On average, seven aircraft take off daily from Dresden Airport to destinations in Germany, Europe and the UK. That's not what we're talking about now, but the Bespoked. On two levels - last year there was only one - there were around 150 bikes to marvel at, as well as components, bags, accessories and clothing. There was a lot of attention to detail and function in every piece. The exhibitors came from 19 countries. There were bikes with wide tyres, some with narrow tyres, some with transport solutions for everyday use, some for sporty use, some for fast descents, some for long tours, ...
That stood out:
- It was more colourful last year. No, not the people, the bikes. This year's trend is raw and clean. Raw tubes with visible weld seams, fillers and traces of rust, naked titanium dominate. There was also carbon, aluminium and colour. Splashes of colour were sometimes subtle, sometimes gaudy and just as much a feast for the eyes as naked tubes, such as a dream in pink from Huhn Cycles.
- The favourite fork of many frame builders seems to come from Intend, giving the bikes an elegant look.
- There was a suitable bike for everyone. Cargo bikes, children's bikes, racing bikes, gravel bikes and significantly more mountain bikes than last year. These included many high-pivot MTBs.
In the article we show a colourful overview of the trade fair and a selection of Bespoked mountain bikes.
Bespoked: Like in a museum, but with touch
The sense of touch of fingers and eyes was fully satisfied by the variety of materials. Just like in a museum, you want to touch everything. But that's not allowed in a museum. At the trade fair it is. "Please do not touch" was only written on one bike, a 3D print study by Sour Bikes and others. Otherwise, there was a lot to touch: frames made of steel, titanium, carbon, aluminium, wood, bamboo with plastic injection-moulded elements, ..., clothes and bags, components and accessories with and without paint. Everything was scrutinised and examined, bags checked for their fastening, for example - the photo shows a frame bag from Cours s'il pleut.
Bespoked also offered interactive elements and hands-on activities. The frame builder was particularly proud of the functioning QR code on a gravel bike from Significant Other. Short messages could be milled into Ahead caps and presentations gave helpful tips on seat complaints, among other things.
Colourful gives way to raw
It was more colourful last year. No, not the people, the bikes. This year's trend is raw and clean. Raw tubes with visible weld seams, fillers and traces of rust, naked titanium dominate. There was also carbon, aluminium and colour. Splashes of colour were sometimes subtle, sometimes gaudy and just as much a feast for the eyes as naked tubes. My personal favourite bike: Yo Ferny from Fern Fahrräder, which was equipped with matching bikepacking bags from Gramm Tourpacking. A successful combination that "wants to have". The bike also won an award for the best touring bike.
A to Z: Something for everyone
There was a suitable bike for everyone at Bespoked. From an adventure bike to a bamboo children's bike, gravel bike, cargo bike, MTB, racing bike ... to a Zinglespeeder. Admittedly, we had to make a spelling mistake here to find a bike with a Z - alternatively, we also have a Zoceli MTB on offer. Behind Zoceli is Martin Saida, who offers handmade steel mountain bikes under the name Zoceli - made in the Czech Republic.
The photo shows a customised Huhn Cycles bike called Ko Shamo for Tallbike Tommy. He wants to cycle from Munich to Beijing in 120 days. It starts on the first of May 2025. The aim is to collect as many euros in donations as kilometres covered: 13,000. And while we're on the subject of Munich. A cargo bike from Munich by Sayle Cycles won the award for the best cargo bike at Bespoked.
A few faces of the Bespoked
Bespoked was diverse, not only in terms of the exhibits, but also the people behind them. When you think of frame builders, you often think of men. Bespoked doesn't quite confirm this image, but subjectively the visitor base seems to consist of more men than the visitors to Cyclingworld Düsseldorf, for example. Do women not dare to approach the subject of custom bikes?
Some faces are encouraging. And also an initiative by Sran. The company has given a scholarship to a few frame builders to enable them to exhibit their work at Bespoked. "If you don't see people like you adequately represented in cycling, you should apply" was the call for entries. And so Good Grief, a Native American, was part of the exhibition, and Éliane Trudeau from Memento Cycles, a non-binary person from the frame building business, was on site with frame building artworks that were truly a feast for the eyes. Many pairs of eyes were glued to the front of the bike. The cable routing that winds around the top tube, curved and bent tubes can also be found on the rear triangle and the front rack. The pink beauty in the background is also playful and makes a statement. The whole bike glitters subtly, the hammered mudguards cast light against the frame and make it sparkle. From the front, the front rack is a heart, with a Trans symbol behind it and the colour scheme of the bike in general is also designed in Trans colour code, such as the spacers (blue-pink-white-pink-blue).
Also exciting: the Significant Other gravel bike. At first glance, the placement of the seat stays is striking. A special feature of this bike: there is a scannable QR code on the head tube. It doesn't sound that spectacular, but it wasn't that easy to get it onto the bike.
Another frame builder is Marie from Avalanche Bicycles. Together with Laurent, she founded the frame building workshop in 2019. With backgrounds in industrial design, they both design frames and bring them to life. The customised design is also created to match the bike. One feature of Marie's frames is that there is always a bird hidden somewhere. There are no frames without colour at Avalanche, simply because the individual design underlines the fact that it is a custom frame.
Kristin, the founder of Gramm Tourpacking, is no stranger to the fair. You could spot her bags everywhere at the trade fair. A banana bag for a cycle helmet was particularly amusing. Bags from Gramm are available at gramm-tourpacking.com.
Marketa had brought more fabric - but to wear - with her from Mura. Impressed by the functionality of merino ski underwear, she wanted to bring the material to the bike in an appealing design. The excitement is great, as she was recently able to start her own label. More info at muracycling.com
Gaëlle Bojko had more bags and a linen cycling shirt with her. She is a bike adventurer herself. The products are available under her label Cours s'il pleut courssilpleut.com.
On with bags, this time from Dresden. Thea sews colourful bags individually according to the wishes of her clients, matching the shape and design of the bike. The website can be found at timba.equipment to find.
We don't want to give the impression that it's always women who indulge in textile bike accessories. Flo (Florian Schuster, in the centre of the photo below) is proof of this. His bag label is called fO.goods and he has dedicated himself to bikepacking bags that are as sustainable as possible. The bags are functional and beautiful to look at.
MTBs from the Bespoked
Colour: Chicken Cycles Chabo
- Manufacturer: Huhn Cycles (Bischofsgrün)
- About: Ralf von Huhn has switched from titanium to steel. One reason: "100% recycled steel is in line with our commitment to sustainability."
- Bike: Chabo >> there is a separate article about the bike
- Intended use: Trail bike
- Special features: Recycled steel, carbon parts from Bike Ahead, Intend suspension, all Huhn Cycles bikes have chicken names. Chabo is a Japanese bantam chicken
- More info: huhncycles.com
Raw: Dlouhy Cycles No. 60
- Manufacturer: Dlouhy Cycles (Leipzig)
- About: From the bicycle and car industry into my own business. The expertise and the frame theory were already there. Then everything was brought together - and with wide.ways, a designer was brought on board to finish the frames.
- Bike: DC No. 60
- Intended use: Mullet Trail MTB
- Special features: Mullet geometry, fillet-brazed, raw finish, Eightpins seatpost, UDH dropout
- More info: dlouhy-cycles.com
Belt: Project12 Cycleworks Vertigo with Pinion
- Manufacturer: project12 Cycleworks (Netherlands)
- About: Michiel started project12 to get out of a burnout. First he built bikes for himself, then for friends and then it quickly escalated, as he describes his career.
- Bike: project12 Vertigo with Pinion
- Intended use: All-round trail bike
- Special features: the first Pinion bike that Michiel built; belt drive; created for The European Bike Project
- More info: projectxii.nl
Winding technique: CDuro Epona
- Manufacturer: CDuro (Czech Republic)
- About: Innovative production of MTB frames made from carbon fibre
- Bike: Epona
- Intended use: Enduro
- Special features: Robot-assisted placement of the carbon fibres to join the individual tubes together
- More info: cdurobikes.com
Large: Good Grief Cheeku
- Manufacturer: Good Grief (USA)
- About: As a Native American, Christoph Schmidt is one of four winners of the SRAM Inclusion Scholarship.
- Bike: Cheeku
- Intended use:
- Special features: for tall riders; 475 mm chainstays, 690 mm stack, 63° head angle; award winner for the best bike at Bespoked
- More info: goodgrief.bike
Small: Significant Other BMX
- Manufacturer: Significant Other Bikes (USA)
- About: Ashley has also received the scholarship from SRAM. She builds custom titanium frames and thus creates a better half - significant other.
- Bike: Significant Other BMX
- Intended use: BMX
- Special features: Award winner best singlespeed; built for her partner Myles; 20" BMX with 160 mm disc brake, internally routed cable, integrated seat post, custom pedals from Tectonic Components
- More info: significantother.bike
Patented KOLARP suspension system: Auckland Cycle Works Marra
- Manufacturer: Auckland Cycle Works (UK)
- About: have developed and patented a new spring system with KOLARP; unfortunately only available in the UK
- Bike: Marra
- Intended use: Enduro to downhill
- Special features: first wheel with the patented KOLARP suspension; steel
- More info: aucklandcycle.works
Sandra Schuberth
Editor
