Bikes and Builders of Bespoked Dresden 2025 (Part 3)

Bike and builder portraits by Stefan Haehnel

With all that’s going on in the world and in my home city, I must admit I found it hard to get excited about Bespoked in the days leading up to the event. But once we got to the terminal and saw the tireless organizers running around, new and familiar exhibitors setting up their booths, and record-breaking numbers of visitors streaming in from all over, that quickly changed. It’s hard for me to fathom pulling off the world’s largest custom bike show as smoothly as they did. Chapeau!

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I was particularly struck by the builders’ investment into these shows each year. They spend months and sometimes years on projects that will be displayed for just three days. Each could be a compelling 3,000-word feature in its own right. The paragraphs we put together aren’t more than a vignette of a much larger process, though hopefully one that leaves a meaningful impression.

It struck me as beautiful to see thousands of organizers, exhibitors, fellow media, and visitors coming together to co-create this special event—clearly not for the money, since there is almost none, but for each other and our overlapping communities. The conversations and connections made at shows such as Bespoked are proof that Instagram and blogs can never fully replace getting together in person, though it’s getting harder to pull off. With that said, we hope you enjoy the third installment of our coverage below.

Tim Tas + Rek Tandem link

Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands

Built for the tandem-themed 2025 Fenderfest hosted by Thomas Becker of Meerglas, Jean Michel had planned to ride to the event with his stoker, friend, and fellow randonneur Anders. Unfortunately, those plans were dashed, but the two will be making good on the inaugural ride by riding together from Cologne to Bremerhaven after Bespoked.

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Jean Michel’s builds always stand out from the pack, but this one is pure tandemonium. He added travel couplers to the old Zoon frame, swapped out all the boring parts, built custom racks, and sewed eye-popping frame bags and panniers in his signature style. The rear rim brake is a fun touch, giving the stoker at least a little agency.The Muppets on the bags are the result of him playing with heat-transfer decals over the last year, and they represent various friends from the bike and bag making community.

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Tim Tas + Rek begs also found their way on to Andreas’ three La Fraise Cycles bikes at the show. They met as newbies around 10 years ago at Bespoked Bristol, speaking to the importance of events such as these in setting up collaborations. Furthermore, he delivered special cotton, plastic-free rando bags for Tunk, as featured yesterday.

Drust 29” Hardtail Tourer link

Berlin, Germany

A shining example of what’s possible when going custom, Konstantin Drust’s midtail 29er touring bike was easily one of the most striking creations at this year’s show, attracting a crowd at all hours of the exhibition. It was built for a customer who is around two meters (6’7”) tall and wanted a comfortable, off-road-ready bike with a level saddle and bars for long days of pedaling with his pair of dachshunds.

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Custom front and rear bolt-on racks with made-to-measure bags from Wit Slingers in Leipzig provide ample room for cargo, and an ergonomic carry handle helps with navigating obstacles off the bike, whether they’re staircases around the city or boulder fields far off the grid. Four cleverly placed bottle cages offer easy access to water on the go. Drust’s midtail is the kind of bike that invites onlookers to pause and attempt to take it all in. I noticed fresh details each time I stopped to study it throughout the weekend.

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As for the build, the bike has a 170mm suspension fork, a 12-speed Pinion gearbox, dynamo lighting, riser bars, a Brooklyn Machine Works stem, and a dropper post. Cable routing is fully external. Sparing no expenses for his dream bike, the buyer also requested S&S couplers, mostly for the elegance and visual interest they add. We don’t know what his future touring plans are, but one thing is certain: the owner is thrilled with his new bike. “If my client is super happy with it, I’m also super happy with it,” said Konstantin.

Fern Splash 650B Rando link

Berlin, Germany

Kristin, owner and operator at Gramm, couldn’t get enough of zooming around the terminal on her brand-new Fern randonneur, at least until the cops told her off. Compared to Flo’s all-steel, rim-brake Fern Chacha we shared in the first installment of our coverage, the Splash represents the modern end of the spectrum of randonneurs rolling out of the Fern shop. It’s equipped with disc brakes and the high-end Allygn M.U.D. carbon fork, which is designed to match slender steel frames particularly well and leaves nothing to be desired for fender, rack, and dynamo believers.

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The Splash replaces Kristin’s Allygn prototype that carried her through Paris-Brest-Paris in 2023 and this year’s aborted London-Edinburgh-London. It’s styled after her beloved vintage Volkswagen van, right down to the boxy Busch & Müller dynamo headlight, which is her birdwatching-mobile for spots further afield. We can’t wait to see photos of the pairing.

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With carbon fenders and parts by Beast Components from Dresden, the build is super light. The striking bag set is, of course, made in-house in Berlin, consisting of a special ultralight Diamond Bag, a bolt-on half frame bag, a slim top tube bag and tool roll, all in Glacier Grey Ultra 100X fabric. From the bike to the bags and the rider, we love everything here so much!

A Scene Under Pressure

Framebuilders and bagmakers are easily the most talented and hard-working folks I know, and yet the entire sector seems to be on life support. I mentioned in the introduction to our coverage that professional custom framebuilding, long a tough business, has recently come under even greater economic pressure. Tariffs, rising costs of production, and general price inflation all pose existential threats to builders. I heard several exhibitors at the show say, “This is the last time I’m doing this.” Others are skipping the expensive shows, shuttering their shops, switching to working for larger brands, or walking away from cycling entirely. It’s only understandable on an individual level. Yet, given the centrality of framebuilders to our scene, I’d argue these pressures are hollowing out our community.

In response, we see builders such as Alonukis, Meerglas, and others reacting by developing made-to-order models with less customization, which streamlines their production and reduces costs. It’s probably no coincidence that 3D-printing is all the rage, as it can save a lot of time in fabrication. Similarly, custom bag makers shift to stock products and seek to partner with larger bike brands.

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Artisanal goods are not inherently technically or morally superior to mass-produced goods. Yet when the only way to survive is to design a product that can be mass-produced, often in the Global South, we lose diversity. When notionally independent events and media are forced to take on corporate sponsorships to stay afloat, we become dependent and lose authenticity. Making useful, beautiful things directly for each other, carrying forward a craft, and sustaining grassroots communities are essential human activities. When these become prohibitively difficult, it’s a clear sign the entire system needs an overhaul.

Avalanche Classic Touring Bike link

Paris, France

It’s easy to get lost in the stunning paint of the Avalanche touring bike. Inspired by the embroidery on Marie’s ukulele strap, hippie aesthetics meet French randonneuse, and somehow it works. The geometric pattern spreads without repeating, mesmerizing the eye as it roams across the frame. Marie and Laurent took home Best Finish of the show. Well deserved!

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Stepping back, we see a very fine and delicate frame with many sophisticated details. The frame is fillet-brazed stainless steel, and the fork crown is 3D-printed. The stem and racks pick up the double bridges in the frame. Notice how the rear rack hugs the fender, staying discreet when not in use. I was delighted to see Cours S’il Pleut bags made by our friend Gaëlle Bojko in Grenoble strapped to Avalanche Ti cargo cages on the fork.

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The Avalanche is glowing with ethereal, lithe silver components, including a matching Garbaruk cassette, Growtac mechanical disc brakes, and carbon wheels with silver spokes. The touring bike is fitted with their new titanium bottle cages, for which the duo spent the better part of the year designing and manufacturing all the bending and welding tools. They have a uniquely slender appearance due to using solid rod, not tubing. The bottle cages should be hitting their web shop very soon.

Ballern Cycleworks 32er link

Hamburg, Germany

Thirty-two-inch wheels seem to be a thing now, at least for the moment. Bennet from Ballern Cycleworks built the “Didn’t make it out of Berghain” bike for Petor of Bespoked based on a napkin sketch, and it turned out monstrous from end to end. The blued steel, applied just before the show, was still sticky. Kristin from Gramm contributed a grotesque frame bag made from shiny fabric that she’d been sitting on for a decade. I’ll spare you the details of the other depraved ideas they were scheming.

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The second bottom bracket is for running the bike with 29er wheels after the manufacturers that are currently pushing 32” drop it in two or three years’ time. Why the third chainstay? Why the studs on the frame bag right? Why not?! Nothing about this project was ever supposed to make sense.

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Nevertheless, it’s a very elegant bicycle. The stainless welds resisted the blueing, subtly accenting the dark frame. The wagon wheels fill out the rigid fork nicely. A little White Industries bling completes the look.

Cyber Cycles Split Works link

Jena, Germany

While far from the flashiest bike at the show, our photographer Stefan noted the delightful Split Works randonneur belonging to Gerolf of the Antritt cycling podcast. Featuring a Gramm Diamond Bag atop custom rack styled after Allygn’s Diamond Rack, it has a few fun stories behind it.

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Cyber Cycles mainly stands for neo-retro componentry, but designer Christian—together with builder Stefano Agresti—produce a couple of bicycles each year, usually around a distinct theme and always with an eye-catching paint job. Besides the travel couplers, Split Works references a couple other things. Can you figure it out?

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The “Slow Motion Riders” water bottles were a Bespoked special made by Uwe of The Rvmble. Fifteen years ago, Gerolf helped organize a storied off-road ride called Critical Dirt, which helped catalyze gravel cycling in Saxony, and they pay homage to that.

Fern Edelmu link

Berlin, Germany

Provisionally dubbed the “Edelmü,” Flo of Fern Fahrräder set out to create a sleek, high-end dynamo rear light in the style of the classic SON Edelux headlight based on the internals of the tiny Busch & Müller Mü rear light. A CNC-milled aluminum housing replaces the latter’s rather fragile plastic shell and opens up multiple mounting possibilities.

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Patterned after the original Mü, the deluxe version should technically meet German StVZO regulations. Flo’s aiming to make the lights available before the year is out. We’ll be sure to share details once they’re launched.

La Fraise Cycles Le Chuque link

Roubaix, France

La Fraise Cycles came into being when maker Andreas moved to France with his family. Having learned the basics of framebuilding in a course from Robert at Big Forest Frameworks, where I also had the pleasure of building my ATB two years ago, he took the break to slow down and switch careers. Ten years on, he’s fallen into a yearly rhythm of building bikes in the winter and offering framebuilding courses in the summer, where anyone can build a bike just like Le Chuque.

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Le Chuque is Andreas’ idea of a touring bike that doesn’t shy away from off-road action. It’s currently built up with curvy riser bars in anticipation of his son growing into it and touring with him. Eventually, his son can switch the frame to drop bars. The striking color scheme was a happy accident when the Tim Tas + Rek bags turned out far more orange than Andreas had anticipated. He then went all-in with a glorious purple paint job. Balancing the flashy appearance is a complement of humble mechanical parts, including a Stronglight triple crank—because “triples ain’t dead”—and an old XT derailleur that’s been with Andreas since the ‘90s.

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You’d be excused for missing all the tiny details that contribute to Le Chuque’s clean appearance, such as the hidden threads for the frame bag and low-profile external dynamo wiring. Similarly to the Dlouhy we covered in our first installment, it’s a pleasing rig that inspires hopping on and pedaling away.

That’s it for today. Let us know your favorite bike from our third installment in the conversation below, and stay tuned for more to come from this year’s Bespoked show in Dresden later this week!

Further Reading

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