Reader’s Rig: Simon’s Custom Waltly Titanium

Words and photos by Simon Spring

Hi, my name is Simon Spring. I live in Bern, Switzerland, but I grew up in the same little village in the epic Bernese Oberland as the former associate administrator for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA. I spent multiple years abroad in England, France, and Portugal. From an early age, biking was a way to extend my range and explore the nearby woods.

I did a four-year apprenticeship as a musical instrument maker and later studied architecture. Now I work as a construction consultant and architect for the preservation of historical buildings from the 11th to the 20th century. In my free time, I enjoy having access to a woodworking workshop where I make nearly all of my own furniture. Generally, I like making things by myself, especially designing furniture or other objects – being very much inspired by Japanese aesthetics and their sense of patina or Wabi-Sabi. See a few examples below.

This passion for making things by myself also led me to do some bikepacking bags, which I have sewn or welded together in order to make them waterproof.

I found my way to bikepacking after some years of suffering from a herniated disc. This injury forced me to almost completely give up my main sporting passion, windsurfing, which I was practicing for many years. While windsurfing and bikepacking are quite different at first glance, they both share the feeling of absolute freedom. The smile that a good wave or successful jump can put on your face is comparable to riding a descent on a remote road or trail in a beautiful landscape. And, of course, the feeling of sleeping under the infinity of a night sky and observing some shooting stars is just magical, no matter if it’s on a beach or somewhere on a mountaintop.

The bikepacking fever really hit me in 2017 after I bought a Salsa Vaya and took it on a multi-day tour to southern France. While riding mostly tarmac, I found that riding gravel or even flowy trails is even more fun. While the Vaya is designed for light touring and gravel bikepacking, I was looking for a bike that is more at ease on trails. Therefore, I first built up a Surly ECR and then a Fargo. At 1.8 meters (5’11”) tall, I felt between the sizes M and L on both the ECR and the Fargo. So, I came to the conclusion that I would have to design my proper rig.

In early 2022, I started to compare different frame geometries and filled up some spreadsheets. What might sound quite boring to some really helped me to get to know what I wanted and to understand the different frame parameters before I started CAD drawings of the frame geometry. My friend and bike mechanic Mario assisted me with simulating the geometry through bike fitting and advised me on some details.

• Frame Waltly Custom Titanium
• Fork Whisky No. 9 MTN Boost LT Fork
• Rims 29″ Koba Toboga 935 Carbon
• Hubs SON28 (front) / Chris King Boost (rear)
• Tires Vittoria Mezcal 29 x 2.6″
• Handlebars Salsa Rustler Carbon
• Headset Chris King InSet i7
• Crankset Cane Creek Eewings Titanium
• Pedals OneUp Composite
• Cassette SRAM X01, 11-52t
• Derailleur 1×12 SRAM GX Eagle
• Brakes PAUL Klamper w/ Canti Levers
• Shifter(s) SRAM GX Eagle
• Saddle Specialized Mirror Pro
• Seatpost Thomson Covert with Wolf Tooth Components Remote
• Stem Thomson Elite X4 50mm
• Front bags Swift Industries Ardea Pack and DIY Pack
• Frame bags Ride and Get Lost Custom
• Rear bags Wayward Riders Louise Dropper Post Harness V2
• Accessory bags Oveja Negra Chuckbucket Handlebar Snack Bag, Tailfin Top Tube Pack
• Other accessories Sinewave Cycles Beacon 1

The idea of this bike was to create a lightweight ATB with long-lasting components and a geometry that would work for both a 120mm suspension fork and a rigid one. For now, I’m riding it with a rigid Whisky fork, and I love it so far. I made this bike with the mindset to explore the nearby Alps on trails.

The bike frame was produced by Waltly. Despite a long process of dealing with lots of questions about various details, the exchange was really good, and I would definitely do it again. And, last but not least, the quality of the frame turned out to be astonishing.

The bike was finished nearly a year ago, in August 2022, just one month after my son was born. He is the good reason why I haven’t been able to do a multi-day tour with the bike so far, and sometimes my partner keeps teasing me that this bike is my second baby. She is not completely wrong, but not right either, because this bike is a machine!

Nevertheless, I’m planning to ride a two-day tour in the very eastern part of Switzerland at the beginning of August, from Scuol through the valleys of S-charl and Mora to Levigno in Italy. I’m looking forward to this tiny adventure and many more to come.

Thanks to Andreas for the personal pictures and Velomario for the support and assembly of this bike.

You can keep up with Simon on Instagram.

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