Bespoked Bristol 2012: Enigma to Ted Jones Designs
We first became aware of Welsh bike maker Paulus Quiros in the videos Bespoked Bristol‘s organisers ran in the run-up to this year’s show. Here is their 29er model. It doesn’t have a name, on the grounds that every bike that leaves their factory is one-of-a-kind. The frame costs £1,700, with an all-in price here of £4,181.82
The split seatstays are said to improve rear end stiffness
The split seatstays are said to improve rear end stiffness
The same is true up front on Paulus Quiros’s 29er
The belt drive on Paulus Quiros’s 29er. With a Shimano Deore XT groupset, the bike is no snip at £4,181.82
As is the case with Paulus Quiros’s 29er, this road bike is nameless and is the first production road model they’ve made
Based in Barry, South Wales, Paulus Quiros launched at last year’s show. The brake bridge is split, which is said to improve strength
The chess-board-like finish on Paulus Quiros’s road bike. It’s made from Reynolds 953 steel tubing
The bike, built specially for the show, costs £4,000 with this Campagnolo Chorus build, or £2,500 for the frame only
Despite being a last minute rush – primarily because of the North American Handmade Bike Show – they were able to get hold of a fork from US firm Wound Up
Bike builders Enigma are proud to work with steel – all their steel frame-building is done in-house at their East Sussex base – but also with titanium, claiming to be the UK’s only titanium frame makers. The company have been running for five years and are a six-strong collective with a wealth of experience, some with 20 and 30 years in the industry. They pride themselves on offering off-the-shelf frame options but also a bespoke fitting and building service. Pictured is the Echo, at £1,269 for the frame
Here’s the Enigma Etape Ti, with its distinctive polished stays. The frame costs £1,299 with almost limitless build options
Enigma Etape Ti
The polished stays of the Enigma Etape Ti
This titanium Enigma Effusion sported Campagnolo Record, an ENVE carbon fork and Mavic Cosmic Carbone wheels
The vast majority of their bikes are road bikes, but they’re also offering mountain bikes in the form of steel 29ers
One such bike is the EGO 29R ST, which has a fillet-brazed frame with internal cabling, from £1,499
Yes, it’s a wooden frame, which, says Flat Frame Systems designer Mike Cubbage, is “probably the strongest bike at this show!”
We can’t back Cubbage’s claims up, but his bike certainly caught the eye
Weighing around 2.5kg and costing £1,200 for the frame, he’s awaiting his first sale, but has garnered interest, inquiries and blog-coverage from around the world
Here is Ted James Design’s 29Gnar. A hand-built prototype hardtail frame, it comes with an eight-speed gearbox. The hub gear can be slid up and down vertically to tension the first chain while the chainstays apparently “needed a bit of work” to accommodate the second chain
Don’t feel the need for a gearbox today? No problem, whip it out, turn the wheel round and, thanks to its hand-crafted hub, you have a fixie
Cyfac, based in France’s Loire Valley, have been in the bike making industry for 30 years, but they may be an unfamiliar name to some. That’s because many pro riders, including the late Marco Pantani, used their frames but rebadged with the name of a different manufacturer. Bianchi, in the case of Pantani. Pictured is their lugged steel road bike, the Vintage
Cyfac were bought out by their US distributor who wanted to bring their name to the forefront. They are distributed in the UK through Velobrands. Here is the aluminium Nerve road bike, available for £1,000 for the frame only or £1,800 for this Shimano 105 build
The welds on the Cyfac Nerve are barely noticeable
Mercian are a Derby-based firm with a 66-year history. Here’s the rather beautiful Velocita, built with oversized steel tubing. Finished with SRAM Red bits, it retails for £5,178
Carbon parts complement the mostly steel frame, including a Dedacciai fork, chain- and seatstays, bringing it kicking and screaming into the 21st century
The Dedacciai carbon fork on Mercian’s Velocita road bike
The Audax Special is part of Mercian’s 2012 range, built with Reynolds 631 tubing. At £2,395, it’s finished with Shimano 105 bits and vintage Brooks components
We’ve seen a lot of new British firm Foffa at shows up and down the country and here they are in Bristol showing their Columbus-tubed Gear bike, their first foray away from fixies
All of Foffa’s bikes are fully customisable on their website, allowing you to go as budget or as pimp as you like. Based in London, Foffa have introduced a rental scheme. From £29 per day, or £70 per weekend, you can hire out any bike you want and will be refunded if you choose to purchase
Foffa’s prices start from about £550
Dario Pegoretti’s workshop lies in the hills just outside Trento, Italy. This is his Responsorium
Dario Pegoretti does all his artwork by hand
Dario Pegoretti Marcelo
Dario Pegoretti Day Is Done
Boocycles is a tiny London operation from bike mechanic Henry James. This is one of the two bikes he’s manufactured and it’s unique because it’s made almost exclusively from bamboo
Each new bike he makes, he tries to cut down on non-bamboo materials and the one on display even had bamboo lugs
This is the bike Henry uses for his London commutes, Though his operation is small, he’s hoping shows like this will serve as a catalyst going forward
The second Bespoked Bristol handmade bike show kicked off today and we were there to check out all the frame artistry on display.
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After a successful debut year in 2011, organisers have kept up momentum this year with a massively increased number of exhibitors in a huge new venue, Brunel’s Old Station. The hall was heaving within minutes of the doors opening to the public. The show is open all weekend but if you can’t make it down, take a look at our image gallery for some of the bikes that caught our eye.
