The veloheld.iron is a hardtail steel frame for trail and bikepacking, designed for 29″ wheels and suspension forks from 100 to 120 mm. We weld every frame by hand in our own frame workshop in Leipzig, from multi-butted CrMo steel. Four sizes from S to XL, in the standard colour or in any RAL colour you choose. No climb too steep, no descent too rough: with the iron you plough through harder terrain without any trouble.
New: The veloheld.iron is now also available as a Pinion MTB with gearbox and belt drive.
The Iron with the maximum fun guarantee
Fun on tours and on trails: The veloheld.iron is a fun mountain bike with flexible build options. Whether it’s a spontaneous trail ride in the woods or a long off-road bikepacking tour: Let’s get dirty!
- welded in our own frame workshop in Leipzig
- veloheld chromoly rigid fork with “Triple-Cage” mounts, carbon fork or
RockShox Reba Gold 120 mm - with groupsets from Shimano, SRAM or entirely your choice
- Lavender Sparkle powder coating or your own colour of choice
- from €2,999, fully built and ready to ride
Iron without chain or derailleur
No derailleur, no chain lube: The same steel hardtail, but with Pinion gearbox and belt drive. Made for long tours with luggage and for everyone who would rather ride than wrench.
- welded in our own frame workshop in Leipzig
- Pinion C1.12 gearbox with 12 gears and 600 % range
- mechanical with twist shifter or electronic as C1.12i Smart.Shift
- Gates CDX belt drive, extremely low-maintenance
- from €4,699, fully built and ready to ride
Within the scope of “impassable” possibilities
Build it yourself: With the veloheld.iron frameset you build the MTB exactly to your own spec – a proper custom MTB! You can order the frame without a fork, with a matching rigid fork in steel or carbon, or with the RockShox Reba RL. N+1 ahoy!
- multi-butted CrMo tubes – hand-welded in our frame workshop in Leipzig
- T47 bottom bracket and dropouts with SRAM UDH hanger
- Lavender Sparkle powder coating or your own colour of choice
- from €1,199
Repairable materials
robust 4130 chromoly tubeset – durable, repairable and recyclable
Individually configurable
Frame colours & spec entirely to your taste
Handbuilt in Leipzig and Dresden
small batches, built for you with love in Leipzig and Dresden
A mountain bike for all occasions!
With the veloheld “Bügeleisen” (flat iron), pure MTB fun takes centre stage on your bikepacking tour. The name says it all: on this mountain bike you can safely push your limits in rougher terrain – and to iron over the trails even better, there is fortunately the veloheld.iron!
Thanks to integrated mounts on the top tube, you can now also fit a top tube bag securely. Everything stays in place – except you and your bike, of course!
When the ride takes a little longer, a classic rack mounts to the eyelets on the rear triangle. Nothing stands in the way of long off-road tours with plenty of luggage.
Our frame builders make every frame by hand in Leipzig, TIG-welded from multi-butted CrMo tubes. The tubeset comes from a specialist in Taiwan – the same specification as a branded tubeset, just without the sticker. CrMo steel is not only ultra-robust and durable but also fully recyclable. According to studies, producing steel tubes creates significantly less CO₂ than carbon – read more on our steel frame page. And local sourcing gets easier.
The frame is of course SRAM UDH-ready for the Transmission series, but also takes Shimano rear derailleurs. The T47 bottom bracket also allows clean, protected cable routing right through the chainstays. A bike that convinces not only with performance but also with craftsmanship from Leipzig.
Derailleur or Pinion?
Both bikes share the same character: a steel hardtail for trail and bikepacking, hand-welded in Leipzig. The difference is the drivetrain.
With a derailleur drivetrain (Shimano SLX or SRAM Eagle 90) you get the more affordable bike, from €2,999. Spare parts are available in any bike shop. To the veloheld.iron complete bike
With Pinion, the gearbox sits sealed inside the frame and a Gates belt replaces the chain. No derailleur to catch on a rock, no chain lube in your luggage, an oil change only every 10,000 km. From €4,699. To the veloheld.iron Pinion
Our rule of thumb: if you ride a lot of trail and watch your budget, take the chain. If you plan long tours with luggage and don’t want to worry about anything on the road, take the Pinion.
Frameset or complete bike?
With the frameset you get the frame, optionally fork and headset, and build the rest yourself or have it built – from €1,199. With the complete bike we take care of the entire build and deliver it ready to ride, with Shimano SLX – from €2,999. Geometry, material and colour choice are identical in both cases. The only difference is who does the wrenching.
Which frame size suits me?
The veloheld.iron comes in four sizes: S for 163 to 172 cm, M for 171 to 180 cm, L for 179 to 188 cm and XL for 186 to 196 cm. On a mountain bike, reach is what matters – 429 mm in S, 454 mm in M, 470 mm in L and 490 mm in XL. If you are between two sizes, take the smaller one: the bike gets more agile and you have more seatpost to extend. All values with explanations are in the geometry table.
Which fork should I choose?
The frame is approved for 100 to 120 mm of travel, and a rigid fork works too. Across this whole range the head angle changes by just one degree. With a rigid fork or 100 mm the front sits higher, the bike steers more directly and climbs better. With 120 mm it feels noticeably more planted downhill. If you are unsure, the RockShox Reba with 120 mm is our recommendation – that is how the complete bike is built, too. In the geometry table you can switch between forks and see what changes.
Lead time, colour and warranty
We coat every frame individually, so it takes 3 to 5 weeks from order confirmation. The standard colour is Lavender Sparkle – until 31 October 2026 any RAL colour of your choice comes at no extra charge, gloss or matt, with decals in black or silver. We give a five-year warranty on frames and veloheld forks.
FAQ MTB
Steel frames offer high stability, pleasant damping on rough terrain and exceptional durability. Many riders appreciate the classic ride feel and the repairability of steel-frame MTBs. Find out more about steel frames in our guide.
Yes, steel frames are usually slightly heavier than aluminium or carbon frames. For many riders, however, the comfort, robustness and flexibility of the material make up for this – especially for trail and touring use. Steel is also the most repairable and recyclable frame material.
A mountain bike with a steel frame is ideal for touring riders, bikepackers, commuters and anyone who values durability, easy maintenance and comfortable handling.
Thanks to their robustness and the many mounting options (eyelets for racks, bottle cages, anything cages), steel frames are excellent for bikepacking. Even with heavy loads they stay stable and ride comfortably – on long distances too.
Yes, many long-distance travellers deliberately choose steel-frame mountain bikes. They are considered particularly reliable, are easy to repair and remain comfortable to ride even on long stages.
Modern steel frames usually have high-quality paint or powder coatings that protect very well against corrosion. With proper care – especially after rides in the rain – rust is not a problem.
Clean your bike regularly, dry the frame thoroughly and check the welds and any stone-chip spots in particular. An occasional treatment with an internal rust inhibitor (e.g. Framesaver) can be worthwhile.
Yes. There is simple hi-ten steel, chrome-molybdenum steel (CrMo) and branded tubesets from manufacturers such as Reynolds or Columbus. We use CrMo throughout because it offers the best balance of weight, strength and repairability. On the veloheld.iron it is 25CrMo4, multi-butted, from Taiwan – the same specification as a branded tubeset, just without the sticker.
Yes. The veloheld.iron Pinion comes with a Pinion C1.12 gearbox and Gates CDX belt drive, either mechanical with a twist shifter or electronic as the C1.12i Smart.Shift.
For everyone who covers a lot of distance and wants to do little wrenching: the gearbox is sealed, the belt needs no oil, and all that’s due is an oil change every 10,000 km.
