I’m sure many of you have seen pictures of Bespoked in Dresden in your Instagram timelines over the last few days. And that these may also have generated Fomo (Fear of Missing Out). Let me tell you: rightly so!
I’m a rather sceptical person when it comes to bike fairs. There are usually too few bikes and too many people. But Bespoked was an event exactly to my taste: exquisite bike culture, lots of nerdy stuff, pleasant people, lots of good conversations, space for my own explorations and lots of great and surprising details and parts. In short: the perfect mix of bike and people for me.
And now I’ll take you on a little tour of my highlights:
Avalanche Route
Fine steel frame art from France by Avalanche. The bike immediately caught my eye, as I have a preference for off-road bikes. The French have built a beautiful bike for off-road journeys from stainless steel with a steel fork and Shimano XTR. It’s called the ‘Avalanche Route’ and you can find more information about it here.
I particularly like the details, such as the cut-out on the front rack, the seat post and the front light surround. Everything is very elegant and at the same time very robust. The only thing I would like to discuss again is the cable routing to the front derailleur.
Quokka Voyager
The Quokka Voyager caught my eye not only because of its great colour, but also because it is a very nice wide tyre racing bike with an elegant frame. The Voyager mixes steel and carbon parts and the chainring in particular matches the rest of the bike beautifully. It is strikingly inconspicuous.
And of course it looks even more elegant in combination with the white bikepacking bags from the French brand ‘Cours s’il pleut’ But there is only one person behind it, who produces all these fantastic bags. The bags here are not yet available on the website. But I’m sure you’ll be able to enquire about them.
Kobel Cycles
Quirin is behind the squirrel’s nest aka Kobel. He has turned his passion into a profession and after completing a frame building course, he founded his own frame building workshop, Kobel Cycles. At Bespoked, he showed his all-road/gravel bike, which was exhibited in simple elegance but with fine details.
I liked the cable routing of the rear brake cable and the pannier rack, which still has eyelets for holders despite its minimalist design.
SON 29 S & Ladelux
SON was also on site and presented its new hub dynamo, the 29 S, which according to SON produces 6 volts and 3 watts at low speed. It has a coaxial connector and is designed for straight-pull spokes. The aim is to achieve greater rigidity. The 29 S has already been seen on one or two bikes.
And the Ladelux could also be seen on site. I find the system with charger and high beam interesting. However, I don’t really like the design of the lamp. But that’s a matter of taste. This headlight was also fitted to a few bikes in Dresden.
Stout Cycles/Hrok
Scottish craftsmanship created this bike with an aluminium frame. The man behind Hrok is Russel Stout, who used to work at Shand and set up his own business a few years ago.
If you are looking for a simple frame that is designed for off-road performance, this is the bike for you. I particularly liked the eyelets on the side of the down tube. These offer space for bottle cages if the frame triangle is full due to a frame bag.
Sayle Cycle x Rohloff
At the Rohloff stand, the Sayle N0 was a very interesting cargo bike – powered by Rohloff, of course. Sayle Cycle comes from Munich and combines MTB with cross and city bikes to create a cargo bike. In my opinion, the result is very successful.
Don Sebastiano
A great name for a frame builder from Austria. Don Sebastiano presented a monster bike with remarkable front suspension in Dresden. And he obviously has a passion for staging weld seams. In any case, his bike was a real eye-catcher at Bespoked and also won an award.
Tailfin
I’ve been in contact with Tailfin for some time now and was therefore all the more pleased to finally meet James in person. Of course, we also talked about the current and future innovations from the bikepacking bag manufacturer from England.
I was already able to see the new large top tube bags. These come in three sizes: around 3 litres, around 2 litres and just over 1 litre. As usual, they can be mounted with straps or bolt-on. Inside, they are divided into two sections and have additional compartments around the edge. It was not yet clear when exactly they will be officially available.
However, the bar bags that have been available for a short time were also on display and you could get a good impression of the sizes and models for flat and drop bars.
They also showed a smaller Aeropack with a volume of around 12 litres. It can simply be mounted on the existing Aeropack holder. However, this is not a removable pack sack (in white). Rather, it is connected to the black body and the bag is stuffed from behind. Again, it is not yet clear when it will be available. In any case, it’s interesting for me, because sometimes the normal 20 litre Aeropack bag is too big and a little less volume is enough and also saves weight.
In any case, it was interesting to be able to take a look at the prototypes of the frame bag. This was mounted on Quinda’s AMR bike. I’m curious to see when more information will be available.
TWMPA Cycles
Wood is most beautiful when it remains a tree. But if not, then it’s one of the best things when it becomes a bike. And Andy Dix from Wales has started building bicycles out of wood.
In Dresden, he exhibited the GR 1.1 Gravelbike, which obviously has enough capacity for transporting luggage and touring off the beaten track.
And for anyone thinking of heavy wood: the frame weighs 1,700g in size M. According to the website, prices for the GR 1.1 start at £3,500.
Wittson
Wittson is a titanium frame builder from Lithuania, which presented its Effugio gravel bike in Dresden. The frame with the curved top tube is striking.
But the details on the seat stay, the precisely planned tyre clearance and the storage are also remarkable. The overall design is very coherent and looks good. A customised bike for very sporty gravel riding.
Parsec Objects
Art on the fork – or wherever. Parsec had the very good and obvious idea of simply turning the cargo cages into art and customising them. And if that’s not enough, you can also get personalised panniers here.
Ingrid Components
To be honest, I have to say that I haven’t done any further research into this Italian luxury manufacturer. Of course I know the iconic Ingrid cranks, but in Dresden I also saw their drivetrain and the new STI levers for the first time. It all looks very classy and high-quality.
The levers are easy to grip and, once you’ve got the technique down, they shift well. It runs very precisely and with a noticeable click. I don’t know the prices, which is perhaps a good thing…
Drust Cycles
I saw this colourful Drust bike at the Pinion stand. Behind it is Konstantin Drust, who customises steel frames in Berlin under his own name. In addition to the colour scheme, I also like the fact that the frame can be split. I also find the stem a nice reminder of the ‘good old days’ and my first bike from Mifa.
And of course the matching bags also come from Berlin: from Gramm Tourpacking.
But I can already hear the voices that are worried about the bottle positions, that the bottles will get all dirty and you won’t be able to drink from them…
Vanwoid Canapee
Vanwoid means something like ‘For the forest’. This German brand from Bavaria was a guest in Dresden with their Canapee model (at least I think it was the model). It is positioned as a montergravel bike and, like all (?) Vanwoid models, is made of titanium. I liked the simple style of the frame. And of course the skull mounted on the front. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find it on the Vanwoid website to order.
And of course the Vanwoid comes even better with the Heavy Metal Jeans bags from Reisefix – that should ensure free access to Wacken!
Jaegher Typhoon
Steel can be this beautiful: the Jaegher Typhoon is a hand-picked gravel bike for long journeys. Depending on the orientation, the Belgians make the bike sportier or more comfortable. And they can also customise it on request. Just like the Thyphoon, which was shown in Dresden. Great design work and components!
Fern Yo Fernie
At first I thought that this was a children’s bike and that Fern was already showing off its new generation. But then I read that this colourful bike called Yo Fernie is a homage to the Fat Chance Yo Eddy Team Purple Lavender. I went on a search and found the mentioned bike. And indeed, it fits quite well.
In addition to the very well-made gram bags, I found the Cross Blade fork interesting. In addition to a certain modularity, the special feature of this fork is a light suspension of 20mm. What else there is. But that’s why you go to trade fairs like Bespoked, to realise how little you actually know.
Rotor Dropbar MTB Gravelbike
Unfortunately, I didn’t manage to get a good picture of their gravel bike set-up as a MTB with a Lefty suspension fork at the Rotor stand. The bikes were too close together and there were too many interested parties. I wanted to go back later, but didn’t manage it. In any case, it was a real eye-catcher, showing how quickly a gravel bike can become a drop bar MTB. And the beautiful filigree frame in rich red does the rest.
Alonukis Franeworks
Bicycle prototyping and frame construction from the Alps: that’s Alonukis. The man behind it is Johannes, who also built this beautiful bike with lots of interesting details.
Milli Cycles
Janosh builds custom-made bikes in Freiburg and this one was in Dresden and I really liked the colours and the unique seat tube.
M83 Vagabond
I’ve always wanted to have a look at (and test) this bike. So I was delighted to see it packed and ready to go in Dresden. What was particularly special about the steel M83 Vagabund was the front carrier, which is also height-adjustable. Also interesting: the suspension stem from Vecnum.
So, that was my tour!
I’m sure I’ve forgotten lots and loads of things. For example Sour Bicycles, Forest Frameworks, Memento Cycles, Veloheld, Wit Slingers, Fernweh or Chiru Bikes. Not to mention all the others who build fine parts, bags and solutions, from customised Ahead caps to unique hubs, wooden frames and plastic spokes.
That’s why you should make a note of the date for Bespoked next year and pay it a visit.
