Beautiful Bikes of Bespoked UK - Part 1

by Igor

This was our first time to the Bespoked UK show and it was a blast. It was so great to catch up with friends, meet new people, finally put faces to IG handles, and see cool custom bikes - all the while with track racing all around us!

Bespoked is a London-based expo focused around custom ("bespoke" if you're in the UK) and high-end production bikes and accessories - with a focus mostly on UK and European companies. This year it was hosted in the 2012 Olympic Velodrome. It's really inspiring to be in the same facility that some of the highest class of riders in the WORLD raced in. But enough chit-chat, let's get to the galleries!

Clandestine

Pi does a masterful job of balancing performance, utility, and classic styling like none other. The integration of racks, mudguards (we're in the UK, remember?), and dynamo lighting creates a perfect package specifically designed for this bike. This all-road touring build features our 650b Smooth Mudguards, Long Setback Seatpost, Disc Rear Hub, Voyager Rims, Retro Bottle Cages, Copenhagen Kickstand, and a previous generation Crazy Bar. The icing on the cake is super slick, integrated steering stop. It's super useful to eliminate the wheel from flopping around when loading the front of the bike up.

Crossley Metal

Duncan is not one who is afraid to experiment with bike designs. One has a bunch of VO, and the other doesn't have a lick of it - I'll let you figure out which one is which.

This is his Chrome Tourer, designed for a gentleman to travel between vineyards in Tuscany. This was faaaaancy. Rohloff hub, Cigne Stem, Randonneur Front Rack, 0 Setback Seatpost, and Chrome 1 1/8" Threadless Headset. The frame and fork are fully chromed and polished to *chef's kiss* perfection.

The other bike he displayed was a Grass Track Racing Bike! I've never heard of grass track racing, but it looks super fun. It's like track racing on a flat oval, but on grass. So while you still can't use brakes, you do need the extra grip afforded by some fatter tires. This one also has fitting for mudguards for off-track training - a nod to the traditional UK path-racer. The frame is a mix of all sorts of tubing and the fork is custom painted with a bunch of scenes.

Etoile Cycles

I love seeing builders experimenting with tube junctions and designs. This quadruple triangle tourer/commuter from Etoile Cycles features our Milan Handlebars, cushy tires, custom build front rack, and loads of details. Super nice, Elodie!

Sour Bicycles

Sour debuted their new Clueless gravel bike featuring a group of limited edition Shimano GRX and a complete suite of VO bits! They have done an amazing job of developing production of their bikes to Germany as well as utilizing existing European production capabilities. This bike has our Nouveau Randonneur Bars, Rubbery Bar Tape, Long Setback Seatpost, 31.8mm Threadless Stem, and Mini Rando Bag.

Stay tuned for part 2 coming shortly!