That One Washed Out Roll from Bespoked… (Avalanche and Sour)
Here is a little story for you! When I arrived at Bespoked Dresden this year, I had only one thing in mind… How in the world was I going to be able to shoot all of these bikes, with the gloomy weather, gray sky, and total lack of nice natural light. On top of that, I only had my usual rolls of 200 ISO Kodak Color Plus and an extra one of Fuji Color 400 that spent the summer on the dashboard of my van. What could possibly go wrong, right? Well here are 36 exposures of faded Fuji film, dues probably to heat, and with honestly very little I could do to arrange this green cast on all of it. But! It is what it is, and today we’re looking at two great builds from Bespoked Dresden, through the SSS scope, a.k.a. “Why can’t I use digital like everybody else?”
Avalanche Cycles Ti Gravel
Since I had two bike checks on this roll, we’re going to cover them together! First up is this beautiful titanium gravel from Avalanche Cycles. Based in Paris, Avalanche has been on my radar for a few years now, and this custom titanium frame has one feature I’ve recently developed a weakness for: truss forks. They’re one of those details you seem to appreciate more and more as you get older. My whole life has been about simple, minimalistic builds, but now that I’ve hit thirty, I’ve entered the phase where the more tubes I see, the better!
So imagine my excitement when I saw this titanium truss fork with an integrated front rack, perfectly paired with an intentionally over-crafted stainless steel stem. Fun fact: This bike was built for a client after a run-in with the local postman. And having this story etched as a little comic on the top tube serves as a daily reminder that if you get hit by anything from the public sector, suing them to oblivion for a new bike might just be the best way to reclaim your taxes.
Detailed Parts List
Frameset
Avalanche Cycles
Groupset Sram Force with
Garbaruk cage, cassette, and crankset
Seatpost and Saddle
Avanlanche Ti Seatpost, Berthoud Cycles Saddle
Stem and Handlebar
Custom Avalanche Cycles Stainless stem
Wheels Duke rims laced to Som front and Aivee rear hub. Hutchinson Touareg Tires.
Brakes
Growtac
Lately, titanium bikes have shown somehow of a clear trend among framebuilders: the pursuit of something timeless. Bikes that don’t just carry you, they outlive you, blending traditional vision with modern craftsmanship. This build has that duality. You’ll find 3D-printed titanium lugs, and a modern geometry, but no electronic groupsets, because keeping it fully analog was part of the point. And you can’t really go wrong with a SRAM Force derailleur and Growtac brakes. The rest of the drivetrain comes from Garbaruk, while the leather saddle and bar tape are by Berthoud Cycles, proudly made in France. Simple, precise, enduring, truly a bike built to last.
As always amazing work from Laurent And Marie, and you can find more of what they do here ➡️ @avalanchecycles
Sour Bicycles Party Dome
Next up is the Sour Party Dome, here with none other than Chris, the owner of Sour Bicycles. The Party Dome strikes the perfect balance between Sour’s Pasta Party, XC hardtail and Kona’s ’90s Lava Dome. The homage runs deep, from the decals and paint to the Manitou 120mm fork, complete with vintage logos and a silver crown. A matching silver PNW dropper post pairs perfectly with the “Foolseye” crankset (designed and built with Cybler Cycles), a clever nod to the classic bullseye cranks.
Detailed Parts List
Frameset
Custom Sour “Party Dome”, Manitou R8 120mm, with retro 97’ decals
Groupset Sram 1987 derailer and cassette, Foolseye crankset, hope chainring
Seatpost and Saddle
PNW dropper post, SQLab 611
Stem and Handlebar
Custom Cyber Cycle Stem, Pro Taber C12 riser bar
Wheels Hope Rim and Hubs, Swalbe 2.25” Rocket Ron tires
Brakes
Hope XCR Brakes
There are so many cool details on this bike, like the custom steel stem (also by Cybler Cycles) with a Paul Components front plate, the large amount of hope parts for brakes, and pretty much everything rotating. Or even the 420 frame number, because, “At Sour, every special project or prototype is either 420 or 69.”
Overall, it’s an awesome project by Sour, and a perfect celebration of one the icon of an entire generation of MTB riders.
You can find more Sour creations, right here ➡️ @sour.bicycles
Don’t keep your film on your dashboard!
🎞:Washed Out Kodak Ultramax 400
📷: Leica M6
📍: Dresden Airport
