8bar Mitte Steel v3 Updates Affordable Do

Aug 04, 2023

8bar rolls out some subtle but beneficial upgrades to the most affordable iteration of their popular mixed-surface road-into-gravel adventure bike – the 3-in-1 all-road & gravel Mitte Steel v3. Available in an aluminum, titanium, or steel frame, this adaptable bike can be built up for almost anything you can imagine, without breaking the bank. Pick from road to all-road to gravel to bikepacking adventuring, even to a versatile urban commuter bike. And owing to 8bar’s online customizer, you can tailor your individual build for any combination in between…

The Mitte is 8bar’s most versatile bike. With its adaptable geometry thanks to adjustable dropouts and 6 forks to choose from (one with uniquely creative flip chips), the Mitte Steel v3 can be almost anything you could want. Build it as a classic road bike with all-road tire clearance. Or go for a dedicated gravel bike setup. Build it as a 2-in-1 all-road and gravel bike that you can easily swap back and forth with two wheelsets. Or configure a flat bar urban commuter for riding to work, and sneaking in some gravel roads on the ride home.

The do-it-all convertible Mitte has been around for more than 7 years in aluminum. And got its own v3 alloy & v1 titanium updates in recent years. Yet, the most affordable double-butted chromoly steel version hadn’t been updated for more than three years.

So, what’s been updated?

Compared to v2, 8bar updated the new Mitte Steel v3 with some curious new track end style horizontal dropouts for 12mm thru-axles. With built-in tensioners/adjusters, these new dropouts allow for chainstay length adjustability in either road or gravel modes. Plus, they mean singlespeed compatibility, as well. The new 8bar dropouts also retain full rack & fender mounts, and now update to flat mount disc brakes.

The updated steel frame also now includes a built-in seatpost clamp. And it adds an additional set of bottle bosses under the downtube.

8bar also tweaked geometry a bit in the 4 frame sizes on offer (S-XL), retaining max 45mm tire clearance. Headtube, seattube angles, BB drop & standover are unchanged. Yet, while frame Stack is effectively the same, frame Reach and subsequently overall wheelbases increase by 4mm to 2cm depending on size.

The updated 8bar Mitte Steel v3 keeps pricing reasonable, with frames available now from 661€ in standard silver or black. Sparkling purple glitter paint adds about 50€ extra. Or fully custom single colors add 200-300€ extra for a more unique look. Including a fork adds anywhere from 200-450€ in steel, aluminum & carbon for road, gravel, bikepacking, or 2-in-1 adjustable forks on offer.

Complete bike builds start around 2100€ with mechanical GRX. Effectively the same whether you want a 2x drop-bar gravel build or 1x flat-bar urban commuter build. After that, the sky is the limit if you want to swap in fancy electronic, lightweight carbon bits, or to fully outfit a bike with lights, fenders & racks.

De rigueur for 8bar via their online customizer… build possibilities are almost limitless.

8bar-bikes.com