Graham’s Saffron is a generously spec’d modern stainless steel road bike comprising of a full Columbus XCR frame with an Enve fork and Sram Red eTap AXS disc groupset.
He approached us at Bespoked UK a few years ago whilst shopping for a 50th birthday present, to himself from his wife Anna. He made it clear to us that his next bike would be his last and the motivation for going custom was to find the perfect position whilst feeling strong and stable. For these reasons we chose Columbus XCR tubing due to its high chrome content preventing exterior and interior corrosion and the more stable ride characteristic was achieved with a 72.5 head tube angle, a 43mm raked fork and a 72mm bottom bracket. These build combinations, in addition to disc brakes, provide Graham with an extremely safe and stable ride for descending fast alpine roads.
The paint design was simple – cotton candy pink with a dash of grey and black. It also had to include Anna’s name, an illustration of the city where they first met and his two dogs Baxter and Bonny.
During this process we unashamedly embraced the cotton candy pink leaving subtlety by the wayside and masked the stays and our Saffron logo to show off the stunning satin finished stainless steel creating maximum visual impact combined with our prized attention to detail.
“Thought I’d drop you a line having picked up the bike Thursday…..i’ve not been off it! Four rides, 180 miles and still have a big smile on my face! Even Anna is happy! She loves the bare polished steel.
I can safely say this is the most beautiful thing I own, a fabulous piece of craftsmanship, bespoke engineering and bespoke art work wrapped up in the shape of a bicycle. I’ve had non stop comments of admiration regarding it”
Outside of that, it is without doubt the most comfortable bicycle I’ve ever owned whilst being stiff when required, quick and so stable when descending, it’s an absolute joy to ride. I can’t thank you guys enough for bringing my dreams of the perfect bike to life.”
Enve
