Bespoked Dresden 2026: Ballern, Rash, Alonukis, Mason, and Safi on HUNT wheels!
Bespoked Dresden! One of my favourite European framebuilding rendezvous took place just a few weeks ago. As usual, there was plenty to discover: gravel bikes, road bikes, cargo bikes, and more than a few wonderfully eccentric creations. For this first instalment, we’ll look at what Hunt had on display, including five bikes sponsored by the brand for the show.
A big thank you to Hunt for helping cover some of the costs of my trip to Bespoked Dresden this year. Their support made it possible for me to attend the show and report on the work being presented there. As always, transparency is a must on SSS so now that you know, let’s take a look at some bikes.
Ballern Cycles Road Plus
Detailed Parts List
Frameset
Baller Cycles
Groupset Sram RED AXS
Crank
Sram RED
Saddle
SQLab
Stem and Handlebar
Enve Stem and bars
Wheels
HUNT 50 Carbon Disc
Starting with Bennet from Ballern Cycles, who built this “road-plus” for a client who happens to also be a (very tall) friend. The goal here was to be more generous than a conventional road machine but still a step short of fully committing to gravel. Create something fast and clean for the present, while leaving room for the owner to keep adapting it over a very long life.
The frame is built in raw Columbus XCR stainless steel, with no paint and no clear coat, just beautifully finished metal. Currently set up with a Columbus Trefoil fork fully filled with a 35 mm tire, though the rear can clear somewhere around 40 to 45 mm of rubber. That means a future fork change could open up the bike further, add tire volume, and relax the 73.5-degree head angle. A useful bit of future-proofing for a rider just over two metres tall.
The frame also uses an integrated seatmast design with a braided carbon seat tube. This one is a three-layer construction that combines vertical, horizontal, and 30-degree fibres, designed to tie the structure together while still offering a little compliance without becoming too soft for such a tall rider.
Rasch Cycles “Mom’s Bike”
Frameset
Rasch Cycles
Groupset Shimano SLX (11-52)
Crank
Shimano Cues
Seatpost and Saddle
PLT post, Brook B17
Stem and Handlebar
Shimoano pro stem and riser bar
Wheels
Mason X HUNT 4 Season Disc
This is a bike built for the Kata’s mum, and honestly, I had a hard time not having my heart melt when she told me why. Its job is to get Kata’s mom, and her ceramics to the local market, with enough carrying capacity for whatever bags, boxes, or slightly unpredictable loads come with the day.
Because there was no real option for a rear rack, the solution was to build the front fork and rack as a complete system alongside a fully custom rear trailer. The front platform gives her a stable place for everyday carry while still keeping the bike compact and practical. But for market days, the trailer can come in action to haul pretty much everything she'd want. Definitely a contender for coolest mum around.
It rolls on Hunt’s 650B Mason collaboration wheels, fitted with huge 57 mm Schwalbe G-One Allround tyres, so there is plenty of tubber for a loaded bike and less-than-perfect roads. The rest is a sensible mix of Shimano CUES and SLX drivetrain parts, Shimano Pro cockpit, a Brooks saddle, and of course, a Gramm frame bag.
Alonukis Framework ERT Titanium
Frameset
Alonukis Framework ERT Titanium with ROCK SHOX SID Ultimate 120mm
Groupset
Shimano XT M8200 12s
Crank
Hope Evo Crank
Seatpost and Saddle
Tune post, Brooks C13
Stem and Handlebar
Custom Alonukis Stem, Hope 20r carbon handlebar
Wheels
HUNT Proven Race XC
This is the latest version of Alonukis’ custom ERT titanium hardtail, refined with a more comfort-oriented geometry. It gets a higher stack and a less aggressive riding position, making it a better fit for long days and potential aero-bar use without losing the fast, purposeful character of the original.
The tubing remains the same double-butted titanium selection used on the prototype shown at Bespoked London, and after almost 3,000 km of riding on that first bike, Johannes felt the tubes had more than earned another outing. The biggest visual evolution is the finish: the anodizing now covers the entire frame, all done in-house, and it looks absolutely incredible.
Mason Cycles Macro 32”
Frameset Mason Macro 32”
Groupset
Simano XTR
Crank
Simano XTR
Seatpost and Saddle
Mason carbon post, Fizik Argo saddle
Stem and Handlebar
Ritchey Superlogic Cockpit
Wheels
HUNT Proven 32”
This Mason Macro is built for going a long way, quickly, while carrying a proper load. And as you probably guessed, this one is designed around 32-inch wheels, and while what I think about 32” bikes is another article altogether. I need to give credits to Dom Mason for making a 32er that actually looks like a bike.
It is also suspension-corrected, so you can run it as shown with a rigid fork or fit a suspension fork later without ruining the handling. The cockpit is similarly adaptable: the Macro can be run with external, internal, or fully integrated cable routing, and even if you’re seeing it here in its flat bar version, a drop-bar setup is completely possible too.
The wheels are Hunt Proven 32s, fitted with the enormous 32 × 2.4-inch tires. With wheels this big, the 28T chainring paired to an XTR 11–52 cassette does totally make sense. The build also gets Ritchey SuperLogic flat bars and stem, Mason carbon seatpost, and a Fizik Argo saddle, apparently Dom’s favorite choice for long gravel and touring rides.
At the back is the new Tailfin dedicated 32-inch SpeedPack for this very particular bike, but one that makes a convincing case for 32-inch wheels once you imagine it fully loaded and rolling all day.
Safi Works G50.1
Frameset
Safi Works G50.1
Groupset
Shimano XTR Di2
Crank
Raketa
Seatpost and Saddle
Polymer post, Fizik saddle
Stem and Handlebar
Polymer integrated combo
Wheels
HUNT Limitless 5AM Gravel
Even if he isn’t the one who technically welded that frame, Safi did work as a framebuilder for years before stepping away to learn from larger industry operations. Unfortunately the Safi couldn’t be there to tell me more about the G50.1 (Man needs to get his collarbone fixed… and most of us know how much that one hurts…). But it seems that after framebuilding, he has returned with a far more focused vision: carefully engineered steel frames designed in Copenhagen and produced in limited, controlled batches in Taichung, Taiwan.
The new G50.1 is the result of that reset. Built as a high-end gravel frameset, it combines a Columbus Spirit and Life steel front triangle, an in-house carbon fork, proprietary head tube, dropouts, and seatpost clamp. It is no longer one-off custom work, but it has clearly kept that mindset of making every part feel considered.
The geometry follows a modern gravel direction, with a steeper seat tube, longer reach, and higher stack. It clears up to 50 mm tires, has fully internal cable routing, and is electronic-groupset only. (Some of you might not like that…)
This one came on a pair of yet unreleased HUNT Limitless 5AM Gravel, and in this deep “Red Ochre” color that looked amazing in the HUNT warehouse.
Thank you to Hunt for sponsoring part of the 2026 Bespoked Dresden coverage.
💾 : Leica SL
📍: Dresden
