5 mountain bike highlights from Bespoked: Awesome prototypes and brilliant steel full-suspension bikes

There are mountain bikes that are all much the same: mass-produced goods from an anonymous factory on the other side of the world. And then there are bikes that have a personality all of their own, painstakingly crafted with great care by frame-building enthusiasts, and which strike a chord with individualists. It is precisely these special mountain bikes that are showcased every year at Bespoked in Dresden. BIKE paid a visit to the handmade bike fair and presents unique bicycles that you certainly won’t find on every street corner. We start with five eye-catchers from the mountain bike category.

Conclusion

Fans of unique frame-building artistry will definitely get their money’s worth at the Bespoked trade fair. The frame builders’ wild creations also show that motorless mountain bikes are far from dead, and there’s still plenty of scope for individualism in the scene. It’s rare to see so many wild, colourful and unique bikes all in one place. - Jan Timmermann, BIKE editor

1. Hage Bikes prototype

Just another prototype, and yet it has already been awarded the “Best of Show Award” by jury member and frame-building veteran Jürgen Schlender: the innovative enduro bike from Hage Bikes. Actually, Marten von Hage just wanted to test a small component – specifically, a special belt tensioner for full-suspension bikes with Pinion gear systems. To do this, he had parts made by milling specialist Actofive and welded them into a frame. However, as the project is attracting so much attention, it remains to be seen whether it will become more than just a parts bike. The belt tensioner has been integrated into the rear triangle, rather than being positioned beneath the drivetrain, as is usually the case. Not only does this provide more ground clearance, but the pulley also protects the drivetrain whilst avoiding any interference with the chainstays. According to Hage, this leaves more design freedom to develop better kinematics for long travel.

2. Terra Nera steel downhill bike

The Terra Nera is developed, built and tested entirely in Italy. The frame is constructed from steel tubes sourced from Germany, which are normally used for roll cages in racing cars. They have omitted any tapered sections to give the downhill bike maximum structural rigidity. The Nera is also powered by a Pinion gearbox and a Gates belt. Terra has adapted the tried-and-tested I-Track rear suspension system so that the kinematics work even with small sprockets. The main pivot point is positioned particularly high and provides a choice of 200 or 2010 millimetres of travel. The progression can be customised via various shock mounts. Without the gearbox, the frame costs 3,800 euros. In return, customers can specify the reach and stack values as well as the head angle themselves. Complete bikes weigh around 20 kilos.

3. Marenda analogue frame construction

Around 20 years ago, Denis Uzelac featured a reader’s bike in BIKE magazine. Back then, he was still competing in downhill races on his self-built steel frame. Today, the Swiss rider offers his services in bespoke frame-building courses and still regularly welds wild bikes for himself. Take this prototype, for instance, with 140 to 180 millimetres of variable rear suspension travel. Nothing about this unnamed prototype was designed on a computer. Denis still sketches his frames by hand on paper. For his new full-suspension bike, he even made the technically challenging dropouts himself from an old steerer tube. The angular rear triangle design is intended to ensure high stiffness, whilst 419-millimetre-long chainstays promise playful handling. The show bike weighs in at 15.2 kilos.

4. The new Veloheld Iron

Steel-frame specialist Veloheld unveiled a new version of its Iron hardtail model at Eurobike. The frame, which weighs around 2.4 kilos, is hand-welded in Leipzig. Customers can now order it with a rigid fork (carbon or steel) or a suspension fork (100 to 120 millimetres of travel). The update includes minor adjustments to details as well as a refreshed geometry with a flatter head angle and a slightly shorter reach. The version with a suspension fork weighs in at around 12.8 kilos. The frame set is priced at a reasonable 1,199 euros, whilst the complete bike starts at 2,999 euros. Stylish custom paint finishes are also available on request. Anyone looking for a particularly low-maintenance steel hardtail can also order the new Veloheld Iron with a Pinion gearbox.

5. Zoceli Rutina in coloured lacquer

About Zoceli Rutina as we have reported previously. Seen in the flesh, this downcountry full-suspension bike from the Czech Republic is a real standout. This particular bike was built by Zoceli’s mastermind, Martin Saida, for his wife. She, in turn, really let her creativity run wild with the paint job. The Rutina combines a steel frame with short travel via a Flex-Pivot rear triangle. The rear offers a choice of 110 or 115 millimetres of travel. Without a shock, the frame weighs around 3.1 kilos and is said to cost 2,500 euros. Its hallmark is the eye-catching gusset on the head tube. The head angle is progressively slack at 65 degrees. Early adopters can already order the hand-built Rutina in a special 32-inch version.

Bespoked is incredible! I took around 1,000 photos in two days and had countless fascinating conversations. By the end of the first day, my legs were already aching because I’d been crouching down so often to take photos. Over the next few weeks, we at BIKE will be showcasing all our finds from the handmade bike frame exhibition here on our website. - Jan Timmermann, BIKE editor

What do you think: what’s your personal MTB highlight from the Bespoked trade fair? Let us know in the comments!