Bespoked Dresden 2023: 7 custom bikes from the trade fair for frame construction
Jörg Spaniol
· 19.11.2023
Creative and different: the BESPOKED trade fair traditionally pays homage to the customised mountain bike. Here, inventors show what is possible outside the bike mainstream with clever ideas, creative craftsmanship and a lot of hard work. And that's a lot. The audience and BIKE reporter Jörg Spaniol took the opportunity in Dresden to take a cruise through the universe of technical and aesthetic possibilities.
Suspension travel, weight & electronics - but there's more that interests cyclists
More suspension travel, less weight, electronics everywhere ... In the age of carbon, it is primarily large companies that define the state of the art. But that's obviously not all that interests cyclists: The BESPOKED trade fair in Dresden celebrated the individual bicycle in mid-October. Around one hundred frame builders and manufacturers celebrated the sporty bike as a cultural asset and technical art object. However, BESPOKED is not just a frame builder show for customised products or extremely sophisticated custom bikes. The minimum requirement for exhibitors is that they build their own frames themselves. This in itself is an unconventional approach in times of globalisation.
However, alongside a few manufacturers with small-series production, it was above all the jewellery of the artisan frame builders that shone. The scene has changed. The current frame creations are technically up to date and cater to special requests rather than bikers with special proportions.
3D printing in metal opens up new technical and aesthetic possibilities for small suppliers. Steel and titanium, aluminium and carbon mix in bikes with their own look and sophisticated details. While full-suspension bikes offer little scope for customisation due to the technically fixed position of the pivot points, frame builders are experimenting with details and geometries for trail hardtails and adventure bikes.
Ceramic surfaces or artistic hand-painted finishes allow designs for every taste - and every sufficiently large budget. But not all the bikes on show at BESPOKED are calculated from a business perspective. Designers, technicians and enthusiasts often live out their passion without really looking at the price. In many cases, it is craftsmanship and ideas rather than grams and euros that count.
Flexible steel: Suba Flow
With his SUBA brand, Catalan Benjamin Capéran is a typical representative of bike designers who use their own resources to research new chassis designs. The somewhat complicated VPP rear triangle with a high pivot point is complemented by a high braking torque support (light blue strut on the rear triangle). In addition to Pinion and Effigear gearboxes, standard derailleur gears can also be fitted. Benjamin and his partner build frames full-time - unlike many other exhibitors. In addition to this new design, they have various hardtails and gravel bikes in their programme. Always made of steel, always made in Barcelona.
No compromises at Huhn Cycles
As a full-time industrial designer, Ralf Holleis, the man behind Huhn Cycles, doesn't actually work on bikes. But as a passionate frame builder, he is a pioneer of the 3D printing of frame parts in steel and titanium. These are also used on the Jersey Giant shown below. Normal-sized people can hardly get on the saddle of this bike without a stool: it is a one-off for a 2.06 metre tall customer and rolls on 36-inch wheels, which were produced for touring unicycles. Together with the extra-long Intend fork and various other delicacies, it cost the buyer around 14,000 euros. But he is happy to finally be riding a bike that is proportionally suited to his needs.
Conspicuously inconspicuous: Feride likes it simple
You can see that you can't see anything: The trail bike from the small Upper Bavarian forge Feride looks as simple as only thoughtlessly or particularly carefully made products do. "You have to think very hard to make it look so simple," says FERIDE maker Matthias Blümel. From the internally routed cables to the adjustable swingarm bearing, Blümel has taken care of the less visible details. The fact that the connection between the seat tube and top tube runs parallel to the tube of the front shock mount is no coincidence. Matthias Blümel is an engineer specialising in lightweight construction, among other things. His main job is for his e-bike brand Electrolyte and others, but he lives out his passion for design on projects like this one.
Auckland Cycleworks goes its own way
It's a shame, but Auckland Cycleworks has filed a patent application for what is perhaps its most important rear triangle design, in which only two thirds of the suspension travel is active when seated - without switching and susceptible levers. The enthusiastic inventor wants to be at the start by the 2024 season, and the prototype can be seen on his website. Gary calls the photo bike a "Big Mountain Enduro". It's not just designed to impress on the downhills, but also to get riders to the start of challenging trails efficiently and without pedal kickback.
Consistently unique: Dlouhy
No, no names. Just this much: the future owner of this bike is the product manager of a very large bike brand. He would have access to shelves full of carbon and high-tech. Nevertheless, he had a customised bike built by Marko Vogel and Jan Dlouhy for his own private fun. Not a show bike, but a discreet, high-end piece with rare ingredients, custom geometry and fat 3-inch tyres. The knowledgeable audience at the show pensively stroked the rounded soldered joints and raised their eyebrows at the rare anodised parts and welded titanium cranks. Meanwhile, the client strolled around the colourful world of custom bikes with shining eyes.
Zoceli keeps it short
Anyone who goes to such great lengths has to be sure of what they are doing: Martin Saida is not yet able to live solely from his bikes, but he continues to invest in the expensive milled parts and the elaborate construction of his frames. He currently has four variants on offer, ranging from 26-inch slopestylers to trail bikes.
With the Dobordelu frame, which he offers in four sizes, his focus is on the shortest possible rear triangle for manoeuvrable, playful handling - Saida specifies the rear triangle length at just 430 millimetres. On the other hand, the rear tyre dips between the chainstays and almost reaches the bottom bracket shell (designed as a pivot point). Specified frame weight: approx. 4.3 kilos without shock.
Beyond retro: Cyber Cycles
Christian Thomas, the founder of Cyber Cycles, simply calls his monster gravel adventure mountain bike "Grawumm!". The bike so named is "... the bike your parents always warned you about". The man has a sense of humour and a heart for the history of bike sports. The frame welded by frame builder Stefano Agresti is not the brand's main product, but also serves as a parts carrier for the highly customised equipment: Cyber Cycles was inspired by cult parts from the 90s and produces cranks, stems and forks that never existed in the current installation dimensions.
