Dov Tate's Parcours Izoard RR by Spoon Customs — Dov’s new Spoon Customs Izoard RR with EE rim brakes and Parcours wheels. Pic by Simon Eldon.

Back in 2017 just after I’d launched our first bike sales weren’t coming in fast enough and I was struggling to make ends meet. I’d put all of the start up capital I’d saved into developing the bikes, and I was existing on fumes.

To keep the dream alive I was working part time in a bike shop and doing anything I could outside of that in the way of repairs, upgrades, whatever I could do. I even did a bit of removals and courier work to make use of the van.

It was around then that Dov (Parcours Wheels) and I first met. We went for coffee outside London’s Dynamo Cafe.

As we chatted it became obvious there were a lot of similarities in what we’re trying to do and I started to feel good about taking the time out to come see him. After all, you don’t get paid to go drink coffee when you’re starting out and we didn’t really have a reason to meet other than we were interested in each other’s work and to chat.

Enve, Columbus, EE, Chris King and Spoon Customs

I was quickly glad i kept the appointment.

It transpired that Dov and I had both come to the bike business from similar situations. We’d both been cyclists, fans, members of the public and nothing more really. Looking in on an industry that seemed so much more exciting than the careers we’d found ourselves in. For Dov, aerodynamics was his poison. For me, it was performance bike design.

We both had some ambition too. We both thought we could take the fight to some of the bigger brands in our little niches, but in that moment when we met, I needed to remember that.

EE Brakes on Dov Tate’s Spoon Customs Izoard RR race bike

Dov helped me remember. He was a year or two ahead (I can’t remember exactly) and he recalled how he’d been sat in the same place as me just a couple of years ago. All in, waiting for the phone to ring, wondering why it wouldn’t. We chatted about those anxieties and he recounted numerous times when and why he’d nearly quit and he reassured me that it would be ok, if I kept the faith.

I did keep going of course and fast forward to now, and we’re both doing ok thankfully. He’s actually settled in at a new unit on the same estate as Spoon and his business is growing fast, with awards and reviews that put his wheels far ahead of some of the most famous brands in the business.

So we’re neighbours now, as well as firm mates. We get together to moan about distributors, brexit and all those grown up things. So I was particularly stoked when he asked me if he could buy one of our bikes.

Custom painted and handbuilt Parcours wheels, inspired by the EE rim brakes Dov brought to us for the build. Pic by Simon Eldon.

Dov’s pretty decent on a bike and likes going fast (you won’t be surprised to know) so he wanted an out and out Izoard RR style bike. His custom geo was a very slightly tweaked version of my own (pretty focused) and we custom fitted it to him. His only direction on the detail of the build was to come in the form of a set of awesome EE rim brakes, anodised in multi colours.

I love that kind of brief. Especially with someone like Dov, because he wanted the process to lead the project. We threw around a few ideas of course, and I vaguely pointed at some pictures on my laptop and with half an idea in hand, he nodded it on. He trusted us essentially and let us get on with it.

You might notice Dov’s bike features our new down-tube graphic. We’ve been playing with the way our brand looks recently and it sits nicely on our new carbon bike Vars Disc, but this is the first time the new logotype has showed up on our steel bikes.

The new logotype has a slash cut along some of the letters. The angle of the cut relative to the letters is taken straight from the slopes of the Casse Deserte above Briancon, at the top of Col Du Izoard. The angle as measured (yes, we actually measured it) is called the ‘angle of repose’ and it’s associated with and specific to, those slopes. It’s the geological finger print from the spiritual home of all of our bikes.

The frame is made with our highest spec non-stainless tube set, hand selected for Dov’s inputs from the Columbus Spirit HSS range of tubing, expertly joined in TIG by Alberto. The BB is stainless, as are the head tube rings, bosses and bridges. The entire drop out assembly is CNC’d in 17:4 stainless also. All our frames are electroplated with phosphate to protect the inside of the tubes too.

The Groupset for this build is all SRAM Red AXS. With Dov’s own Enve finishing kit. The paint is finished by Sam at Gun Control Custom Paint, including the custom made and painted wheel rims. There are no stickers on this bike anywhere, it’s all done with paint.

Thanks for trusting us to build this bike for you, Dov. It’s an absolute banger and we love it, I hope you do too bro.