Bespoked: It’s About the People
If you follow anything about the custom and tailor made bike world, you probably already know about the Bespoked bike show. For its third edition in Dresden, Germany, I was finally there, camera in hand, trying to capture just a fraction of the overwhelming amount of incredible work on display. Some of the most beautiful bicycles on the planet were under one roof, and witnessing that level of craft in person was just unreal.
But before I get into what I saw on the show floor, I want to share a bit of the backstage experience, and the press side of it all. It was my first time having access to a proper media room, surrounded by journalists in full workflow mode. And even though we were all covering the same bikes, talking to the same builders, and documenting the same stories, I immediately felt the gap between Slow Spin Society and the rest of the media world.
While everyone was already uploading bikes, posting reels, and pushing content on day one, I was stressing out about the dozen rolls of film still sitting undeveloped in my bag. I knew I wouldn’t be able to post anything immediately, not without going through the long, imperfect, analog process that defines how I work.
Yes, SSS operates differently. It doesn’t follow today’s rhythm of instant media and is ultimately… slower. But I think that tempo fits the framebuilding scene perfectly. These artisans spend weeks, sometimes months, creating the wildest custom bikes I’ve ever seen. They’re the ones pushing our vision of cycling beyond what we know and into uncharted territory through what they build. So yes, I did shoot a dozen bikes, and yes, the bike checks will roll out over the next couple of months. Because slow is how we do it here.
That being said, I only have respect and admiration for the other media outlets that were there: GCN, The Radavist, Bikepacking.com, Raw Magazine, and many others, as it was genuinely inspiring to see them work. No exaggeration, I watched John and Spenser from The Radavist going in and out of the press room all day, swapping batteries and SD cards, barely taking time to eat, showing zero signs of slowing down, and still producing the kind of beautiful images The Radavist is known for. Guilty of being a total fanboy… And 100% assumed.
Obviously, none of this would have been possible without everyone behind Bespoked: the sponsors, and of course, all the attendees. Petor and his team put in a tremendous amount of work to give brands, framebuilders, newcomers, veterans, and other artisans a real space to showcase what they can do, beyond social media. The main event, the after-parties, the logistics, the energy, every aspect deserves recognition and support, and the best way to give them that is by showing up to the next edition, whether it’s back here in Dresden, in the UK, or even in Osaka, Japan next year.
Alright, now to the part you all came here for: What caught my eye over those three days, beyond the many beautiful bikes I photographed (which you’ll eventually see… just not in this article)? 3D printing was everywhere, from full metal frames to hybrid designs combining carbon fiber, like Curve’s Best Gravel Bike winner. Another standout was Arpège, a promising newcomer from France experimenting with weaving linen and wood fibers into its tube finishes, creating a surprisingly organic and elegant result.
While I do appreciate the craftsmanship involved in bonding carbon fiber with titanium or stainless lugs, I’m still a sucker for full-metal bikes. And don’t worry, there were plenty of them on display, with some truly impressive work: mini-velos, mini-cargos, and all sorts of in-between creations in steel, titanium, and aluminum! This is only a fraction of what was on the show floor, but special mention goes to the beautiful randonneuse from Cypercycle, the stunning titanium gravel-endurance bike from Alonukis, and the many playful builds that Endless Bikes brought along.
It’s not my first time covering a bike show, and while I know it’s impossible to capture every bike on the floor, I still find it challenging to take satisfying photos with all the visual noise in the background. But at least you’ll get some extra interesting bits alongside the many bike checks coming soon. What was much easier, and far more fun, was to photograph was the drag race organized on Saturday night, which probably made for some of the most memorable moments of this edition.
To sum it up, I wanted this article to serve as a simple introduction to the many bike checks to come over the next few months, featuring some of my favorite builds from the show. But I also want to take a moment to thank everyone who made it all possible. As mentioned before, I can only imagine the incredible effort the Bespoked team put in behind the scenes. But to me, this is what a true bike show should be: By the people, for the people, and that doesn’t take itself too seriously. Because after all, we ride, make, and build bikes, simply because it’s fun, and that’s already more than enough.
All that and he still finds time to drive people around!
🌐 bespoked.cc
🎞: Kodak Color Plus 200/Kodak Portra 400
📷: Leica M6
📍: Dresden Airport
