkenjagd Hoplit RS
The HOPLIT was Falkenjagd’s very first bike. More than almost any other model in the range, it embodies the brand’s philosophy of building the bikes they want to ride themselves. Trail riding, cross-country racing, Alpine crossings, the latest HOPLIT RS remains a classic do-it-all hardtail.
At first glance, the tube set looks reassuringly familiar. Look closer, though, and you’ll see the titanium expertise Falkenjagd have built up over the past 25 years. Drawn tubes with carefully varied profiles, diameters and wall thicknesses manage load paths, reduce stress risers and keep frame weight in check. Fully integrated cable routing and either bead-blasted or brushed finishes reinforce the bike’s timeless character.
The geometry is designed to work with 110 to 130 mm of suspension travel and the frame clears tires up to 2.4 inches wide. Combined with a slacker head angle than the HOPLIT RSR, the result is the more relaxed and forgiving bike of the two. Our test bike also came fitted with a comfortable riser bar.
The HOPLIT RS doesn’t try to grab your attention. It isn’t a tech showcase, a revolution or the latest trend. Instead, Falkenjagd demonstrate just how relevant a classically welded titanium hardtail can still be. And that’s exactly why this is the sort of bike that could stay with you for a very long time.
Framebuilding at its finest: the Falkenjagd Hoplit RS has everything a bike for life needs.
Falkenjagd Hoplit RSR
The HOPLIT RSR takes the classic titanium hardtail in a different direction. Where the HOPLIT RS prioritises versatility and long-distance comfort, the RSR is all about speed and intent. Cross-country racing, fast singletrack, adventure racing: with its low system weight and impressive lateral stiffness, the HOPLIT RSR feels just as at home in gravel territory as it does on the trail.
It has clearance for tires up to 2.3 inches wide, up to 120 mm of suspension travel, and plenty of mounting points for bags and racks. The geometry also differs slightly from the HOPLIT RS. A steeper head angle adds even more agility, while the short chainstays make for quick, light-footed handling on tight trails.
The biggest difference, however, lies in the 3D-printed components. The head tube, the junction between the seatstays and top tube, and the dropouts with their rear axle interface are all 3D printed from 6/4 titanium and joined to the drawn, butted main tubes via welded sleeve connections. The result is additional stiffness, but above all a fluid, organic look that feels more sci-fi prototype than traditional titanium hardtail. On our brief trail ride, we couldn’t detect any loss of the subtle ride damping that titanium is known for, despite the stiffer transition areas.
The HOPLIT RSR proves that titanium is more than a playground for weld nerds. Beyond butted tubes and carefully shaped profiles, there is still plenty of room for innovation. 3D printing is not inherently better, lighter, cheaper or more expensive. What it does offer is a whole new set of possibilities when it comes to frame design and customisation.
Innovative engineering for a timeless look: 3D printing opens up new paths to permanence.
Conclusion
This clash of the titanium titans produces no single winner. What it crowns instead is an idea: the hardtail. For anyone chasing adventure beyond the hardpack mainstream, a lightweight hardtail might be the most capable gravel bike on offer. Racing, touring, ultracycling, the classic mountain bike still does it all. Built from titanium, it might even be the bike for life.
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Words & Photos: Nils Hofmeister