For three years running, the Bespoked bike show has held its late-season edition in Dresden, Germany. Located within the Saxon city's international airport, the claimed "world's largest handmade bike show" draws a wide variety of brands and builders from over twenty different countries. As such, the bikes and products on display span the gamut from classic randonneuring machines to long-travel mountain bikes.
It would be impossible for Escape Collective's one-person crew (me) to cover everything on display, though this gallery and subsequent installments coming later this week will highlight a representative example.
Josh Weinberg
Quokka Cycles
At just 24 years old, Brivaël (aka Kang) of Quokka Cycles is already making strong statements with his builds. By blending modern technology with traditional materials and methods, Quokka frames incorporate elements such as 3D-printed pieces into their traditional brazing construction.
The name Quokka, which is a small macropod marsupial, comes from Kang's upbringing on a kangaroo farm in La Possonnière, France.
One of the most recently built Quokkas on display at the show, this Falcon Disc exemplifies the builder's specialties. The bold front end with oversized headtube for integrated cable routing, uniquely-shaped 3D-printed fork crown, and flattened top tube.
While all Quokkas are made to measure, this model was recently updated to incorporate UDH derailleur mounting into the rear dropouts and up to 700 x 40 tire fitment in the standard version.
The claimed weight for a size medium Falcon Disc (frame only) is 1,850 grams and pricing starts at EU€3,660.
Shown in modern rando mode, the bags featured are made in nearby Brussels. Each is sewn from X-Pac fabric, and they feature simple attachment and closures like lacing and roll-tops.
The frame bag, in particular, is designed to hug close to the tubing for less aerodynamic sacrifice when used on its own without a handlabar setup.
Fern Bicycles and Gramm Tourpacking
Berlin-based Fern and Gramm teamed up on this Chacha 650b-wheel modern randonneuring frame and bag set. This is the classic randonneuring platform established in builder Florian Hausler's catalog long ago.
But this time, he built two identically sized frames, each with different tubing, to see how an oversized down tube (not on the display bike) handled loaded and unloaded riding versus standard-diameter tubes. The future learnings will inform his builds and help respond to customer requests.
Typical of Fern, the build features many interesting details. First, it shifts courtesy of Growtac's friction levers paired to a Campagnolo Ekar mech, with braking coming from Paul Cantis on Velocity machined-sidewall alloy rims. The crankset is a customized Specialties T.A.
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