Bikes and Builders of Bespoked Dresden 2025 (Part 2)

Bike and builder portraits by Stefan Haehnel

While exchanging impressions with American industry colleagues, a couple noted that bike shows on this side of the pond tend to see a broader range of bicycle types represented. We’re lucky to see bikes from across the spectrum, from Mini-velos to monstrous cargo haulers and sporty rigs to leisurely travel bikes. Some, like the Good Grief Muscle Bike, can’t be easily slotted into contemporary categories. Others are functional or aesthetic experiments. Shows such as Bespoked are a vital playground for new forms to arise and old ones to be reborn at just the right moment. 

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Randonneuring in particular seems to be having a resurgence, or maybe it never left. Around a third of the upper level was rando territory, and large component brands took the opportunity to showcase newly released silver parts. Beyond the classic bikes and the bits, I think the event formats, aesthetics, and narratives central to this stream of cycling are timeless and ripe for bringing back to the fore. With that, let’s jump right in to our second installment from Bespoked Dresden 2025. If you missed the first report over the weekend, be sure to find it linked at the bottom of the post.

Rasch Sporty Cargo Bike link

Berlin, Germany

Kata Rasch is an up-and-coming builder from Berlin who caught the framebuilding bug from her friend and mentor Konstantin Drust, with whom she now shares a workshop. She’s been diving into the craft as much as her day job in a university workshop allows, first exhibiting her diminutive red mountain bike at Bespoked Manchester this year. “I’m still experimenting a lot, trying to find my style. Of course, I’m absorbing a lot from what Konstantin’s showing me, and Flo [of Fern] also has a certain influence,” she said. 

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Her framebuilding practice is shaped by her extensive tours that range from a recent dogpacking adventure through the Balkans with Konstantin to childhood bike vacations with her parents. It’s also informed by her unique constraints as a smaller rider. “Often, I build bikes with the intent of evoking a certain emotion of adventure and elegance.” The two bikes she brought to Dresden, an improved small mountain bike and a sporty cargo bike, mark her progression. 

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While many cargo bikes seem designed for urban commuting, she wanted to build one for herself for traveling longer distances with her dog, Frieda. To this end, her Bespoked bike is equipped with a detachable platform and a custom folding box made by Gramm. Constructed from relatively lightweight tubing, the frame is much easier to lift and uses a 26” rear wheel—perfectly adapted to her smaller stature. Kata’s contribution was supported by the SRAM Inclusivity sponsorship.

MRGLS Graveleur link

Groß Luben, Germany

Last year, we introduced Thomas Becker of Meerglas as one of the top German framebuilders working in the tradition of the mid-century French constructeurs. His classic-looking bicycles are state-of-the-art. Besides wowing us with the off-road Explorer and this year with a jaw-dropping recumbent that took best in show, Tom—like several other builders at the show—has also been working hard to develop a line of simplified, made-to-order models under the MRGLS banner. 

The new MRGLS Graveleur model takes over where his pavement-oriented Randonneur leaves off, expanding clearances to 48mm tires with fenders and up to 60mm without. MRGLS frames come in a range of sizes with some wiggle room to accommodate different bodies. The medium sizes roll on 650B wheels, small sizes step down to 26” hoops, and large sizes use 28” for proportional looks and consistent handling. 

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While the MRGLS series’ raison d’être is (relative) simplicity, it seems Tom couldn’t totally hold back on his Bespoked bike, as we noticed detailed custom lug work throughout. We really enjoyed the tasteful mix of well-loved Berthoud bags and a brand-new Gramm top tube bag in classic style. The Graveleur showcased some optional MRGLS features, such as rinko-compatible hardware, SON SL plugless dynamo lighting, pump pegs, provisions for bolt-on bags, and custom racks. The price for the frameset, which includes fork and Honjo fenders, comes in around €3,900. While tried-and-true rim brakes are Tom’s go-to, he hopes to offer UHD flat-mount drop-outs developed in collaboration with Konstantin Drust in 2026.

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Reflecting on a challenging few years, Tom says his framebuilding hasn’t substantially changed for him in essence. Framebuilding to him is the ongoing negotiation between productivity, materializing novel ideas, customer satisfaction, contributing to community events such as Fenderfest and Bespoked, and physical and mental well-being.

True Love Heart Breaker Lite link

Warsaw, Poland

Jan of True Love Cycles brought a new model to Dresden that the Polish builder is calling the Heart Breaker Lite. This second prototype is his personal multi-tasker for gravel racing, bikepacking, and everyday rides. We had the pleasure of documenting it right off the Bespoked Sunday morning gravel ride, fresh dirt contrasting nicely against the expertly flamed steel finish.

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Based on their beefier Heart Breaker drop-bar mountain bike, the Lite is a racy monster gravel bike with clearance for 29 x 2.4” tires and ready for a 40mm suspension fork. Jan’s running a Singular Cycles Kite titanium fork that’s light but ready for some serious cargo, too. The fork’s lines flow seamlessly into the stainless main triangle and the standard CrMo rear-end. The frame makes use of additively manufactured stainless joints and head tube. 

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Jan’s ability to guide and confuse the eye solely with contours and surface finish is masterful. It took a while for us to realize that the apparently continuous seat post was in fact a well-crafted optical illusion. Very impressive.

Eichkatz Rinko Roller link

Gummersbach, Germany

I had a delightful time nerding out with Karsten, whose enthusiasm for multi-modal bikepacking (and just about any other topic he gets going on) is infectious. He developed the Rinko Roller, a set of standard hardware and 3D-printed parts that allow a disassembled bike to be easily rolled through train stations. As someone who’s lost plenty of sweat and skin on transfers throughout Europe, I welcome this clever solution to a real-world problem. 

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The core of Rinko Roller is a lightweight axle flexibly mounted to the chainstays. With practice, the Rinko Roller can be assembled in just 10 minutes. It’s compatible with nearly any bike with thru-axles and equal-sized wheels that doesn’t have cable routing through the handlebar or headset.

Good Grief Muscle Bike link

Colorado Springs, Colorado

In speaking with lovely Chris of Good Grief, he noted a regression, or perhaps a homogenization trend in bikes over time. “Who looks at 1950s cars and doesn’t love them? I’m trying to re-find that for myself in bikes.” Countering imperatives of quicker, faster, and cheaper, he seems to follow his inner child and take his sweet time elaborating his ideas into bold yet playful bikes. 

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Directly inspired by wheelie bikes of the 1960s, the incredible Muscle Bike embodies the question, “How can we make this more fun?” The wheelie bar in the rear was added on a whim, reinforced by swooping stays connecting to the rare blue Brooks saddle like an inverted sissy bar. It’s a hot rod, though the only performance that’s being optimized here is that of wheelies. 

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Chris has a very hands-on approach to design, which reminds me of Konstantin Drust. The design organically emerges in the physical back-and-forth with the material. “I do very little up-front design work. There’s something about doing it in the jig that can’t be emulated by CAD,” Chris explained. He’s chasing fun and beauty above all. When I asked what his framebuilding would look like if the so-called cost of living wasn’t a factor, his reply was, without hesitation, “This is it.”

Connecting with Readers

In addition to covering the show this year, we tried something new and had our very own booth at Bespoked. My Big Forest ATB was on display, as was a lovely Yeti-inspired Pasta Party hardtail from our friends at Sour Bikes down the road, and Lucas brought a bunch of boxes of The Bikepacking Journal from our warehouse in Berlin for attendees to thumb through and purchase as a show special. Countless people came by throughout the long weekend to browse our little library of back issues and say hello.

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As much as we enjoyed documenting the many spectacular show bikes and bags, connecting with readers from all over Europe (and beyond) was a highlight of Bespoked in 2025. We loved hearing about folks’ past and upcoming trips, thanking and getting to know dozens of Bikepacking Collective members who make our work possible, and handing out leftover copies of Alex Hotchin’s beautiful Bikepacking the World map. The enthusiasm of attendees who stopped by was a moving reminder of why we love doing what we do. Thanks to everyone who took the time to chat!

Firefly x Wit Slingers ATB link

Melrose, Massachusetts / Leipzig, Germany

When it comes to show bikes, Tijmen of Wit Slingers likes to display bikes made for a real purpose, for a person who will use them after the show. In this case, it was the other way around. The Firefly bikepacking ATB belongs to a Dutch customer, Ad, who came to Leipzig pretty much straight from touring the bike Great Divide Mountain Bike Route in North America with his teenage daughter. It’s frankly one of the most dialed rigs I’ve ever encountered, its 2,000 miles of dirt and dust blending the bi-color waxed canvas bags with the subtly anodized titanium frame. 

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Tijmen pulled out all the stops for the bags, showing his prowess as one of the most capable bagmakers on the continent. The tweaks he suggested to the frame design ensured a totally cohesive package, for example, eliminating all straps on the frame bag for a clean look. 

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At the center sits a bolt-on, splittable frame bag with cutouts for two portage handles—quite a complicated shape. Out front, the Allygn Grill Rack carries a rack bag that’s a mix of Wit Slingers’ duffel bag and roll-top handlebar bag. The Tumbleweed Pannier Rack on the rear sees a roll-top bag inspired by more traditional trunk bags, but sleeker. On the bars, Ad got a lidded stem bag for his Fujifilm X100 series camera. 

Tunk Hike-Use link

Helsinki, Finland

Tunk is the long-term project of Aki, Aleksi, and Andi from Helsinki, Finland, to bring their perfect touring and randonneuring bicycles to life. After five years of testing and redesign, their first batch of their debut model, the drop-bar do-anything Hike-Use, will finally land in November. 

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Chatting with the reserved and thoughtful guys at their booth provided a welcome reprieve from the madness of the showfloor, just like their bikes are meant to do. “I like practical bikes for the people,” Aki says. Drawing on classic contours and standards, the framesets are made in small batches by Fort in Czechia. Lucas put down a deposit for a frame from the first batch and has some exciting plans for it, so stay tuned for more next year. 

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Offering size-specific wheel diameters and frame design previously exclusive to custom bicycles, the Hike-Use is another exemplar of the golden age of production bikes we’re currently enjoying. With extensive testing, obsessive optimization, and plentiful documentation, the Tunk team seems to be taking a page out of Fairlight’s approach. More so than others, Tunk channels the whimsical, adventurous spirit of bicycles to me. 

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The Hike-Use is just the start for Tunk. They’re exploring offering complete builds and specific accessories they’ve long dreamed of. And of course, they already have extensive notes on a second frame, though it’s still just an idea. They’re finding their path forward as they go, exploring possibilities as they turn their passion project into a full-time dream job.

Further Reading

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