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In the handmade space, gravel, all-road, or even 32″ bikes certainly seem to be the most common at the moment. But that doesn’t mean classic road bikes are dead. In fact, the new Scarab Serena wasn’t the only road-specific bike being celebrated at the 2026 MADE Show; two other road bikes also got Builder’s Awards: English Cycles and Rare Earth Cycle.

Winner, winner, chicken dinner! (Photos/ Zach Overholt BikeRumor)

To me, there are very few things sexier than a dedicated, sleek, and understated road bike. I mean, they’re kinda the fighter jets of the bicycle world. I don’t really ride them anymore, but I will always revel in them. They’re usually very beautiful, in their “light but tough” demeanor.

And the new Scarab Serena is no exception.

She’s a Climber!

I gave my custom Scarab Darién hardtail my Editor’s Choice Award for 2025 last year. It’s an incredible riding steel mountain bike. The crew at Scarab knows what they are doing. And their work shows it. The Serena is a climber’s bike, and it is a beaut!

Scarab Cycles’ Founder and Lead Product Designer, Santiago Toro, says this about the Serena: “Serena began with a question I have returned to for years: how should the ultimate climbing bicycle feel? Not only when attacking a mountain, but also during those rare moments when the bicycle, the body, and the climb stop feeling separate from one another. Serena was created to bring both sensations together.“

Well, she looks amazingly subtle and fast. Let’s take a gander…

Scarab Serena

The Serena base model frame can be yours for only $4,850 (frame, fork, seat clamp, front & rear axles, Wolf Tooth headset, and touch-up paint). That is a great price for a fully custom, hand-made, high-end steel frameset.

To make the Serena, Scarab worked with Columbus to create “a new family of custom-drawn Spirit tubes specifically for the platform.”

The head tube is a custom-machined two-piece design which really brings the whole front end together visually. You’ll also find 3D-printed stainless steel UDH-compatible dropouts and weight-reducing details throughout, including the 68mm T47 bottom bracket. Even being a climbing bike, there is still room for 32mm tires.

That head tube/top tube junction, though!

The first 25 will be called the First Series, each with a permanent identifier on the chainstay.

The Scarab Serena is a beautiful bike that is well deserving of the MADE ’26 Builder’s Choice Award. The Scarab crew is not only talented, but they were so accommodating and nice when going through the frame-building process.

Congrats to the crew at Scarab! Hit the link below to get your own Scarab frame; just know that only 25 units will be made for the First Series of Serenas!

scarabcycles.com