Why do so many people choose to follow the crowd when they don’t need to? You can specify your bike your way. Whether it’s something from Trek’s Project 1 programme or the Bianchi Tavalozza programme, individuality is not as expensive as you might first think. And if you really want to push the boat, go complete custom build. Don’t conform. Be you.
We’re not talking about spending the sort of money that Roman Abramovich spent on his 533ft long superyacht ‘Eclipse’. Personalisation or even custom building does not need to break the bank. Indeed, there are some really smart and cost effective decisions you can make when looking at something like Trek’s P1 programme. These enable you to acquire the bike you really want for only a small additional cost. And even full customisation can be a far better deal than you might first thing because as we explain below, it avoids the need for any redundant parts – you simply specify what you need form the outset.
All volume bike manufacturers build their bikes to a standard mesomorphic body type. It makes sense to do this as it’s a very ‘average’ body type. The problem is we are all a bit different. And if you happen to be one of those people who is different to the average, to a greater or lesser extent, then you are likely to require different bars, stem and seat post cap / saddle than the standard bike. Take the Trek Domane SLR 6 Disc pictured here for instance. In standard guise, this would retail for around £4,250. But chances are that when it arrives and you are ready for your fit, you will need to replace bar (Bontrager Iso Core), Stem (Bontrager Pro Stem) and saddle which together comes to a tidy £470 or so. Add in new bar tape and we’re at £500. Alternatively, select Trek’s Project 1 programme and the same bike now retails at £4,850. However, we now have the flexibility to choose the exact bar, stem and saddle that works for you. There are no redundant parts and because you are on the Project 1 programme, you can now select from a range of colours only available to P1 customers such as this stunning Trek Segafredo edition. For very little cost, you’ve made it your bike.
If personalisation takes a standard bike and allows you to change a few things (such as selecting a colour from a limited, albeit exclusive, palette such as the Domane SLR6 Disc above), then customisation is the next level. Here, you are looking at changing more things to make the bike pretty much unique. Colourways are a popular way of doing this and on Trek’s Project 1 programme, the sky is pretty much the limit such as specifying higher quality wheels, saddles and handlebars. Or why not customise gear ratios and drivetrain options? Ultimately the bike is handmade for you, without compromise, and will fit and look just the way you want it.
Some customers like to start with the frame and then specify the precise components they want to add to that frame. We find some customers already have these precise requirements in mind whereas others want to chat through every conceivable option. We love both approaches! There is no doubt that a custom build can produce some really stunning bikes. Take the Bianchi Oltre XR4 Tavalozza pictured. The Tavalozza programme is similar to Trek’s Project One system. This customer specified an XR4 frame and the paint finish he wanted but then together we created a total package suited to the customer’s requirements. This particular bike has SRAM Red Etap electronic gear shifting for instance. You can see more pictures, and the spec of this bike, by checking out the Portfolio section of the website.
All great design and engineering businesses love to have a special projects division and we’re no different. From time to time, we produce bikes to special order either for to a customer’s specification or, as in the case of the Ritchey Road Logic Heritage Limited Edition pictured, as a result of us being lucky enough to source the frame ourselves and building a bike to our own specification ready for sale.
So whatever your desire and budget, there is a personalisation or customisation option for you. There’s no need to conform. Call us on 0131 663 6220 and we can talk through how to give your next bike the level of exclusivity it, and you, deserves.