To design Ben’s perfect summer road bike, we used a careful balance of measurements in the geometry.
We used a subtle slope in the top tube to allow him both the seatpost extension for comfort and the headtube height to eliminate the need for too many spacers. However we have some built in flexibility for a more aggressive fit later down the road.
We selected a combination of frame reach, headtube angle, stem length and handlebar reach to all work together to eliminate toe overlap yet provide nimble handling.
The frame is Columbus XCR stainless steel throughout and we hand brushed the stays and downtube for classic look on a modern bike.
Keeping it simple, we used a House of Kolor candy paint in Organic Green which gives such a deep, luxurious finish with a subtle metallic shine in direct light.
To break it up a little we introduced some bands of stripes in decreasing thicknesses which run across the frame tubes starting at the fork and lining up perfectly with the down tube and top tube coming to a point on the centreline of the tube.
The stripes are contrasted in a “Blood Black” finish which is very dark, almost black but reflects a rich red shine in the light.
Shimano Ultegra R8050 Di2
Chris King Inset 8
Columbus Futura SLX
ENVE Road stem, ENVE Compact handlebar, Fizik Terra Bondcush tape
PRO Tharsis carbon
Handbuilt, DCR shallow rims to Bitex hubs with Sapim CX Ray spokes, Continental GP5000 tyres