Laurence’s strive model is not his first by Saffron, but this bike really hits the nail on the head in terms of customization, for the type of riding that he does.
As with any Saffron bike, every angle and every length of tube is specially designed to suit each rider. We’ve worked with Laurence on a couple of builds and he gave us free rein to create a design that perfectly suited his needs. He knows our team well and is a pleasure to work with.
This bike has one of the lightest weighted configurations of tubes that is available. It is our strive model (disc version) and we’ve selected the best possible tubes and frame parts to create a phenomenal ride. Given its stiff ride quality, this frame gives just the right flexibility to be pleasantly comfortable.
We use a mix of materials for the frame including carbon for the ISP (integrated seat post), and stainless steel for the areas of the bike that have contact with other components as well as potential contact with moisture.
The top and down tubes are built for stiffness with the down tube being of Columbus HSS HX and the top tube having an octagonal shape. This means that the top tube has almost double the width compared to its height, creating lateral stiffness.
The component choice was always going to be something that is simple, elegant and lightweight as well as something that has really good stopping power.The idea of the stem, handlebar and ISP was to cut down as much weight as possible. The Zipp 303 wheels have got a deep profile but are not deep enough to get caught in crosswinds. These super wide rims which makes a 28mm tire come out at 33mm!
Group set
– SRAM red eTap AXS
Wheels
– Zipp 303
Tires
-Vittoria Corsa g2.0
Fork
-Enve
Headset-
Chris King inset 8
Topper
-Tune
Saddle
– Brooks – Cambium c13
Stem
-ExtraLite HyperStem
Handlebars
-Schmolke Handlebars
BB
-Chris King
Laurence was looking for an elegant paint job inspired by the hues of the evening skies around the beginning of the first UK lockdown in March 2020, when cycling was every bike enthusiast’s pedal to freedom. We experimented with pinks, purples, yellows, oranges, reds and blues but ended up settling on a deep dark blue. The paint we used, ‘Marina Bay Blue’, is a metallic paint produced for BMW which Laurence had seen in the flesh before specifying for his Saffron.
The frame has subtle detailing and branding, fine tapered black chevrons point down and ahead of the bike suggesting speed and forward motion, but without feeling overly aggressive or loud.
