The Bespoked show has returned to London this year, bringing with it a selection of the best and most out-there bike tech and niche builds.
Alongside custom frames from niche bike builders, there are tech highlights such as the Zero Lag KOM hub made in the Peak District, Japanese thru-axles for any standard, and a cut-away Rohloff hub, showing exactly why it’s not a good idea to pull one apart to see what’s inside.
Star of the Condor stand was its custom-painted Italia RC, complete with gold leaf details.
The gold leaf even extended to the inside faces of the fork legs.
Not to mention the Condor logos.
And the Clerkenwheels reference to Condor’s Grey’s Inn Road home in London.
There were some lovely Condor bikes. I’ll take you through them. This was a classic steel Acciaio road model.
And a Campagnolo equipped Acciaio Stainless.
Finally, the steel Acciaio Integrale, with you guessed it, integrated cabling, rounding out the Condor bikes.
Singular had a 32-inch gravel bike on show, although the brand’s owner, Sam Alison, suggested that it only really worked geometry-wise for six-foot-plus riders.
2.4-inch tyres on 32-inch wheels should give you plenty of roll-over.
But they need big clearance behind the bottom bracket, check those nice Hope cranks too.
Taiwanese brand Croder had some nice carbon cranks on its stand.
Plus carbon aero chainrings and alloy oval rings.
Some retro tech in the form of the TJ Cycles Flying Gate, a design first developed in the 1930s.
Quality lugwork paired with a carbon cage SRAM Blackbox mechanical derailleur.
As well as a custom quill stem.
This KOM rear hub is assembled in the Derbyshire Peak District. The freehub mechanism is housed on the left-hand side, and it has zero lag.
It uses the same four-bolt brake rotor as Rohloff’s hub gear, which allows a larger space at the axle than Centerlock or 6-bolt.
Rohloff’s cut-away hub gear shows why disassembling one isn’t a good idea. If you take apart the gearbox yourself, you void your warranty. It also doesn’t like Locktite on the rotor bolts either.
Quirk Cycles has just secured half a million pounds worth of funding from investors, including Rapha founder Simon Mottram.
Quirk’s steel and titanium frames are built in its Hackney workshop in London.
Some nice detailing around Quirk’s seat tube cluster.
And a sleek, curvaceous rear dropout.
Japanese brand Rapilock has a thru-axle that can be adapted to any thread standard, a potentially handy concept.
With a lever that folds out of the axle when needed.
Plus a mudguard with single-sided stays that fits to the end of a thru-axle.
Pashley was exhibiting its steel Pathfinder with wide mullet tyres.
The frame includes 3D printed elements seamlessly interfaced into the frame tubes.
Pashley had built up its Skyline with the front brake hose running through the fork topcap, so the fork could be rotated BMX-style.
And with a single-speed drivetrain with a really large chainring.
Reilly has used a mix of titanium grades to fine-tune its Reflex gravel frame’s compliance.
The head tube cluster is cast, rather than 3D printed, which Reilly says ensures rigidity.
Neat fishtails around the cast bottom bracket.
MKS has been making its classic pedals in Japan since 1946.
The brand offers a range of quill pedals for road bikes and commuting.
A bespoke tandem was featured on the Clandestine stand.
American wheelbuilder Boyd has recently added the Pinnacle Race 55mm deep, 28mm internal width gravel wheel to its range.
Rauler assembles its frames in Italy.
There was a gravel bike as well as a road bike on show.
A neat detail that caught my eye on Rauler’s gravel bike.
Finally, some punk bike builds from the Apocalypse Rally for dessert.
Two bikes to make one here, plus a focus on fire safety.
This one’s larger than your average water bottle.
A few funny things are happening in this shot. Can you spot them all?
A lot has been done to this Brompton; I have a lot of questions.
This bike seems to have gone the other way and ignored fire safety.