Amongst those unfamiliar with the handmade bicycle industry is a misconception that a custom bike is little more than a fancy paint job. But underneath the fancy paint of the latest Izoard RR by Spoon Customs is also a highly refined road-riding machine.
Developed in and inspired by the rarified atmospheres of Montgenèvre, in the French Cottian Alps, the Izoard RR is the ideal modern steel road bike, tempered for traversing high-altitude passes. The frame has had a few updates over the last year.
The thru-axle dropouts and hanger have evolved and Spoon reckons it’s one of the world’s lightest. They now use their own stainless bottom bracket shells, and all stainless bosses, braze-ons and reinforcement rings are included in the frame’s cost.
It’s the hidden refinements that Spoon is most proud of and their customer’s feedback and testimonials are reassuring. This particular Izoard RR is a complete custom order and is heading for the steep and sometimes harsh riding of Zurich.
The brief was for a disc brake road bike that was an efficient climber but one that didn’t give anything away to the road. It needed to track and handle well on the long mountain descents, which is exactly what the original Izoard RR was designed for.
The frame was constructed from Columbus’ oversized Spirit HSS tubing, paired with their Futura Disc fork. Campagnolo’s new 12-speed Chorus Disc groupset was installed, along with the new 45mm-deep Bora WTO aero wheelset and Pirelli rubber. Trés Euro.
The paint concept was inspired by the night sky of Montgenèvre, and the Via Lattea (Milky Way) ski area in particular. A traveling Chromacoat fade from black to purple was applied by Sam Weeks and Luke Barkaway at WM Paintworks.
Road-riding is an aspect of cycling that has always sought to finesse the craft of custom frame building, and Spoon Customs is one workshop filling that upper echelon with superb modern steel machines that ride better than many carbon creations.
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Big thanks to Simon Eldon for the photos.
