Bikes and Builders of 2025 Bespoked Manchester (Part 2)

In part two of our Bikes and Builders of 2025 Bespoked Manchester series, we take a deep dive into more of the best bikes and stories at the show. From the triumphs of the Gaza Sunbirds and a Stayer Cycles frame with a personal touch to a new electronic derailleur from Garbaruk, the show truly displayed the wide range present at the show and in the broader cycling industry.

Alonukis Frameworks link

Murnau am Staffelsee, Germany

Launching into part two of our Bespoked UK 2025 coverage is Johannes Wandinger of Alonukis Frameworks. Though his other bike, which we’ll get to, won an award at this year’s show, I was quite taken by his personal frame. Focused on ultra-distance racing, this modern XC-style hardtail is an ultra-aggressive prototype Johannes takes on all kinds of rides. Per Johannes, “It isn’t about having the stiffest frame possible, rather having comfort where it doesn’t affect efficiency while countering fatigue.” Meant for long days in the saddle, the young German said, “The whole geometry is shifted toward the front thanks to the bend in the seat tube. That makes a steeper effective seat tube angle and allows more room for the tire. It’s also better for aero-bar setups.”

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The chainstays feature a 3D-printed driveside chainstay yoke from James Gerrard at Creature Cycles, allowing the bike to somehow have both 415mm stays and fit a 29 x 2.4″ tire, which is as big as you can go in the rear, as you can see here. The other element I enjoyed about this frame is the tongue in cheek, “not made in the USA” sticker he coupled with a smattering of US-made parts. With rear dropouts made by Paragon, Paul Klampers, and a Chris King headset, it’s a playful joke about “made here” manufacturing. To be clear, Johannes wanted to ensure I knew it was not a political statement.

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The other kooky aesthetic is the custom stem. Johannes says the look of it makes it seem far more aggressive than the numbers suggest, but the almost Suess-ical nature of the profile is what interests me most. This is exactly the kind of race bike I think fits as something of a quiver killer. If I didn’t already have my beloved Ritchey P-29er, I’d be messaging Johannes about making me one.

Wizard Works link

London, England

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Dubbed the silliest people at this year’s Bespoked, Harry and Ve are the owner/operators at Wizard Works, a small bag company based in London. With a few new products, Harry and Ve imparted on me some of the best and most meaningful vibes of the show. While they’re a couple bursting with laughter and levity, Harry spoke to me about the design impetus behind their newest frame bag, saying “Well, with the cost of living crisis being quite bad here in the UK, we wanted to create something that was both new and exciting but also affordable. Everyone here is affected, and we don’t want make something that isn’t accessible for people, but we thought we could add to the market with a bag of our own. The design is relatively universal given the size and placement, but it’s one of our most affordable offerings at £85. If it takes off, we’ll add it to the core line and do it in all four main colors, and if not, we’ll just let it fade into obscurity and never speak of it again.”

I appreciated the candor and directness concerning why they made the bags. It felt like a breath of fresh air from the industry’s endless stream of perfectly framed press releases. Aside from the bag, the pattern its been made with, the cross-hatch, is a special, limited collection they’re releasing this week. As for the light mounts, Harry said “They’re the best thing we’ve ever done.” Made in collaboration with Mark Bentley of Bentley components, it’s, as Harry put it, “solving a problem of our own creation.” Meant to fit neatly between a front bag and perhaps other mounted on a rack or fork blade, I’ve had the Umbra mount for a bit and can attest to its convenience.

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Stayer Cycles link

East London, England

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Greeted by Sam Taylor’s warm smile, chatting over this particular Stayer was an experience unto itself. Though we’d never spoken, digitally or otherwise, Sam and I almost instantly delved into a conversation that told me a lot about where his head is at in terms of bike design. “The bikes we brought are concepts meant to promote the framebuilding courses we offer at Stayer. A series of dream bikes you might think up, not necessarily chasing a particularly profitable ideal. Which is a funny way to go about your business these days, I suppose,” Sam laughed. I thought it was an interesting way to phrase it, and I felt compelled to offer my own perspective. One that spoke to the inherent tension between individual creativity and immediate profitability. That, despite the obvious, if you only ever focused on the necessary motivation of profitability, that you might lose what makes something distinct or unique. Sam shared that it had been a rough couple of years, but that he agreed and this is ultimately what drove them to make mixte’s like this one. A relatively “impractical” bike that served a unique purpose.

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Of course, the gorgeous truss fork draws attention, but is an interesting manufacturing endeavor that not many take on anymore. The pegs at the back are a personal touch as this is Sam’s personal bike, and he added those on so his daughter can ride on the back as he pedals along. The characters on the headbadge and top cap are references to characters in East London and ones near the shop. They’re drawn by Sam’s wife, Judith, and aren’t typically offered on more common Stayer bikes.

Gaza Sunbirds link

Palestine

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It was my distinct pleasure to chat to Karim Ali, who represented the Gaza Sunbirds at this year’s show. The Sunbirds are a cycling team out of Palestine that takes the horrors inflicted on them through the genocide currently happening in Gaza and turns them into stories of triumph. Centering around the victims of targeted attacks that have left citizens of the country without a leg, the Gaza Sunbirds have taken the little they are given, with regard to cycling equipment, and done everything from deliver life-saving supplies to fellow Palestinians to compete on the world stage. While Stayer Cycles proudly donated a frame to the Sunbirds, the main reason for Karim’s presence at the show was to ask the talented makers present to create a better model for their clipless prosthetic. Because the amputated limb hangs off the bike and “wastes” considerable kinetic energy by swinging side to side while riding, these bespoke carbon fiber prosthetics have been created to aid in the Sunbirds’s performance. Of course, they’re custom, incredibly expensive, and hyper-specific.

With their goal of competing at the Paralympics, they need all the help they can get. If you’re interested in donating to their cause, please visit this link.

Collins Cycleworks link

Worcestershire, UK

Patch Collins was one of the first people I ran into at the show, and I was sure glad I did. A relatively new name to the bag-making scene here in the UK, Patch’s background in both automotive and seafaring upholstery has informed his bag-making approach. “I’d do a bit in a car, and it would just drive off. With this, I can enjoy it. I can go out and test it. I quite like that,” he said. Though Patch is a one-man operation creating largely custom offerings, he has some semi-standardized classics on his site that are all made to order. It’s a process he has largely defined and one he enjoys while splitting time at his day-job in a bar.

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I was intrigued by the demo bike he brought to show off this full touring setup, a modified Surly Cross-Check he made some additions to for the sake of his own preferences. Adding disc brakes, internal routing on the top tube so it no longer collided with the straps of his bags, and stretching the chainstays to fit a very off-center 50mm tire in the back, it’s typical of most “industry Surlys” I like looking at. I maintain that anyone who has ever done anything interesting in the space has had a Surly, and that remains true here.

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Ballern Cycleworks link

Hamburg, Germany

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Bennet Janz was one of the more spoken-about builders at the show, and looking at his first foray into full-suspension mountain bikes, it’s pretty easy to see why. Consulting with Paul of BTR Fabrications, Bennet was a very busy boy in the weeks and months leading into the show. Finishing up a technicians course in automotive design, Bennet was completing the last bits of his thesis while putting the final touches on this incredible frame. A thesis, I might add, that centered on his own design of a both a full-suspension mountain bike rear triangle and mitering jig. To add to the stress of a full life, Bennet’s welder and milling machine also broke in the process of making this bike. Did I mention he’s also an essential member of the Bespoked team and had plenty of demands on him to ensure the show went as planned?

As for the specifics of the frame, it features a 150mm head tube from Jolie Rouge Cycles,4130 seat and top tube with a 20 degree bend, Columbus seat and chainstays, 110mm travel front and back and custom machined bearing seats. Nevertheless, Bennet was one of the nicest, most amenable people I encountered at Bespoked, and I was excited to hear of his ultra-distance plans for the bike. Regarding the headache of a build process, Bennet said, “In Germany, we say ‘a good horse only jumps as high as it must,’ which I think is quite suitable.”

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Garbaruk link

Krakow, Poland

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Component maker Garbaruk was out at Bespoked with some exciting new components. Eventually looking to have a complete drivetrain system, Garbaruk will soon be offering their own electronic derailleur. Programable across a range of speeds and cassettes, the tooth limit will be determined by the Garbaruk cage users decide to affix to it. Currently, their derailleur is only geared toward mountain bike offerings, with a flat bar control being its sole existing actuator, but, the representative at the booth told me they’re looking into developing controls for drop bars as well.

Creature Cycles link

Corris, Wales

Winning “Peers’ Choice” at the award show on the first night, James Garrard of Creature Cycles was truly something to marvel at. Painted by Lee Morgan and with a front end by Gav White of Coal Bikes, the semi-collaborative machine drew the adoration of pretty much everyone. The almost alien-like nature of its components and paint scheme made this steel full-suspension creation seem all the more other-worldly. Said to be the purest form of a modern trail bike, the Galago MX features 150-160mm of rear travel, 160-170 of front travel, Reynolds 631, Dedaccai, and T45 steel tubing, and a rear triangle that was designed by James himself. What really drew my eye, however, was the small brace at the front of the bike. James preferred it to a typical gusset design and said it accomplished to task of adding strength to a common failure point on bikes of the sort without the drawbacks of typical gussets. Irrespective of the function, the aesthetic took the bike even further.

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Speaking to James while shooting the bike on the little hill behind the venue, he came across a bit more relaxed. Owning a running a cafe in Wales with his wife, he isn’t dependent on bikes for a living. Given the talent he’s shown in both the build and through his design collaborations with other builders, I have no doubts about his ability to do so, but it was interesting to speak to someone who had come from slightly different motivations. It seemed fun and light, and as we walked back and forth between the show floor and where I staged the bikes, he peered around the meager parking lot, eye-ing up potential spots. “Yeah, man, I haven’t actually ridden this thing. Now that it’s all shot and stuff, I’m literally going to rip it just around here,” he said. The small student housing complex lacked berms but had a few mounds for this cool Creature to jump off of.

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Craft Bikes link

Kent, England

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Winning “Best Mountain Bike” at the show last year, James and Chloe of Craft Bikes were out in force again this year. Primarily focusing on their 3D-printing technology and the benefits of doing so, I must’ve spoken to James for longer than any other person at the show. Part of that was sort of a captive audience effect as he drew me in with tales of passion care regarding each individual weld and the detail he puts into both his bikes and the experience he tries to provide for his customers. The other part was pure laughs, as the native South African couldn’t stop cracking jokes.

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Visiting a place like Bespoked is interesting for many reasons. By nature of the practice, framebuilders are opinionated. Like anything that requires a praxis—a combination of theory and practice—you really have to believe in what you’re talking about. After all, you’re investing thousands upon thousands of dollars into the materials, means, and marketing of the project. Why wouldn’t you have strong opinions about the practices you employ? But, speaking to James was different. I had the feeling that, irrespective of what I brought up, he could go on a multi-hour long diatribe about his rationale and why it was potentially the only way to accomplish the task. That isn’t to say he was a bully or close-minded, rather—unless the guy is going to take home an Oscar sometime soon—he really believed it.

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You might be asking, “Okay, Nic, what does he believe?” Among other things: in himself, his wife, and his business. From detail behind why the bloody chainstay weld looked a certain way, to the choice of headtube, downtube, routing system, and pretty much everything in between, there wasn’t an aspect of the process James isn’t obsessed with. So, while I can’t say the market for bespoke, 3D-printed titanium bikes is all that big given what they’re going to end up costing, what I can say is: I’m in. If James and Chloe are behind the product, I’m sold.

Brooks link

Smethwick, England

A mainstay of most shows is the Brooks booth. Be it a place for small builders to show a single bike with other talented, up-and-coming makers or simply a show of the storied brand, I always enjoy seeing the company that quietly lives on pretty much all of my bikes in person. Though there isn’t a ton to say about current product, Brooks has made some recent additions to their team that are quite exciting. Chief among them, Joergen Trepp, who hinted at some really exciting things coming down the pike. In the interim, enjoy this lovely Monopole cargo bike the brand donated to Brooks for the show. Lucas has had one of their rigs for a few months, and he’ll have a review out shortly. Stay tuned.

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We’ll be back tomorrow with more from the 2025 Bespoked Manchester show. In the meantime, dig into past coverage from the show via our #bespoked tag, with coverage dating back to the first edition in 2019.

Further Reading

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