London based studio specialising in custom fitting. Dream road bikes from Parlee, Look, Colnago, Pinarello, Cannondale, Trek and Specialized. Plus mountain bikes from Santa Cruz and Yeti.
Keep up to date at facebook.com/BespokeCycling
Here's Mike's Specialized S-Works Venge, a fantastic speed machine built up with Di2 for precision shifting and built to fit perfectly with Specialized's finest finishing kit:
The big red 'S' make some very fine bikes:
Mavic Cosmic Carbone SLR wheels fit perfectly with the stealthy look:
At Bespoke we pride ourselves on our obsessional level of attention to detail. It's all about enabling you to get the most out of your bike, and yourself.
Correct fit is at the heart of what we do, but every bike that passes through our workshop benefits from the same levels of care and attention.
These hands belong to Jonny, our workshop manager - give him a call on 020 7837 0647 to talk about servicing, repairs or custom wheelbuilding.
We've just built this fantastic white Trek Domane for David.
Built up as an extremely practical mile-muncher, but absolutely gorgeous to look at too. H Plus Son Archetype rims custom built onto Chris King hubs - a classic combo that's a favourite of our wheelbuilder - the 23mm wide rims give extra comfort and improved handling.
The decoupled seat tube (above) provides a little more comfort on less than perfect road surfaces. A seriously chunky bottom bracket (below) enures that no power is wasted. The perfect Sportive machine.
We've just built up this beautifully co-ordinated Z5 SLi. True understated elegance, with fantastic ENVE bars, stem, seatpost and rims (custom built onto matching Chris King hubs):
It's an age-old problem - how to quickly and efficiently dry out your wet shoes, especially if you need to wear them again the next day.
Sidas have come up with a very neat solution: The Sidas Drywarmers are inserts which slip inside your shoes or boots, and then heat up to a toasty 50degrees C - enough to efficiently dry footwear without damaging synthetic or natural materials. Plus the built-in UV light has a natural anti-bacterial action to keep footwear fresh.
Far more effective than scrunched up newspaper, and an ideal gift for cyclists at this time of year. They work just as well at drying out gloves - they're compact enough to slip inside most sizes. The Drywarmers are mains powered and come ready to use with a standard UK plug. In stock now - just £25.00 a pair.
From 10th January 2013, join staff from Bespoke Performance Lab and their community for early morning interval training around Regent's Park.
Starting on Thursday mornings these will be sociable rides that are designed to increase your aerobic threshold. All ability levels are encouraged to come along. Best of all, they are absolutely free and will be led by none other than our very own Ben Hallam.
Look out for further information in the coming weeks.
A nice write-up on the updated Trek Madone 5.2. Bikeradar love it and we agree - Trek are somehow improving on the already excellent Madone year by year:
Another fantastic silver Z5. This one is sporting the long-awaited and rather gorgeous Enve seatpost, with matching stem. Rotor cranks, Speedplay pedals, Campag Record gruppo and our own handbuilt wheels (H Plus Son rims on Chris King hubs) add up to a very compelling package.
We had a fantastic time yesterday evening, as Bespoke hosted the launch event for the new Parlee Z-Zero. Bob Parlee and Tom Rodi flew in from the USA to introduce the new frame and give a talk on Parlee's design philosophy and manufacturing process.
A great crowd turned up to hear the talk, and admire a selection of beautiful Parlee bikes.
It's always a treat to hear Bob talking about bikes and this was no exception. We look forward to seeing Bob and Tom again - in the meantime get in touch with us for more info on the Z-Zero or any Parlee frame.
Here's a combination of old and new - Nick's Parlee Z5 sports Brooks leather handlebar tape and a classic Brooks saddle. British craftsmanship meets cutting-edge American technology:
Take a look at Andrew's beautiful silver Parlee Z5, complete with Rotor 3D cranks and H Plus Son rims on Chris King hubs (handbuilt by us). It all fits together beautifully:
I've just got back from my first ride on our Trek Domane 5.9 test bike and I have to say, I really impressed.
The Domane is pitched as their Endurance racer: the geometry is a little higher and shorter at front end, the wheelbase is a little longer, the head tube a little slacker etc. It also has a system called IsoSpeed which is designed to take the shocks out of the road. It works by separating the seat post from the top tube and seat stays. This way, the seat post is able to flex backwards (absorbing the shocks) but not flex side to side because it is secured laterally by the seat stays. I have to admit, when I first saw this on the internet, I thought it was a gimmick. But while setting the bike up in the turbo, I could visually see the seat post flexing under my body weight (which was very weird to see). Interestingly, it meant that I had to set my saddle height a couple of mm higher to take up the "sag".
All this made me worry that the bike would feel like a blancmange out on the road. I can categorically say that this isn't the case. After your body weight has taken up the initial "travel", the spring rate ramps up very quickly and the saddle felt planted and not bouncy at all. However, those that expect this bike to feel like a full suspension mountain bike will be disappointed. The ISOspeed takes the "edge" off the big bumps rather than float like a bouncy castle: you still feel the bumps but, like a good cricket player absorbing the energy while catching a ball, the bike absorbs the initial jarring shock and dissipates the shock. Those looking for increased comfort over speed could change the tyres. Our 5.9 test bikes have 23c winter tyres on but the bike has clearance for anything up to 27c and the increased air volume would absorb even more energy. Another alternative would be running a set of 25c tubeless tyres which can be used at lower air pressures.
I was expecting the Domane to be a comfortable bike, what I wasn't expecting was it to be a fast bike. On my way back, I gave it some beans through the Euston underpass and got a real shock: this is a stiff RACE bike!!! Taxis were getting in my way at what suddenly felt like a sedentary 40mph. It's lateral stiffness is brilliant and the bike takes off. The handling is hardly sluggish either; I was quite happily darting in and out of the traffic the same way I would in a racing peleton. I had assumed that Fabian Cancellara had been paid a huge sum of money to ride the Domane in the tour rather than a "real" race bike but I can now see that it wouldn't have been a handicap at all. I would quite happily race on this bike.
Other great features include the ability to attach eyelets and full size mud guards. This makes the bike a viable “12 months of the year” bike. I also like the ability to put a internal speed and cadence sensor called a DuoTrap into the chain stay which keeps everything very neat and tidy and communicates via ANT+ so will work with your Garmin. Finally, another well thought out bit of engineering is the built in chain catcher on the frame which will guide the chain back onto the little ring in the event of a miss shift.
Overall, I've been very impressed with the Domane and I think it's a huge step forward in endurance bike market.
As
promised, this is Robert's Firefly in all its glory. The level of
attention to detail on these frames is truly breathtaking. Steel or
titanium, custom paint finishes... talk to us about building a bike to
your exact specifications.
When you buy a Firefly you don't just get a beautifully crafted handmade steel or titanium frame - you'll also receive a USB stick with a set of images showing the construction process. Such a clever idea, which reflects the level of thought (and pride) Firefly put into the build process. Here's one under construction - tomorrow we'll show you the finished item...
Not just a series of tubes... Each one carefully selected and shaped to suit the ride you want (and, of course, we'll make sure it fits you perfectly).
Carefully jigged up for absolute precision.
We'll be posting photos of the finished frame tomorrow...
The name's a bit of a mouthful, but Bontrager's Hilo RXL Speed Dial saddle has some interesting tech hidden away underneath. This is the world's first adjustable nose saddle - the width can be tailored to your exact requirements - and is aimed at triathletes who need both comfort and a forward riding position. It's easy to adjust with an allen key, so you can alter the fit as and when required. There's an impressive 16mm of adjustment available. There's also a cutaway running the length of the saddle - Bontrager call it the "Contour Relief Zone Plus" - and it's designed to reduce pressure and increase long-distance comfort, especially hunkered down in an aero position. Here's some pictures of the first to reach the store:
Built for speed. Integrated front and rear brakes, internal cable routing, optimised for electronic shifting:
Kammtail Virtual Foil tube shape is supremely aero. The Draft Box holds essentials for repairing a flat tyre, and is so well integrated the design is actually more aerodynamic with it fitted than without:
