The American Ken Bloomer rode bike races semi-professionally. Now he lives in the Allgäu as a kind of bike jeweller. In addition to selling Enve and the ultra-exclusive Firefly frames from Boston, he also serves the quality-conscious custom target group with his own brand Crema Cycles. The bikes combine modern construction with a classic look. Bloomer advises, conceptualises, measures and designs, while his partner in the US welds and paints.
The Loam is a hardcore long-distance bike that does without a vulnerable rear suspension for reasons of simplicity. Instead of shocks, swingarm and bearings, Bloomer relies on fat 2.4 tyres and a correspondingly generously dimensioned rear triangle. The highlight is the neat, adjustable stainless steel sickle dropouts, with which the rear triangle length and wheelbase can be varied by seventeen millimetres. In addition, all types of axles can be used with the aid of adapters.
The Loam literally craves rough terrain. The top tube is typically long for a marathon, which means a race-like riding position. Nevertheless, you won't have the slightest trouble steering the bike through tight bends or steep descents at a brisk pace. The thick tyres claw hungrily into the ground. The wide handlebars ensure control. And even if the concept is not exactly typical for a hardtail, the interaction between the 120-millimetre fork and rigid rear end works perfectly thanks to the voluminous 29-inch wheels with tubeless tyres. The stiffness is good, but far from carbon fibre level. Steel fans don't care. They call it comfort.
Conclusion Robust, powerful all-mountain bike in an elegant guise. A timeless custom bike for marathons, ice-cream parlours and demanding tours.
PLUS Elegant look, robust frame, wide range of applications, custom options, five-year frame warranty
MINUS Delivery time (about three months), test drive only possible to a limited extent, brilliant but unfortunately relatively sensitive paintwork
Stefan Frey
Editor
