SANTA CRUZ (Canary Islands, Spain) – Suddenly, Muna, the natural history museum of Santa Cruz, is filled with journalists, photographers, cameramen and authorities. Under a black veil with Aurum written on it, there is clearly a bicycle. They arrive Iván Basso e Alberto counterMount Teide watches over us slyly, about thirty kilometers to the south, while an image in the background of the stage bears the words “El Origen,” the origin.
It is at that moment that the world discovers the new Aurum Magma Tenerife, a special bike. A bike that has to do with the birth of the brand itself, with this land, with Mount Teide. There's so much behind this model. It's not just a different color scheme. And this "so much" must be grasped, coming all the way down here, lost in the Atlantic Ocean.
The origin
The Magma Tenerife, an exclusive edition, was born from the collaboration between Aurum Bikes e Tenerife Tourism, through its brand Tenerife Despierta EmocionesIt is no coincidence that the vice-president and tourism advisor of the Tenerife Island Council was also present at the raising of the veils, Lope Afonso. With him, of course, are Ivan Basso and star Alberto Contador, owners of the Aurum company. It's immediately clear that this is a bike that pays homage to the island that inspired the brand's spirit.
«This bike – say Basso and Contador in chorus – It was born here in Tenerife and more precisely on TeideIn the year we ran together at Tinkoff we had the opportunity to think, talk, and create. It was on Teide, during our retreats, that we thought about a bike. How this was meant to be, and this Magma Tenerife is the answer, the gift, to this island, to this land that has given us so much."
"A bike born from suffering," adds Contador, "how can you suffer less, or suffer just as much but go faster! During my time as a professional cyclist, I spent many weeks training on Mount Teide in search of the best shape. It was right there, years later, that the idea of creating Aurum with Ivan was born. Up there, you have time to think, to concentrate. You're alone with your companions, nature, and your bike. That's why returning now with this project is like coming full circle. Magma Tenerife represents that origin: the place where it all began and the inspiration that led us to create our bicycle».
Hence the slogan "El Origen." And this is the final pearl in Aurum's crown.
The bike
In the catalog of Aurum Bikes The Magma Tenerife is now also available. The essence remains the same: we are talking about a very high-end, high-quality bike, the same one used by professionals Polti-VisitMalta.
The bike can be customized in its setup. The one we admired in Santa Cruz was set up with the groupset Sram Red AXS, saddle Prologue Scratch M5 Nack Hard Black, Aurum components (starting with the beautiful Aurum Magma handlebars) and the brand new wheels Artech 6 Scope.
Wheels that Contador himself wanted, tested, and researched: a man who, when it comes to weight, is still a racer (or climber) through and through. Alberto, we've been told by highly reliable sources, tried them himself, and when he felt their weight and performance, he almost couldn't believe it. This set (available in 65, 45 and even 20 mm profile versions) stops the scale at 1.224 grams in the higher profile version. It has a 23mm internal channel, fiberglass-profiled spokes, and extremely clean aerodynamics thanks to the "scales" on the profile itself. They transform the Magma into a spindle that pierces the air, a hiss that leaves little turbulence behind. The Scope Artech 6 are 3D printed. The tires that perform best, both in terms of smoothness and stability, are the 28mm ones.
«I was impressed with the stability of these wheels – Contador told us – even if a truck passes by you, the bike stays straight, it doesn't skid».
For the rest, as mentioned, the fork, seatpost and integrated handlebar of the Magma are “made in Aurum” and were designed with the sole intention of making the bike faster. The Spanish manufacturer reports some very interesting data on the aerodynamic front: we are talking about an increase of approximately 7 watts considering the fork and frame, which becomes 10 if the planned setup also includes the integrated handlebar.
The color
And now we come to the real novelty, the heart of this model: the color. The shades of blue in the painting evoke the journey from the depths of the Atlantic Ocean to the peaks of Mount Teide. “From the sea to the sky,” Contador explained, “when we looked out from up there we saw all these shades of blue.”
To tell the truth, an experiment had also been done with the other dominant colour of Tenerife, that of the ochre of its soil, which at times becomes black and at others reddish. In the end we opted for these shades of blue. By the way, a curious note: there is a touch of Italy in these paint finishes. In fact, these colours are created by Lechler, a Como-based company.
Always remaining on the Magma Tenerife graphics, there is an element that strikes more than others, a detail found on the horizontal tube: the topographic lines of Teide. A real gem. These lines represent the DNA of Aurum Magma Tenerife. If a human's DNA is a "double helix," Magma Tenerife's is made up of the topographical lines of Mount Teide.
