Teamwork makes the dream work; Restoring Martin’s Custom XCR road bike
Martin’s Spoon Customs Massive Attack Orange Di2 and Enve build. Frame is custom designed and built in XCR. Photo, Simon Eldon.
We go out of our way to make sure our customers get a perfect bike, built specifically for the sort of riding you do. Every bike is custom and the design and build process is involved and the experience is very much a part of that journey to your new bike.
The events of the last few weeks are making us all think about how important the people around us are and with all that’s gone on (and the tough decisions we’re having to make) it has made me think about how much I value the people I work with and how important they are to the Spoon Customs experience and what we do generally. Gianluca and the team in Italy, Ben in Montgenevre, Tony in Bath, and Sam, David, Luke and Jen at our new unit.
A job landed in the workshop this week from Martin - a good customer who I’d delivered a bike for last year whilst I was still working on my own and had nobody to share the load with operationally.
Back then I was pushing hard and at the limit of what was feasibly possible for one person. Martin’s project was the signal that if I was going to build a successful business, I was at the point where I couldn’t do it all on my own anymore and I needed to get some help in.
We got out of the gate on his build just fine. Then an initial misunderstanding about when we could finish the project meant I was under a bit of pressure to get it done. Martin had a ride coming up, and he needed the bike.
Chris King hubs and bearings were colour matched with a blend of Lamborghini and Ford Motorsport Xirallic pearl. Wheels handbuilt by Ben Sharp at Sharp Precision Wheels. Photo, Simon Eldon.
Could we build a ground up custom bike in eight weeks in our current set up? I figured why not try. I’d got some pretty stretch projects done so far, so I explained what had to happen and that it was hard in that timeframe, but we were both up for giving it a go and off we went.
A few weeks on I got another call. My brother had had a nasty car accident in New Zealand. He was critical and I had to go. With no team to pick stuff up, the programme was now at significant risk and I was less optimistic - it seemed impossible. I called Martin and true to form, he was a total gent. He insisted I go, and told me not to worry about the deadline.
My brother was ok and I did what I needed to. But that’s not where the trouble stopped.
Back at work and picking up mid way through several concurrent projects and Martin’s bike needed a bar specifically designed to work with di2 without drilling. The fit data limited our options (as it sometimes does) and we had to search around.
When the bike came back to us recently, the frame had been submerged in flood water above the head bearings. Pirelli’s newest armoured tyres preventing any tubeless issues at the roadside in future.
We found a couple of matches with new suppliers but when you’re ordering even the best parts ‘off menu’ it’s a bit of a lottery until you get used to the range and how the distributor does things.
A stock error that didn’t come to light till I opened the shipment then put an already compressed timeline into disarray. Next, in the rush to catch up I made a mistake. I’d shipped a 0 degree stem I found on line in error and Martin who was also scouring the internet for the rare part too, picked up the error himself.
With no way of getting one in the right spec quick, we had to wait again.
It started to feel like the project was getting away from me and I’d never had that feeling. A deadline had came and went, then another. And another mix up, this time on bottom bracket spec that had me chasing round the USA for parts I didn’t need.
Martin’s own mark, commissioned for the build and designed by James Worton at Midland Studio. Photo, Simon Eldon.
I got my arms around it again and after some now very frustrating delays, we got there in the end and I eventually delivered the bike to Martin’s new house in London and despite the issues, he did a lovely job of reassuring me about the eventual bike. We both loved the bike and we were both at what we thought was the end of a tough project.
Martin’s bike was back in the workshop this month.
He’s had some bad luck. Some frustrating issues with tubeless set up - exacerbated by some bad remedial work from a local bike shop - then some serious water damage from crossing flood waters on a ride. Then as if he hadn’t had enough trouble, a near catastrophic chain and spoke collision caused by a bent mech hanger.
The bike wasn’t in the best shape but this time the whole team would play a critical part in getting it back to it’s best. With the bike back in our hands, everyone had a job to do and we set to work giving Martin a second new-bike-day.
Ben at Sharp Precision Wheels picked the bike up for me (he’s become a member of our extended Spoon Customs family recently and I couldn’t live without his advice and expertise now). I then popped by his place on my way in to the workshop, he made me a coffee and we hatched a plan. I took the bike in for rebuild and left the wheels in Ben’s expert hands so he could flush the mud out of the rims and hubs and rebuild the wheels.
Back at my place, we then needed to find out why he’d thrown the chain, and sort out the extensive water and sealant damage.
David is an expert on all things Shimano and Chris King, so he set to work on the components and gave me the stripped frame so I could get to work restoring the finish on the steel and removing the caked on sealant. The bike had been submerged in flood water beyond the height of the lower bearing race at the headset so it couldn’t be done in a day, despite the all-hands response.
After we’d got the water out and given it a good clean up, Sam and Luke then took the fork and stem and worked their magic to bring the paint back to it’s former sparkling form. Then, another Spoon Customs family member, Simon Eldon was on site shooting at the paintshop, and he stepped in to get some quick shots of the newly restored bike you see here.
Job done.
What a difference having a team makes.
The bike was originally designed for Martin’s extensive cycling journeys across continents. It features Enve’s non-submersible 4.5AR wheelset (built by Sharp Precision Wheels) and Ultegra Di2 drive.
The frame is a ground up SCR design XCR frame, with a custom tube spec designed specifically for performance on road but with enhanced compliance and clearance for rougher ground, to meet Martin’s riding needs.
The bike is custom fitted to work with his physiology by Tony Corke at Torke Cycling.
The bike is finished in raw brushed satin stainless with a custom mix of Lambo’ and Ford Motorsport Xirallic pearl orange, with matt black decals, masked and painted expertly by Sam Weeks at our paintshop. The colour was inspired by a Massive Attack album and the overall scheme owes more than a little to the 90’s Marins that I loved for it’s look. Strength and Honour is a personal mark we commissioned for Martin designed by James Worton at Midland Studio.
Thanks to Martin for his commitment, ideas, work and support on what is one of our stand-out builds. It’s a rad bike, and I hope now we’ve fixed a few issues for Martin it can be a loyal friend to carry him on his best adventures from here on in. Just as we designed it to be.
Spoon Customs progressive geo and custom tube selection designed with all day comfort in mind. Exceptional comfort, with a stiff pedalling platform and direct steering. Enve’s 4.5 AR wheelset optimised for the wider tyres when needed.