Schindelhauer FRIEDRICH VIII / alu pur L (58cm) | mitternachtsblau | 8-Gang / braune Reifenseitenwand

Low maintenance for city life: the FRIEDRICH VIII / XI belt-driven urban bike

FRIEDRICH is the classic everyday bike in the Berlin workshop's range: a diamond frame with a relaxed riding position, a quiet belt drive, a hub gear and lighting fed straight from the front wheel hub. Radfieber files it under Urban – commutes, city errands and weekend rides alike.

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The frame is built from AL6061-T6 aluminium in a diamond layout with a triple-butted aero-shape tube set: more material where pedalling forces act, less where the frame sits sheltered by the wheels. Forged dropouts with a sliding tensioner and the Belt Port, an integrated seat clamp and fully internal cable routing keep the silhouette uncluttered, and the smoothed welds run on into the curved aluminium fork. Power travels through a Gates Carbon Drive CDX belt from the Shimano Alfine crank to the rear hub – a drive that runs quietly, stays clean and asks for little care over time.

Gearing is handled by a hub: FRIEDRICH VIII with eight gears, FRIEDRICH XI with eleven. Because the entire shifting mechanism sits protected inside the hub, the selected steps keep their position even after weeks outdoors. A Shutter Precision PD-8X hub dynamo feeds Supernova Pure3 at the front and Supernova E3 at the rear, so the light output grows with speed and is there in any darkness. Cargo and daily duties are covered by a Tubus Fly rear rack in the Schindelhauer version, rated for eighteen kilos and taking Ortlieb bags, plus Curana D-Light mudguards. Mounting points for bottle or lock holders, a stand fixture and a trailer coupling at the rear axle broaden what the bike can carry out. Hydraulic disc brakes with 160 millimetres, a Brooks B17 leather saddle, Ergo leather grips and Continental GP Urban tyres in 35-622 complete the build – at 13.2 kilos in size M. The parts reinforce one another: belt and hub lower the maintenance effort, the dynamo supplies light without a charger, and rack, mudguards and lamps were specified together for the same kind of use.

Where the name FRIEDRICH VIII / XI comes from

The model name splits into three parts. First comes a given name: the city bikes of the Berlin maker all carry first names, and Friedrich is a traditional one – a name that suggests dependability and suits the bike's understated design language. Second, the Roman numeral: VIII reads as eight and states the number of gears in the Shimano Alfine hub gear, while XI stands for eleven. The technical version is therefore built straight into the name, with no need to consult a spec sheet. Third, the item designation adds the frame size – S at 50 centimetres up to XL at 62 centimetres – and the colour: alu pur, mitternachtsblau and sahneweiß describe the finish. Riding character, gear step, size and paint are all named in these building blocks.

VIII versus XI: one shared frame, two widths of gear range

Across the FRIEDRICH series the frame, drivetrain, lighting and rack are identical – only the number of gears separates the two. The VIII covers urban territory: eight steps with generous gaps, a calm pedalling rhythm and short distances between neighbouring ratios. The XI spreads the same overall ratio across eleven finer steps and widens the usable range as well, which pays off when luggage rides uphill, the route heads out of town or the wind blows against the commute. Both versions come in the three finishes and all four frame sizes, with sprocket and belt length matched to the hub fitted.

Where it is used: commuting, errands, weekends – plus the women's counterpart FRIEDA

This bike is built for the daily route: to work, to the shops, to afternoon appointments and out of town at the weekend. Frame, belt, hub gear, dynamo light and rack all work to the same rhythm – dependable in rain and dust, undemanding to look after and light enough to move through cellar and lift. The diamond form in sizes from 50 to 62 centimetres addresses riders who prefer a high top tube and a classic silhouette.

A female counterpart exists in the FRIEDA: the same technical base in a trapez frame, with a lowered top tube, a Brooks B17 S Lady saddle and the Jane bar – extra step-through height with the same drive, the same lighting system and the same rack. Other series of the same house answer different expectations: the SIEGFRIED works as a singlespeed or fixed-gear with a single ratio and 8.6 kilos on the scale, the WILHELM XIV leans on its 14-speed Rohloff Speedhub for sporty touring, and the LOTTE remains the lighter trapez everyday bike with an eight-speed Alfine. Riders who want electric support turn to the manufacturer's E-Bike models. FRIEDRICH takes the position of the fully equipped comfort commuter here: belt, hub gear and dynamo light as a well-matched trio for anyone who rides daily and prefers to touch the bike rarely.