It’s obvious John Caletti loves making bikes. He’s now been in the business for eleven years, and some of his recent creations have had a twist, like a commuter inspired by ‘The Life Aquatic’ and the special edition Grinduro CX bike with curved seat stays.
This vivid orange Caletti is more of a return to John’s traditional designs. It’s a Road Race Special, a high-end steel option built for his long-time photographer, designer, collaborator and good mate, Peter Thomsen.
For Peter’s bike, John carefully selected a custom mix of tubing, but a rider-specific choice of tubes is something he can offer to all customers. For the Road Race Special, however, John does prefer a thin wall, ultra butted True Temper S3 tear drop top tube.
Peter has laid out the paint schemes for many of John’s bikes, including the spectacular Life Aquatic bike, which is a treat for all Wes Anderson fans and especially the bike’s owner. The orange theme here may only use one hue but it’s just as eye-catching.
“For the colour,” Peter tells us, “I wanted something visible on the road that didn’t cost more than the frame itself to apply. I designed the subtle-not-subtle, orange-on-orange paint scheme. Spectrum Powderworks nailed the application — the two oranges are perfect. It’s turning heads on the road.”
John created a custom Caletti titanium seat post, which is a subtle complement to the striking orange. For the finishing kit, a mechanical Dura-Ace groupset was chosen, with ENVE handlebars and a custom ENVE fork.
Titanium King Cages match the seat post and a mango Chris King headset goes well with the Industry Nine i25TL wheelset and orange ti Salsa skewers. A PRO Turnix carbon rail saddle pads out the contact point.
Peter is more than happy with the result: “The bike rips! I love it. It climbs great and descends like its on rails — exactly what we built it to do. Hands down the best bike I’ve ever ridden.” Glowing praise for a bike as colourful as it’s home of Santa Cruz.
Big thanks to Peter Thomsen for the photos.
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