Bespoked Dresden: A trade fair for extravagant bikes & frames
Bespoked 2023 - you can find these frame builders here:
Click here for the description.
Progress in the age of carbon is mainly defined by the big companies in the bicycle industry. Wind tunnels and expensive production facilities are essential to keep up with the competition in terms of performance, weight and cost. However, cyclists are obviously not only interested in these aspects: Bespoked in Dresden celebrated the unique bicycle in mid-October. Around one hundred frame builders and manufacturers presented the sporty bike as a cultural asset and technical work of art at the trade fair. Thousands of visitors immersed themselves in the world of original designs and frame details.
The frame building scene has changed dramatically. The traditional customised steel frame rarely takes centre stage anymore, but when it does, it is taken to the extreme. Today's frame builders are at the cutting edge of technology. The 3D printing of metal opens up new technical and aesthetic possibilities for small suppliers. Steel, titanium, aluminium and carbon are combined in bikes with an individual look and sophisticated technology. Ceramic surfaces or artistic hand-painted finishes enable designs for every taste. And since manufacturers of large series are now also charging more than 5000 euros for their carbon frames made in Asia, the prices for high-quality customised frames are no longer so frightening. Not every bike shown at the trade fair was really well calculated. Designers, technicians and enthusiasts often live out their passion without really paying attention to the price. In many cases, it is the craftsmanship and ideas rather than the weight and price that count.
Bespoked 2023: the frame builders
Bespoked Dresden: the bikes
Avalanche
It is unfortunate that the two bikes at the Avalanche stand don't get any sun, as this would allow the fine geometric details in the paintwork to shine. However, the elegant seat post clamp immediately catches the eye - or rather, its apparent absence. 3D printing in titanium also enables innovative solutions for this titanium gravel bike, which used to be painstakingly produced from many sheets of metal or with angular milled parts. This piece of jewellery was awarded the prize for "Best Gravel Bike" at the Bespoked trade fair.
Beurriand and his partner also enjoy taking part in competitions such as the "Concours de Machines" bicycle building competition, where bikes are challenged each year for a different task, such as "Paris-Roubaix". The bike pictured won the prize for the most beautiful paintwork in 2023.
Festka
The Czech company Festka has already gained a certain reputation in recent years and has established itself as one of the larger manufacturers of customised bicycles. Around 20 employees work on the racing bikes in Prague. The two founders have now moved away from metal frames and only produce custom frames made of carbon fibre, often with unusual paint finishes.
An example called "Scalatore", on the other hand, is minimalist in every respect: the laminated frame (5.3 kilos) is completely unpainted and has no decorative decals. It is specially tailored to the body measurements of Festka's co-owner, Ondřej Novotný, and equipped with super-lightweight standard parts. If you want to buy such a lightweight bike, you should have a budget of around 18,000 euros.
Jaegher
Although the Jaegher frame looks suspiciously like titanium, it is made of stainless steel, just like all other frames from the brand. The base material is a special tube set from Columbus. The Flemish company Jaegher has been in business since 1934. Emanuel Ramoudt, one of the owners, explains: "A lot of experience is required to successfully process stainless steel. Otherwise, the frame will never be straight and durable."
The workmanship of the bike is accordingly impeccable. The gravel bike, which is also shown, uses a ceramic-based surface coating called Cerakote, which is also used by some other manufacturers. Originally developed for weapons, this coating is more durable than conventional paint, according to Ramoudt.
Jaegher's racing and gravel bikes are customised and offer a wide range of surface finishes. With this particular model, Jaegher has taken perfectionism to the extreme: The already black carbon handlebars were additionally painted black to perfectly match the black of the stem.
Sea glass
"Sea glass" - for Thomas Becker, the bike builder, this is the shards on the beach that have been polished by the sea and can often look almost poetically beautiful. His single-speed gravel bike is just as rare a find and also has a bit of the colour of a green glass bottle. This bike has been crafted with an almost crazy attention to detail:
When I see something on one of my bikes that isn't perfect, it feels like a scratch in the brain. - Thomas Becker, bicycle builder Meerglas
If it "scratches", he grinds every knurled screw until it fits perfectly in his fingers, produces the frame sleeves individually and turns the stem shaft so that it closes the headset exactly. His customers appreciate the care, style and timeless appearance so much that they are prepared to wait years (!) - and pay five-figure sums (!!) for a genuine Meerglas bike.
Purple Dog
Nikola Banishki, a Bulgarian who lives in France, pushes the boundaries of self-building. The bike he built especially for his second participation in the Paris-Brest-Paris Brevet may not be particularly beautiful, but the original ideas of the full-time molecular biologist could fill a detailed article of its own.
A list in a nutshell:
- The pannier rack and bags with Fidlock magnet system are homemade.
- The frame can be dismantled using self-milled screw couplings.
- The fork legs can be pulled downwards. This shrinks the entire bike down to wheel size.
- The lighting is an in-house development in which Banishki combines hub dynamo and battery operation in housings milled in-house.
And then a simple Shimano hub gear with belt drive? The long-distance rider Banishki replies dryly: "When it gets wet, cold and dirty, it's superior to any derailleur".
Pride
Nils Stolz has literally done his homework. The extraordinary track bike with the shiny paintwork was the Swiss schoolboy's project for the year, which earned him the top mark, which is an F in Switzerland. The 16-year-old track cyclist is thus continuing a family tradition: the company Fahrradbau Stolz was founded by his father 40 years ago.
What is extravagant about the steel construction is not only the stem, which looks more like a carbon time trial frame and visually lengthens the top tube, but also the use of two eccentrics. The eccentric housing of the bottom bracket allows the geometry and effective bottom bracket height to be adjusted slightly - a principle that is familiar from bicycles with hub gears for adjusting the chain tension. The eccentric in the rear dropout is particularly unusual. It prevents the thru axle from slipping and at the same time enables precise alignment of the rear wheel. The distance from the tyre to the seat tube and seat stays is minimal. Father Stolz was also very proud of this.
