Marca Force AXS

WOW where do I even start? This is really it; what we've been working so hard for is ready for the world. It was a journey (as you can see below) but in the end, we couldn't be more proud of the outcome.

Backstory of the Marca
The Marca was an idea during the conception of Oak, but we couldn't afford making our own mold. So we started Oak by using a mold that ended up becoming Twilight. The Twilight was a great bike that was mostly used to prove a point: we can do this. Once that point was proven through sales, feedback and the growth of the brand, it was time to bring in investment and begin the design and production journey. We're still figuring it out as we go, but something that has been very important since the beginning is to be transparent. We have shared the whole development process (highs and lows) and will continue doing so as Oak continues to grow.

There was one clear goal for the Marca: to develop a high-end, competitive aero road bike that represents what Oak stands for as a brand - sophisticated design, joy, racing and family.

The "Why's"
There are many reasons “why” the Marca has the features it does, but these are some of the most important:

• Aero & Lightweight: No, this isn't an all-around bike, it's an out-and-out aero road bike. That said, we still prioritized making it lightweight and comfortable. The Marca features a super wide fork, deep and extremely thin headtube, extremely thin seatpost, dropped seatstays and deep down tube. These decisions were all made to optimize the aerodynamic performance of the frame.
• UCI Approved: The Marca is knocking on the UCI's minimum weight limit while maximizing aerodynamic performance.
• Geometry: We wanted something aggressive, yet comfortable and aerodynamic, thus the aggressive angles and high stack.
• Tire Clearance: It was important for us to be able to fit wide road tires and chainrings on this frame. We're continuing to test tire clearance on different wheels, but in most cases, the Marca has clearance for 38mm measured tires.
• Performance & Durability: Again, this is a high-end frameset (even though the price doesn't say so), so we wanted to pull out all the stops. All the bolts, axles and mounts are made of titanium. The headset is a CeramicSpeed SLT headset. This ensures durability of the parts (no stripped bolts here!) and helps reduce weight on the overall frame.
• Handlebars: Designing handlebars was tough because with one-piece cockpits. We were looking at dozens of molds which as a small brand, we couldn't afford. This led us to offer a cockpit that we believe matches the trends and what most racers want. Our handlebar will come in one width and 6 stem lengths. In continuing to prioritize aerodynamics we will offer a handlebar that is 370mm center to center on the hoods and 400mm outside to outside on the drops. We will contact every customer in order to send them the right stem length.
• Paint Job: The Marca features a classy black & white paint job. This is one of the areas where we saved money by going the simpler route. This reduced SKUs, cost and weight and we believe we found the perfect design. A half matte, half glossy, gorgeous paint job highlighting the actual design of the frame with edgy but still minimal branding.
• UDH Compatible: 1x aero builds are a big part of the design of this bike, so the Marca being UDH compatible was a non-negotiable.
• Tested & Approved: The Marca passed the highest level of stress testing following international standards, performed by our trusted partners in China.
• Made in China: After lengthy research and visiting multiple factories in China, we feel blessed to have found a factory partner perfect for the job. Developing this frameset with a factory and team of engineers that understood the vision and shared our excitement for it was essential and a big part of the reason for the success of the design.
• Assembled in Boise, ID: All frames and bikes follow 2 rounds of quality control (one in China and one in Boise), then are assembled, packaged and shipped from Boise, ID.

We'll be releasing a white paper on the frame by the end of the year with wind tunnel data.