The company was founded in 2016 by Thomas Stoll (a former pro marathon racer and manager of the Stöckli race team), Gerhard Stoll (Thomas’ father) and Jan Bhalla (creative director).
They approached Bike Ahead Composites to have their very first frames made in Germany. It’s fair to say that this was a bold move for the young team, as making those molds is expensive and having carbon frames hand-laid in Germany is not cheap either. However, as they all invested significantly in their new company, they were able to start the collaboration with Bike Ahead, who’ve been making all Stoll frames since the beginning.
Manufacturing just a few hundred kilometers away from their HQ allows Stoll to control every step precisely. They know the people who make the frames and some of the Bike Ahead employees ride these frames too.
Thanks to his background in mechanical engineering, Thomas can do a lot of the engineering himself. He is excited about all the locally made parts they often use to build bikes for their customers. To get to the next level, the team wanted to do their own “European Bike Project” and they say that they managed to use almost 95% Euro-made parts on this bike (% based on MSRP of all parts used).
The Intend Bandit fork is a head turner for sure.
A light Vecnum Nivo dropper post and 3D printed Selle Italia saddle.
That’s a very clean cockpit.
Depending on which link and shock you use, the Stoll full suspension frames can provide between 100 and 145 mm rear travel.
The frames are available in different carbon lay-ups; lighter frames for light riders, stiffer frames for heavier or more aggressive riders. The quality of the surface is so good they don’t need to sand the frames or paint them. Not having to sand the frames allows them to built them lighter too, as sanding a frame will always weaken it – which means that you’ll have to use more carbon to compensate for that. Once the frames come out of the mould, only minimal finishing work is needed. The frame weight for the light carbon layups is ~ 1950 g / 4.3 lbs (without shock). The carbon is UV resistant, so it won’t turn yellowish over the years.
Small parts such as the suspension link are machined in Liechtenstein and the Swiss made bearings get a special grease treatment to make sure they last extremely long.
Stoll also released a “PTL” edition of their R1 hardtail (5.9 kg / 13 lbs) and their S1 roadbike.
The Stoll HQ is based in one of the Northernmost towns of Switzerland.