Spoon Customs brings new work to Bespoked 2022
Spoon Customs’ busy year is summed up at Bespoked 2022 with a collection of handmade bikes that shows the breadth and depth of their capability. Signalling their intention to double down on their commitment to the highest standards of fit, fabrication and finish, regardless of material choice—or now budget—they are using the occasion to launch their latest Sestriere Scandium road disc bike.
Spoon Sestriere Scandium Disc
A high-end, custom-made bike with disc brakes, wireless shifting, and carbon stem and bar—all for under 5k.
The first of Spoon’s five bikes on offer at this year’s show is their new Sestriere Scandium Disc, which, thanks to material choice, makes Spoon’s custom offer available to more people who want a fast road race bike with the same geometrical template as their acclaimed Vars Disc but perhaps can’t—or don’t want to—stretch to the handmade carbon version.
Spoon have worked hard on the Sestriere Scandium platform, with a hand-selected, triple-butted, scandium-doped tube set from Dedacciai. The material is lighter and stronger than 7005 alloy and doesn’t need heat treatment, which saves process, and the tougher material means the frame is both lighter and more responsive than cheaper-grade aluminium.
Scandium present in an aluminium alloy adds strength, and whilst expensive, was once commonplace in bike tubing and lauded as a wonder material. Unfortunately, a number of knock-off bikes produced to capitalise on the premium the material could fetch gave the alloy a less-than-perfect reputation when it first made an appearance in bike frames, but it was never the material at fault. Just some unscrupulous factories churning out lower grade frames, labelled incorrectly.
Whilst it’s referred to as scandium tubing, it’s essentially a 7005 alloy with a small amount of scandium added.
It’s back in this handmade frame and makes for an extremely good ride quality without the downsides of cheaper grade aluminium. It has a far higher yield strength and is much more resistant to fatigue—and is especially more effective at welded joints where lesser alloys can be prone to fatigue or failure.
The tubing, shaped and butted, also delivers a vastly improved ground-feel similar to other well-made metal-framed bikes built in high-quality steel. This means the frame gives excellent handling and feedback from the tyres. When combined with perfect fit and Spoon’s pursuit of exceptionally high tolerances in frame construction, it’s designed to deliver a ride quality equal to that of any other high-end frame.
Specifications:
Frameset: Spoon Sestriere Disc, custom fit and geo (if required) made in Dedacciai Scandium and 7005 tubing.
Fork: Columbus Futura Disc with tapered steerer and flat-mount brake
Headbearing is Deda, upgradeable to Chris King Inset 2.
Stem: Deda Superzero
Handlebar: Pro PLT Carbon
Seat post: Pro Vibe Carbon 27.2 400mm with 25mm setback
Seatclamp: Pro
Bottom Bracket: SRAM Dub 68 BSA Threaded
Groupset: SRAM Rival AXS 2 x
Wheelset: Zipp 303S
Tyres: Pirelli Zero Race 28mm
Saddle: Pro Logo Dimension t4.0 143
Bar tape: Pro Race Comfort in black
Weight: 8.5kg
Spoon Customs Vars Disc, with Enve pack and Dura Ace 12 speed. Pic by Simon Eldon.
Spoon Customs ‘Vars Disc’ - Enve pack
Spoon Vars Disc handmade carbon frame, Dura Ace Di2 12sp, Enve 4.5 AR WS, Chris King HS, Painted in Night Sky Blue (flip)
Spoon’s acclaimed Vars Disc carbon bike is a fast road race bike and all-road platform with layups specific to the terrain required. Tubes are made in moulds near Milan, and the frames are then made tube-to-tube (to customer’s fit dimensions) and over-wrapped in pre-prep CF before being finished at Spoon’s Surrey HQ.
Specifications:
Frameset: Spoon Vars Disc (road)
Paint: Night Sky Blue (Flip)
Fork: Columbus Futura Disc with tapered steerer
Headset: Chris King Dropset 2
Stem: Enve Aero Stem 110mm
Handlebar: Enve SES AR Compact Bar 40cm
Seat post: Spoon Proprietary ‘Kamm Tail’ comfort post
Seatclamp: Integrated
Bottom Bracket: Shim DA 68 BSA threaded
Groupset: Dura Ace Di2 12 sp
Wheelset: Enve 4.5 AR
Tyres: Vittoria Corsa 28mm
Saddle: Selle San Marco CFX carbon rail
Bar tape: Enve SES Bar tape
Weight: 7.1kg
Spoon Customs 'Sam Dunn’ hand-painted custom road bike
HSS Spirit frame one-off (prototype) handmade by Andy C, Campagnolo Super Record and Bora WTO, Enve finishing kit, One-off hand painted artwork by Sam Dunn.
This is the bike that started it all for Spoon Customs when Andy made it in 2014 whilst learning to build frames by hand. This is the first time it’s been shown at a major show, and as such will be the first time it’s been seen in public in the metal.
The finish was hand painted by artist and illustrator Sam Dunn who painstakingly produced the illustrations which cover the frame in her unique style—a style which has been adopted by Vans and Game of Thrones in the past.
The paintwork features a number of names and icons relevant to Sam, the artist, and Andy himself, with colleagues Tony Corke, who did the fit, represented and a number of other nods to people involved—or just things that Sam and Andy shared and found they had in common whilst the work was being produced.
It’s here for the first time now, as this year, Spoon Customs hit a milestone when the company finally got some meaningful backing for it’s plans after five years of hard graft, having bootstrapped the start-up to a point where they’re in a position to now grow the brand internationally to take Spoon’s approach to more customers.
Updated and refreshed for the show, the bike is turned out in Super Record Mechanical 12 speed from Campagnolo and 60mm deep Bora WTO clincher wheels.
Complete with a Chris King headset, like almost every Spoon Custom bike. Enve Finishing kit, and Vittoria tyres, this bike also features exceptionally rare Ted Ciamello Micro’s, a flyweight CNC’d rim brake calliper paired up with SR levers.
Specifications:
Frameset: Spoon #1 Izoard RR Rim Brake Prototype with 10mm longer rear end and ovalised HSS top tube, compact geo and external routing.
Paint: Artwork by Sam Dunn. Prepped and finished in 2k lacquer by Dan Cole of Cole Coatings.
Fork: Columbus Futura Rim Brake with tapered steerer
Headset: Chris King Inset 7
Stem: Original ZIPP Carbon, custom painted
Handlebar: Enve SES Road Compact Bar
Seat post: Enve SES 25mm set back 27.2
Seatclamp: Integrated, with stainless hardware and fastener
Bottom Bracket: Campagnolo Cups in BB30 for 68 x 42
Groupset: Campagnolo Super Record 12 mechanical
Wheelset: Campagnolo Bora WTO 60mm
Tyres: Vittoria Corsa 23mm
Saddle: Selle Italia Carbonio Boost Flow
Bar tape: Enve SES Bar tape
Weight: 7.5kg
Spoon Customs ‘Vars Disc’ - Force AXS
Spoon Vars Disc handmade carbon frame, SRAM Force AXS , Zipp 303S, Chris King HS, Painted in Violet Sky Metallic
Spoon’s acclaimed Vars Disc carbon bike is a fast road race bike and all-road platform with layups specific to the terrain required. Tubes are made in Spoon’s moulds near Milan, and the frames are then made tube-to-tube (to customer’s fit dimensions) and over-wrapped in pre-prep CF before being finished at the brand’s Surrey HQ.
Specifications:
Frameset: Spoon Vars Disc (road)
Paint: Violet Sky Metallic
Fork: Columbus Futura Disc with tapered steerer
Headset: Chris King Dropset 2
Stem: Enve Aero Stem 110mm
Handlebar: Enve SES AR Compact Bar 40cm
Seat post: Spoon Proprietary ‘Kamm Tail’ comfort post
Seatclamp: Integrated
Bottom Bracket: SRAM Dub
Groupset: SRAM FORCE AXS
Wheelset: Zipp 303s
Tyres: Schwalbe Pro One 30mm
Saddle: Selle San Marco CFX carbon rail
Bar tape: Enve SES Bar tape
Weight: 7.8kg
Spoon Customs Izoard RR Disc (HSS) - Enve pack
Spoon Izoard RR Disc, Shimano Dura Ace Di2 12sp, Enve SES Compact road bar, Enve SES Stem, Enve 5.6 SES, Painted in Cote D’Azur Blue Matte
Spoon Izoard RR Disc with Da and Enve Pack
Specifications:
Frameset: Spoon Izoard RR Disc (road)
Paint: Cote D’Azur Blue Matte
Fork: Columbus Futura Disc with tapered steerer
Headset: Chris King Inset 7
Stem: Enve SES Stem 110mm
Handlebar: Enve SES Road Bar 40cm
Seat post: Enve SES Road 25mm layback
Seatclamp: Integrated
Bottom Bracket: Wheels Manufacturing Angular Contact
Groupset: Shimano Dura Ace Di2 12sp
Wheelset: Enve 5.6 SES Disc
Tyres: Good Year Eagle F1
Saddle: Pro Logo Dimension 145 ti rail
Toronto bike for Tom at Blacksmith; Spoon Customs Izoard XCR Disc with Enve Pack
Spoon Izoard XCR Disc with Carbon ISP
Campagnolo Super Record 12 Mechanical
Enve SES compact road bar
Enve Aero Stem
Campagnolo Bora WTO 45mm
‘Surprise me’ paint in style of Sharp Centre, Toronto.
The customer for this bike came to Spoon via their North American Dealer, Blacksmith Cycles. Tom, the new owner, lives and works in Toronto where a busy Crit scene exists, for which the geometric template from the Izoard RR is perfect.
The paint scheme here is an idea inspired by Will Alsop’s Sharp Centre in downtown Toronto. The extraordinary building was designed by the late Will Alsop, who coincidentally Andy at Spoon Customs had the good fortune to meet on a handful of occasions when working with Alsop on a programme of charitable activities to help young disadvantaged people in South London access training in architecture.
“When Tom and I first met to discuss his ideas for his stand-out paint scheme, my mind immediately went to Will’s building in Toronto. Will Alsop was a larger than life character, just like his outrageous designs and also like his many wonderful buildings impact the people who see them, Will Alsop left an indelible impression on me for the way he approached his work and life, and so the opportunity to do something to anchor this bike in the heart of the Toronto city scape and pay homage to his work was too much to resist”.
The multicolour scheme was painstakingly applied by long term creative partner, Sam Weeks at Gun Control Paint, who adapted the ideas for the scheme to work on the XCR tubing. The geometric squares line up on non-existent horizontal lines regardless of the tube shapes, and the black squares give way to raw brushed XCR squares, before fading out towards the back of the bike. As ever with Sam’s work, the paint feels flat to the touch with no paint edges, even where the paint transitions from the raw looking steel to the multi colour or layer masked areas, and the flawless gun finish in matte 2k laquer leaves nowhere to hide.”
Tom has promised to photograph his new bike under the Sharp Centre Building, at the Ontario College for Art and Design, and at time of writing we believe that there is a Crit race series, which the bike will take part in, on site at the building.
“Will Alsop sadly passed away at the age of 70 relatively recently, and I hope he would have approved of our approach with the bike. The best thing about this job is our customers and the way they let us run with these often very personal ideas. The confluence of location in Tom’s case, and my own experiences of briefly knowing Will Alsop and this outstanding building right in the middle of Toronto makes this really fun. I absolutely love this bike and I can’t wait to see it on the streets of Toronto.”
MASSIVE THANKS to everyone who helped pull our show presence together this year, in particular, Sam Weeks, Kayley Sherwood, Ben Sharp, Glen Whittingdon, Simon Eldon and Andrew Richardson. Your skill and hard work, is as ever appreciated. Special thanks to the unsung heroes, behind their keyboards in Boston, and Montgenevre, Brad Hammonds, and Ben Hodson who have done wonders to get everything out on time.
