Let the fashions and trends rush each other to their deaths, Sören Marx (47) can only manage his typical, cosy smile. Even the twelve-fold wave that has been raging for the past two years, which is now unexpectedly sweeping into his forge on this sunny morning, can't disturb him one bit.
"No problem, we can do it," says Sören, kneeling in front of his customer Erik's brand new Unique Fully. In contrast to the demonstration bike, which is still equipped with 11-speed gears, Erik has opted for the latest 12-speed version with a huge 50-speed sprocket. On this, the chain now comes dangerously close to the gear cable. A cute, interesting little problem that hits the project just before completion like a hailstorm on a spring day.
"I'll put the clamp a little higher, then there'll be enough air," Sören immediately comes up with the solution. Erik smiles with relief. He wants to drive to the Harz Mountains in the afternoon to inaugurate the Unique in style. Sören gets to work on the workbench. Shortly afterwards, Erik pushes his new, now truly finished bike out of the depths of the workshop and into the sunlight. Carefully, as if it were made of crystal, he leans it against one of the wooden gates, of which there are quite a few on the former farm. A proud look for minutes. The metallic green of the frame stands out beautifully against the cool, weathered GDR blue-grey of the gate. What a piece of jewellery! A Fully direct from the producer.
- 65 Unique bikes have been built so far. All one-offs, completely designed and built to customer specifications.
- It takes two weeks just to produce a frame, but planning can sometimes take several months.
- The steel fully weighs 14.1 kilos, which would have put the Unique Cycle in fourth place in the weight ranking in the big all-mountain test in BIKE 5/2019.
You can find the entire test report with all data and ratings as a PDF in the download area below.
You can find this article in BIKE 7/2019. You can read the entire digital edition in the BIKE app (iTunes and Google Play) or the print edition in the DK shop reorder - while stocks last:
