Scream if you wanna go faster with Morgan's custom Izoard RR

SC monogram in variegated leaf over Didspade colour shifting base. Pic by Simon Eldon.

We’ve all bought things and felt pressure to make a decision. At worst the pressure comes from the person who’s trying to sell you something but even at best we tend to subject ourselves to pressure to not take up someone’s time or ask silly questions. 

That pressure can make you feel like screaming, but we don’t want you to feel like that. Our business is set up differently. We want you to ask questions, and slow it down. We want you to take your time, and enjoy the process. We want you to try us out too. Even before you’ve jumped in. 

And, when you’ve decided you want a bike from us, we’re going to take our time getting every aspect of that bike right for you. Encouraging you to pause and ask questions at every step of the way. 

Why? We think it’s a more meaningful way to design something. 

Our process is one of co-creation and we believe it results in a better outcome, not just in the eventual bike. 

We want to get beyond the superficial stuff and start to understand you as a rider and as a person. 

There’s some practical benefits to that approach and some are obvious; you’re the engine for your new bike so we need to understand your physical interaction with the bike so we can make that interface as ergonomic, efficient and comfortable as possible; we also want to take time to understand what makes you tick, so we can make the bike fit into your life as seamlessly as anything else that’s designed just for you. 

Pro Stealth Saddle is extremely versatile and works perfectly with Morgan’s custom fitted position. Pic Simon Eldon.

Someone who I think best demonstrates the value of both taking your time to step forward to place an order, and the value of those eventual interactions as part of the process, is Morgan. 

I met Morgan first through Instagram where we struck up an instant rapport. Way back in 2017 I’d guess. Then in person at two concurrent bike shows. He was affable and enthusiastic, knowledgable about steel bikes and obviously considering a number of options. 

At our first meeting we discussed a mutual admiration for Ricky Feather’s work and then for Matthew’s work at Saffron. Several other names came up during those initial face to face conversations and then eventually (we were nearly three years in to our conversations before Morgan chose us) we’d got onto other brands, companies, designers, graffiti artists and other designers and makers that we either both liked, or at least had a mutual awareness or appreciation of. 

It’s in those interactions where we often find some magic. 

Capillary brazing on the disc braking rear end of the Izoard RR. Clearance for wider profile tyres. Pic by Simon Eldon.

Interactions with Morgan aren’t always that serious and I don’t think he’d mind me saying that. He takes his bikes seriously, but it’s clear these things are toys to him (ask him about his Golf R or any of the other fun stuff he likes to have around him). He gets nothing but joy out of the stuff he surrounds himself with and he really values those objects for the adventures they take him on. That’s pretty contagious. 

That’s why when it came to finalising this one, I knew he would push to us to make sure his bike stood out. On the face of it the kit is pretty practical if not resolutely high end. It’s a machine after all, so Morgan wanted it to function flawlessly. A little like his fast Golf. It’s not that shouty, but it’s got some intent and it looks like a lot of fun.

Columbus Dove in variegated gold leaf, by Sam Weeks of Gun Control Custom Paint. Pic by Simon Eldon.

Enve Foundation’s are a knowingly high end but practical choice (built by hand by Ben at Sharp Precision Wheels), on ever reliable top end shimano drive. Italian finishing kit, because why not have it match the steel tubes from Milan. 

Inspiration for the finish was the colours at dawn and dusk just before night gives way to day and vice verse. That choice and the exploration that led to it resulted in loads of random chat about how neither of us could explain why the sky is so specific in some of the places we both love. 

To top it off, we found some variegated metal leaf for the decals, applied flawlessly over linseed size by Gun Control Custom Paint boss Sam Weeks. Morgan got properly involved in choosing from the multitude of options available for the leaf, because he loved that side of it, and it shows in the results. The way the colours in the flip-paint match is just clever and you can’t do it justice in camera, despite Simon Eldon’s best efforts here. 

Spoon Customs Izoard RR on Brighton Pier. Pic Simon Eldon.

And that leads me nicely on to the shoot location. Where else do you take a big kids bike? The fairground of course. We managed to secure a Waltzer for the morning on Brighton Pier. We had a narrow window before delivery, so we took the brand new bike out to Sea in a force 9 gale but I think the results were worth the risk. And Simon’s getting used to seeing last minute call sheets with stupid locations on by now anyway. 

Thanks for coming on this journey with us, Morgan. Another customer and another friend for life, I hope. See you soon for a ride in the Alps, Sir. 

Morgan’s Deda custom painted cockpit on his Izoard RR. Pic by Simon Eldon.