Bike Check: Jan’s Custom Heart Breaker Light
Let me be very clear: this is my number one, absolute favorite build from Bespoked Dresden. Funky, experimental, and raw, but always built with intent. This is a bike that deserves to be seen by as many people as possible! You know it, it’s totally my vibe, and that’s why today, we’re taking a closer look at Jan’s Heart Breaker Light from True Love Cycles.
I’ve been following True Love for a few years now. At some point, I was genuinely considering ordering one of Jan’s gravel frames, but Slow Spin Society slowly took over, along with a very visceral need to save every possible euro, simply because I had no idea what was coming next.
The original Heart Breaker was a drop-bar MTB that made quite some noise when it launched. Featured on The Radavist, it stood out immediately thanks to its wild custom Rockshox RS1 fork. It was clearly ahead of its time, and now, Jan is back with another mad creation, one that was first and foremost built for himself.
The Heart Breaker Light was born from a desire to make something lighter, but also deliberately going against the current trend of gravel bikes moving toward front suspension as the norm. And from the perspective of someone who has been closely observing the frame-building world for a few years now, you learn one thing quickly: when a builder designs a bike for himself, it’s usually something special.
That’s exactly the case here. A racy gravel geometry with a low stack, long reach, short stem, and massive tire clearance. Purposeful. Focused! I mean, let’s start with the frameset, and especially the fork. This titanium fork, made by Singular Cycles, features a 3D-printed crown and dropouts. Visually, it’s already a statement, but beyond that, it’s metal! Nothing against carbon forks, but you know my love for metal bikes, and this one is absolutely right up my alley.
Detailed Parts List
Frameset
True Love Cycles Heart Breaker Light with Singular Ti fork
Groupset SRAM Force levers with XO MTB rear derailer
Crankset
Cannondale Hollowgram with Garbaruk Chainring
Seatpost and Saddle
Tune everything
Stem and Handlebar
Tune everything
Wheels Tune Wheelset and Schwalbe G-One RS Pro
Brakes
Growtac Calipers and Galfer rotors
The front triangle is built from stainless Columbus XCR tubing, paired once again with 3D-printed lugs at the head tube, and seat cluster, that even features an integrated seat clamp.
And if you think titanium and stainless together is already an uncommon mix… Hold on.
The razor-thin rear triangle was only made possible through custom chromoly tubing and Columbus Zona chainstays, and that’s exactly what Jan chose to complete this frame.
By merging titanium, stainless steel, and steel, Jan created something truly wild, and then decided to push it even further by keeping the whole frameset raw. Nothing to hide, every weld exposed. A pure showcase of craftsmanship.
The only “finish” comes from the colors born out of heat from the torch. This technique isn’t often used on steel or stainless. And while we’re all very familiar with titanium anodizing by now, heat coloring offers a completely different palette of colors, organic, unpredictable, and deeply satisfying to look at. Mixing three materials in one frame is already bold; making them flow seamlessly, raw and unfiltered, borders on mad science.
And if you think the interesting parts stop there… Think again! Aside from the subtle touch of color from a Chris King headset, the entire build is stacked with Tune components, including a pair of 50 mm deep carbon wheels wrapped in Schwalbe pre-production G-One RS Pro tires, giving the bike an incredibly aggressive stance.
The drivetrain is just as unconventional: a mix of SRAM XO MTB, Force mechanical levers, Growtac brakes from Japan, and a 10–52 cassette. The crankset? An old Cannondale Hollowgram, paired with a Garbaruk chainring.
When I asked Yan why, he explained that the original Cannondale chainring offset allows him to run larger chainrings, even on a bike that can clear 2.4” tires.
Yes… 2.4”.
There’s so much to say about people like Jan, builders who constantly push the envelope of what we think is possible. And that, precisely, is the kind of thing that makes me vibrate as a cycling enthusiast.
I gotta get one of those!
🎞: Kodak Color Plus 200
📷: Leica M6
📍: Dresden
