Ultralight Custom Steel: How Scarab Built a 15-Pound Climbing Bike

Welcome to Velo’s MADE bike show coverage, where we share our favorite things we’ve found at the 2026 show. If we think it’s cool, you’ll see it. See the rest of our coverage here.

As I walked around the MADE bike show this year, Scarab Cycles had something special with the launch of the Scarab Serena. The idea is a steel climbing bike, but that isn’t even the full hook. Steel climbing bikes have been done before, and even Scarab has other options in that realm. The Scarab Serena is different.

Scarab is a Colombian company that focuses on custom steel bikes with impeccable finishes and a lean toward affordability. These are still custom bikes, but in the world that Scarab plays in, the brand’s builds tend to sit on the more attainable side of things. This time, Scarab is throwing that all out the window and building the absolute best bike it can make.

Steel isn’t supposed to be a pure climbing material. In the modern era of sub-700-gram carbon frames, building a metal bike dedicated entirely to the ascent seems counterintuitive. To pull this off, Scarab partnered with Columbus to develop a custom-drawn, ultralight family of Spirit steel tubes with highly controlled, thin walls. That traditional chassis is modernized with a custom-machined head tube, a T47 bottom bracket, and 3D-printed stainless steel UDH dropouts. The result is a disc-brake steel bike that pushes into modern superbike weight territory. Based on a size 56 prototype, complete builds weigh in at an estimated 6.95 kg to 7.16 kg (roughly 15.3 to 15.7 pounds).

As I said though, this bike is unique in the Scarab lineup, and it’s not only because of the special steel. The Serena is exclusively being sold as a complete bike rather than a standalone frameset. The “First Series” production is limited to just 25 handmade bikes. These configurations pull no punches, utilizing Campagnolo Super Record 13, Darimo carbon cockpits, and wheel options that include Lightweight Meilenstein ART and Campagnolo Hyperon Ultras. The launch paint, “Climate Gradient,” is designed to mimic the shifting light, fog, and altitude of a high Colombian ascent. Of course each one will be unique to the rider who commissions it and the custom geometry will reflect that.

If you are interested in making a Scarab Serena your forever bike, the First Series complete builds start at $16,167 including import duties for the United States and Colombia, and excluding shipping, applicable sales taxes, and other local charges. For more information, visit the Scarab website.