Blacked out head badge on our Izoard RR, with Chris King head bearing and Columbus Futura fork. Ursus carbon bar and stem. Campagnolo’s mechanical controls. Pics by Simon Eldon.

We’re cheating a bit with this one, because we shot it for halloween and you’ll have seen those (Candy Green for Halloween), but the studio set turned out so well, I thought I’d share some more pics and some extra insight into the build.

The bike in the woods was made for Matt. Matt moved from London up to Macclesfield where he’s traded London life for the rolling hills of the Peak District. He’d ordered the bike when he still lived in London and thanks to Lockdown, he’d already moved before it was done.

Bora 60mm carbon wheels from Campagnolo and Vittoria’s excellent Corsa TLR. Pic Simon Eldon.

I said I’d deliver it for him however, and a deal is a deal, so I headed up the M1 to drop it to his new house. Eerily quiet motorways gave way to sat-nav guided A and then B roads, and it felt like a special treat to be away from the workshop.

Macclesfield is less than an hour from Manchester but sits in the Peak District amongst what must be some of the best riding in the country. The Cat and Fiddle is a short ride from his new digs.

With the vaccine in play for 2021 I’m finding that even a day out in the van feels pretty special and now - up here - it felt like a real recce for freer and easier times to come and some decent riding in this spectacular place.

I’ve got a couple of customer bikes up here now - this one in Macclesfield, Paul in Doncaster and Jules in Sheffield, either side of the tops - so there should be a good excuse to get out on the bikes when we can.

Spoon Customs Izoard RR, with Campagnolo Record Mechanical and Bora WTO 60mm wheels. Pic Simon Eldon.

This one for Matt is pretty special to me as it’s kitted out with some of my favourite stuff. I still love something about Campagnolo mechanical, especially now with the shorter throw on the shift, and the way it sits on an Italian steel frame. Especially when it’s as simple as this one.

The Bora is an excellent wheel too. I make no secret about loving the way they roll. With so many options now from the big brands, and quality upstarts like Hunt and Parcours nipping at their heels there’s never been more choice, but there’s something about wheels built in Vincenza. They feel great with the focused geo and oversize HSS tubing.

The colour on this one was a doddle, for me if not Sam. I love monster green candies and Matt gave me a pretty open brief. At the time no one was shipping anything, so Sam made his own Candy, expertly laid here over metallic gold. It’s paired up with black everything else, including the pewter head badge which Sam murdered out in matte black. The gloss finish Chris King HS tying it into the even glossier black carbon components everywhere else.