Bikes and Builders of Bespoked Dresden 2024 (Part 3)

Bike and builder portraits by Stefan Haehnel, others by Josh Meissner

Even though I’ve been to many of these kinds of things before, as I look back on the weekend, I’m still awe-struck by the hundreds of exceptional bikes on display at Bespoked Dresden 2024 and the welcoming community of gifted people who made them. Germany is a long way from my home in Colorado, but I can see now that I’d absolutely have missed out if I didn’t make the trip to help cover this year’s show. Seeing how builders interacted with one another and attendees was beautiful, as was hearing the exchange of ideas and appreciation among folks who might be encouraged to act more like competitors in another domain.

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Beyond absorbing all the bikes and other bits at the show, having another opportunity to collaborate in person with Josh Meissner, who co-authored all three of reports, and Stefan Haehnel, who shot all of the wonderful bike and builder portraits, was a clear highlight of my time in Dresden. Before diving in further, I want to thank them for their tireless work (danke, Jungs!). Thanks also to our readers for joining us at this singular event showcasing what’s possible with enough vision, passion, and hard work. Without further delay, I’m pleased to present our last installment from Bespoked Dresden 2024.

Quokka Voyager x Cours s’il Pleut Bags link

La Possonniere, France

According to legendary radio host and writer Ira Glass, getting good at any creative craft is all about closing the taste gap. You must first produce lots of middling work that may fall short of your high standards until you start consistently making your best work. It can be a lengthy, frustrating process. 

After finishing high school, young French framebuilder Brivaël, or Kang, decided against engineering or business studies. He just wanted to build bikes. So, he started an apprenticeship at the French made-to-measure bicycle manufacturer Cyfac, alternating between six weeks on the shop floor and two weeks in trade school. “I learned the hard way, just filing the welds for a year,” Kang said. “And then, one day, they told me, ‘You can do your first frame.’ And I was like, yeah, let’s go, finally!” Just 23 years old, he reckons he’s got an impressive 150 to 200 frames under his belt since he started building bikes at just 17.

This extensive, deliberate practice allowed Kang to develop his vision and framebuilding skills to an uncommon degree before founding his own brand, Quokka Cycles, two years ago. He currently offers six models—some with more tire clearance, some with less—in stock sizes with custom options and finishes. Admiring his dreamy Voyager gravel bike, he seems well on his way to closing that taste gap.

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We nominated the Voyager as one of our runners-up for “Best Gravel Bike” at the show. It struck us as a uniquely airy, minimalist gravel bike that strongly resonated with our classic sensibilities and didn’t take itself too seriously.  “The idea was to build something very slick and peaceful,” Kang explained, and we feel that. 

Kang’s track influence is visible throughout the minimalist frame. There’s not a single unused rack mount in sight. The seatstays kiss the seat tube to form a beautiful triple triangle, reducing felt vibrations. “It’s an old way of doing it. It’s a reference to the French randonneurs of the 1950s, ’60s, and ’70s, and I really wanted to have this old French style on my brand-new gravel bike model,” Kang said. The fillet-brazed Voyager frame is paired with the Columbus Futura Cross+ fork and fits voluminous 700 x 48mm tires. 

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Through a mutual contact, Kang was connected with our treasured friend and longtime contributor Gaëlle Bojko, who’s perhaps best known for her grand “Bike to the Blocks” tour around Europe in 2019, as featured in the eighth issue of The Bikepacking Journal. Beyond quietly producing some of the most memorable and inspiring videos and text articles we’ve ever shared on the site, Gaëlle now makes bags and garments for cycling and more under the brand Cours S’il Pleut, an ambiguous play on the phrase “run when it rains” from her childhood. She makes all products in her workshop in Le Mans, France. We love the super detailed product descriptions and intricate sketches on her website, which draw from her architectural training. 

On the Voyager, Kang’s energetic track background mixes with Gaëlle’s quiet and deliberate touring ethos. “She’s amazing. She’s so gentle, and it’s always such a pleasure to work with her on projects,” Kang gushed. “There aren’t many framebuilders and bag makers in northwest France, so we were happy to find each other and work on some things together,” Gaëlle told me. 

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To keep the bike feeling light, Gaëlle chose a translucent white Dyneema face fabric for the bags with a blue UltraGrid backing that shimmers through like light shifting behind clouds. The innovative quick-release lacing of the frame bag provides a classic look and easy removal. On the fork, we see a special mini version of her Sarma Panniers that have been previously tested at Concours de Machines in the Pyrenees this year. The bags slot straight into the prototype cargo cages that Kang is still iterating. He’s also developing a headset spacer with integrated support for the handlebar roll. 

I’ll be eagerly following this dynamic duo between now and next year’s Bespoked show, which is returning to Dresden for 2025, and I hope we’ll have the opportunity to see and share more of their work next year!

Black Sheep Freedom 36er link

Fort Collins, Colorado, USA

Easily one of the most head-turning bikes at the show was the incredible titanium Freedom 36er by the venerable builder James Bleakley of Black Sheep Cycles in Fort Collins, Colorado, who has almost surely built more bikes than dozens of other builders combined in his three decades in the industry. It was funny to run into James in Dresden, who lives just an hour up the road from me back in Colorado. If you missed our Inside Black Sheep Bikes video visit from 2022, it beautifully captures James in his element and is well worth a watch.

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In essence, the Freedom 36er is a supersized adventure gravel bike. It’s not the first 36er James has built in his impressive framebuilding career, and he’s used to the universal reactions by now. “The German people are definitely a little more stoic. They don’t look at you, and I’ve still had people in the street stop me and say, ‘How big are those wheels?'” James told me. “I wanted to make T-shirts that say, ’36 inches, Unicycle.com, because we can,’ answering the three questions we always get.” 

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James says the enormous wheels turn stairs into ramps, so the Freedom 36er is perfect for damping the washboard gravel roads on his mixed rides around Colorado and neighboring Wyoming. The eye-catching sweeping seatstays are something he’s been doing since the early 2000s. They’re designed to add compliance to the rear without affecting the power transfer when you step on the pedals. A burly Vivo Enduro derailleur and silent Onyx hubs make for an exceptionally smooth ride (as our photographer Stefan can attest to, who couldn’t help but climb on for a quick lap around the terminal, seen below). 

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Josh was eager to try out the 36er as well, and he said it has a surprisingly familiar feel despite its extraordinary proportions. The light carbon rims are set up tubeless, and the 105mm offset on the fork speeds up the steering so it turns almost like a normal gravel bike. Seeing the machine roll around the terminal was an awesome sight to behold and elicited heaps of looks and laughs from fair-goers and travelers alike.

Manivelle link

Strasbourg, France

At this year’s show, Thomas and Silvin, the stylish pair behind Manivelle from Strasbourg, France, had great news to share with basket lovers. There was some uncertainty as to the fate of their Manivelle Basket following the notice that their French manufacturer, Caddie, was closing its doors after 96 long years. Thankfully, they managed to find another manufacturer in Poland who will pick up the manufacturing mantle. As I noted in my review, the Manivelle Basket is ideally sized between the small-ish Wald 137 and large 139. I’m thrilled to see it live on.

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They also showed off their new bag, La Bananadry, a large sling bag with a 5-14L capacity that transitions to a bike handlebar roll by stowing the hip belt and inserting a stainless steel stiffener. “We aren’t very good with names,” Thomas confessed with a chuckle. The versatile hauler is waterproof thanks to the upcycled tarpaulin and Gore-Tex-like membrane ends that let damp items breathe. They’ve been working with a social workshop in Strasbourg to produce Manivelle Bags and are excited that the workers there are gaining the skills to make some of their more complex patterns.

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Backdropping their extensive updated bag offering was their understated N°61 all-road bike painted in the subtly contrasting color scheme of the basket cruiser they showed last year. They crafted it for Joseph Levacher, a cyclist and author, to suit his style of fast, long rides, whether visiting friends or traveling to artistic residencies. Like most things from Manivelle, it doesn’t necessarily attract the eye straight away, but it delights the senses and sensibilities when you look closer.

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I’ve long adored Thomas and Silvin’s work and would have liked to spend more time with them and go a little deeper into what they’ve been up to since last year’s show, but such is the nature of frenetic events like Bespoked. Josh and I will be riding around their region of France next week, and maybe we can squeeze in a quick visit!

Fern Yo Ferny! x Gramm Bags link

Berlin, Germany

Amid the unfathomably cool smorgasbord of bikes on display at Bespoked Dresden 2024, perhaps the most joyful bike came from Berlin-based builder Florian (Flo) Haeussler of Fern Bicycles. Flo’s show-stopping Yo Ferny! deservedly took home the “Best Touring Bike” award, and Josh and I also picked it as a runner-up for “Best Gravel Bike.”

Conceived as an homage to acclaimed builder Chris Chance’s ’90s Team Fat Chance Yo Eddy! hardtail, the Fern Yo Ferny! is an all-road tourer that incorporates a number of Flo’s signature touches and details. It was painted by fellow framebuilder Jacek Orlowski just across the border in Poland and features an array of beautiful yellow bags made by Kristin (Tine) Heil of Gramm Tourpacking, who shares a workshop with Fern and works closely on all manner of projects. The two are gentle powerhouses in the European bike and bag scene, and I consider myself lucky to have shared a workshop with them during my time in Berlin. Folks in this industry work hard, but wow, do these two work ceaselessly to bring their seemingly unending stream of imaginative products into fruition.

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To that end, Flo built the Yo Ferny! for himself as a tool to work toward a more harmonious work-life balance. He told me something that’s obvious enough but bears repeating in today’s productivity-obsessed culture, “You need to ride bikes to be a good framebuilder. Otherwise, you lose the connection to your craft.” Hearing Flo talk about the Yo Ferny!, even in the last hour of a draining long weekend, I could see the genuine excitement on his face as he spoke about pedaling the Yo Ferny! and bouncing along the sleepy roads and trails of Brandenburg, the state surrounding Berlin. Especially after only getting a few minutes together at the whirlwind show, I hope we can catch up for a ride next time I’m here.

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It’s damn near impossible to pick any single favorite element to focus on, given it’s such a superb build, even as someone who doesn’t feel any particular nostalgia for 1990s mountain bikes. If pressed, that house-made slingshot stem and the elegant integration of the custom minimalist rear rack are standouts. Flo was also instrumental in bringing the canti-mount Cyber Cycles fork into existence, helping spec something with a modified rake, tapered blades, and other small tweaks that fit his distinctive aesthetic.

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Just as the show ended and visitors began making their way toward the exists, Flo walked me through some of his most-loved bits on the bike. These include the Extralight V-brakes, refinished Dura-Ace cranks (a tried and true Fern standard), integrated dynamo lighting, Tune Speedneedle saddle, Gevenalle shifters, 1×12 drivetrain, Continental Speed King tires (“Best tires ever made, nothing else to say about them,” according to Flo), PRO handlebars, and custom Acido tubing (named for his adorable 19-year-old shop dog, Acid). Congrats on your award, Tine and Flo!

Alonukis Aty Travel MTB link

Murnau am Staffelsee, Germany

Our curated coverage always aims to showcase a diverse selection of bikes and builders. Still, Josh pushed to include the Alonukis retro-inspired cruiser I shared in our first installment and this modern Aty travel mountain bike. It didn’t take much to convince me. All four bikes young Johannes Wandinger brought to the show were very compelling and expertly executed concepts that reveal his already sophisticated yet grounded sense of design and comprehensive craft skills. If you haven’t, I recommend reading our first installment after this one to discover how Johannes got here at such a young age. 

Johannes made the Aty for fellow builder David of Gutenbike in nearby Munich, which he said was a unique challenge. The word Aty is Krygz for horse, specifically the hardy local breed that thrives in the steppe and rugged alpine mountains. Living up to its name, this Alonukis is a compact 27.5″ all-terrain bike designed for the rough stuff and long-distance overland travel by any means. 

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The seatpost drops and the handlebars twist in seconds without tools via custom quick-release clamps for rolling onto the often packed trains that bring weekenders from Bavaria into the Alps. Removing the wheels and loosening a couple of bolts allows the rear end to fold up into a package that complies with most luggage regulations. When the riding ends, the Aty happily saddles onto any train, bus, or packraft. 

One trademark aspect of Johannes’ bikes is the inclusion of subtle, playful negative spaces that can be filled in by the rider or left empty to fuel the imagination. These include the capped chainstay ends, which could store spare spokes, and the recessed logo in the powder coat that can only be sensed by touch. 

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There are so many more lovely frame details I could note about the Aty, but doing so spoils the fun of spotting them yourself. From the slender construction to the folding actions and the tasteful mix of modern and time-tested components and standards, everything on the Aty comes together harmoniously to serve the purpose of an eminently practical, robust travel bike that can go anywhere without overburdening the rider.

Finally, I was really happy to see the What Happened frame bag made by my old friend Neža Peterca from Slovenia. She’s an avid mountaineer and raced the Silk Road Mountain Race (among many other accomplishments), so I feel this collaboration rounds out the Aty’s theme and forges a charming link between an established maker and a promising newcomer in our wonderful community.

Cyber Cycles Neo-Retro Components link

Jena, Germany

Checking back in at the Cyber Cycles stand, which we covered last year, I found that designer Christian Thomas has been busy expanding his brand’s portfolio of lovely neo-retro components over the last year. Speaking about his motivation, he said, “I’ve been into bikes for over 30 years now. Bringing together bikes and my passion as a product designer is kind of a dream come true.” I say keep living that dream! All Cyber Cycles components are made in small batches in Germany. 

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My fellow diehard rim brake lovers will appreciate the new variant of the eye-catching Cross Blade fork, which features adjustable brake mounts, as seen on the stunning Yo Ferny! featured above. I’m also excited to see the new Cyber Crank ST model for square-taper bottom brackets. There are more spider options than ever, and Josh and I took the occasion to voice our wish for a two-by 110/74mm BCD spider to run more sensible chainrings for off-road adventures (looking at you, Shimano). Christian said it’s possible, so send him a message if you want to see this, too. 

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As mentioned in yesterday’s post from Bespoked, the Wit Slingers duffle rack bag won the show’s “Best Bag” aboard the Cyber Cycles Kasoon flat-bar gravel bike. The Kasoon is more off-road-focused than the Grawumm frame, with a modified geometry and tubing selection. This one featured the full complement of Cyber Cycles componentry.

Drust Collapsible Tourer link

Berlin, Germany

Even before I’d arrived in Germany for this year’s Bespoked show, I was almost sure we’d be sharing something from Berlin-based builder Konstantin Drust. Not simply because he’s a dear friend but because he’s a wildly creative and talented maker who always keeps us guessing and never disappoints. In the nearly four years since I shared my Inside Drust Cycles piece on the site, Konstantin has built and shown many truly remarkable bikes, including Bespoked’s 2023 “Best in Show” Pinion-equipped dogpacking cargo bike.

Konstantin had three bikes on display at his booth this time, and there were at least as many well-loved customer bikes locked up around the terminal. The first of his show bikes was a prototype cargo model Logan spotted at Eurobike over the summer. He had a stunning new Heckmeck wide-tire gravel build on display too, his first production model, which will be available for ordering next year. The third bike at his booth was a charming folding city bike that I had the pleasure of pedaling around the show floor. Worthy as those three are, it was the collapsible Drust tourer I found down at the Gates and Pinion booth that stopped me in my tracks.

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With a colorful paint and bag scheme styled after ESG’s excellent 2002 album Step Off, Drust’s collapsible tourer is one of those bikes you need to pause and take in for a while before you can fully comprehend. Both the frame and fork stow neatly for travel, which Konstantin said he can do in around five minutes with practice. This is made possible by an S&S coupler on the downtube, a pivot on the seat tube, and an original truss fork design that can be removed while keeping the headset preloaded. Konstantin said the whole concept started with the fork, actually. From there, he figured out the rest as he went, working in his usual freewheeling way.

To wrap his head around the design, Konstantin printed his BikeCAD model and made paper cut-outs that he’d splice at different positions to conceptualize the pivot’s ideal location. Hands-on by nature, he says interacting with physical objects is far more effective for him than looking at models on a screen. The unusual seat tube juts forward, creating visual interest, and it also serves the essential function of moving the S&S coupler behind the seat tube so it can fold. Konstantin acknowledged that both lower bottles will inevitably get filthy, so he added a third on the top tube and suggested that the lower mounts could be used for cargo cages instead.

Thinking of my own train travel experiences around Europe, I asked Konstantin if Deutsche Bahn would give the rider a hard time when trying to bring the collapsible tourer on as standard luggage. He thought about it momentarily and said, “Well, you can also give Deutsche Bahn a hard time back.” I tend to freeze up when questioned by annoyed Deutsche Bahn employees and have paid excess baggage fees before, but maybe I’ll work on channeling my inner Konstantin next time. He says it fits in the overhead compartment without the wheels, something he can confirm after having taken it across the country to Schoen Paintworks in Frankfurt, who did a hell of a job. 

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When I asked Konstantin what he sees as the standout element of the bike, he told me it’s the way all the lines of the frame and Gramm Tourpacking bags work together. “Tine did an amazing job. Without the bags, the concept would only be halfway there,” he said, again referencing the Step Off album cover, which he wanted to get just right. To that end, he even went against his usual style and filed the frame’s fillets to not break up the color blocks. “It was quite humbling,” he added.

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Konstantin doesn’t yet have a home for his collapsible tourer, but he won’t be keeping it for himself. If you’re a taller rider (say, in the neighborhood of 190cm/6’2″) seeking a one-of-a-kind travel bike, get in touch for details!

Gearboxes and Internal Gear Hubs

Especially with Pinion and 3×3 on board as title sponsors, various internally geared drivetrains were everywhere at this year’s Bespoked. The green longtail by Sayle Cycles that won “Best Cargo Bike” was equipped with a classic Rohloff Speedhub, as were numerous other touring and cargo bikes on display. Kindernay was notably absent, the business having folded last year. With bikes being used more and more to their full commuting and cargo-hauling potential, it makes sense that we’re seeing an increase in durable, wide-range drivetrains that require less maintenance and can downshift from a stop. 

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We stumbled upon the relatively new 3×3 NINE internal gear hub, which is specifically designed for the growing electrified cargo bike market. The three-stage planetary gearing and grip shifting are similar to the Rohloff Speedhub, but the NINE hub is significantly bulkier to help deal with the high torques that may occur in high-load use cases. It has a 554% gear range with 24% jumps and is designed with easy through-axle compatibility in mind.

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Unlike the Speedhub and Pinion, the NINE requires no oil changes since the internals are greased from the factory. This reduces necessary maintenance even further. However, we suspect that efficiency will suffer and that this is a trade-off in favor of the intended electric users. It seems 3×3 is oriented toward business-to-business sales and integration into complete bikes, but we’ll be curious to hear long-term reports on whether the NINE can be a viable lower-cost alternative to the Rohloff for bikepacking.

Tangente Atelier MTB link

Lyon, France

Connecting with Clément, the bag maker behind Tangente Atelier from Lyon, whose work I’ve admired from afar, I was surprised and excited to find him displaying his bags on a stunning classically inspired mountain he built. As we got talking, he explained he’d been going through a rough patch over the last year and needed a change of pace. Taking time to build a frame, supported by his framebuilding friends, proved immensely helpful. The result is one of the most cohesive and beautiful bikes we saw at the show. 

Working with steel was an all-new challenge for the experienced bag maker and designer. “It’s kind of slow if you don’t have a lot of experience. But at the time, I think that’s what I was looking for,” Clément recalled. To him, it was all about savoring the process. 

He rode the finished mountain bike, dubbed Mr. Peanut Butter, at this year’s Concours de Machines, putting his bike and bags to the test in the Pyrenees. It took a couple of hard hits, and he broke a few parts, so he rebuilt and repainted the frame with vintage-inspired pinstripe detailing. “I’m a randonneur first, after all,” he said with a smile. The stainless rear rack, micro panniers, and his choice of gridded nylon in natural shades are further nods to his rando influence. 

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The frame has a stainless steel rear end mated to a carbon steel front triangle via a Konga yoke. The polished stays and painstakingly repainted and re-decaled 140mm Rockshox Pike lighten up the bike’s overall appearance. With slender tubes, slack geometry, and modern component choices, Mr. Peanut Butter is dialed for singletrack touring in the nearby alpine massifs that rise just east of Lyon. 

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“But,” Clément emphasized,” I think the main thing going on with this bike is the help of my good friends. They refreshed my skills and gave me just the right amount of help.” Quentin at Atelier des Vélos brought him back up to scratch on the cutting, filing, and brazing. Another friend helped him with the tube bending. Yet another friend gifted him the eye-catching peanut butter grid-stop nylon material, which he’d been saving for just such a special project. It’s a reminder that it takes a village, and I’m glad Clément found the support he sought when he needed it most, enabling him to get to a better place and share this stunning creation with the world.

Show-Worthy Attendee Bikes

The Bespoked show bikes were incredible, of course. However, the visitors’ bikes were equally worth stopping to appreciate. Temporary bike racks around the terminal overflowed as attendees poured in from Germany, Poland, Czechia, and other corners of Europe. Our photographer Stefan rode the 230 kilometers from Berlin on Friday aboard his custom Bonanno before turning around to shoot and edit for us for the next 48 hours, seemingly without breaking a sweat.

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Among the throng, I spotted TwoTone founder Jon Woodroof’s well-traveled custom bike from Lester Cycles, a freshly built Drust ridden by my pal Tommy Ransome, Tijmen of Wit Slingers’s personal green Hulsroy hardtail, an unassuming but highly considered Kuwahara with dynamo lights and an appealing black splatter paint job, a prototype Sour Space Cake, and innumerable other lovely bikes. More than once, Josh, Stefan, and I discussed the merits of shooting and featuring visitor bikes on the site, but we ultimately opted to focus on the main attractions. Maybe next year.

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Sadly, we didn’t get to join one of the group rides staged from the nearby Sour Bikes HQ, though the weather looked amazing for it. I’m sure there were many more interesting bikes and chats to be had there. We likely would have been reminded that pretty much any reliable bike you’re comfortable on can make you happy, because, in the end, it’s about riding bikes, not drooling over them. Ultimately, I believe bikes become interesting when they have some patina and meaningful stories inscribed on them through their creation and use. On that note, as much as we’ve enjoyed the show, we’re also looking forward to getting back to presenting great stories of riders with their everyday rigs and the adventures they go on soon.

That’s it from Bespoked Dresden 2024! Let us know your favorites from the show in the conversation, and if you missed them, find our first two installments and some other gems from the archive in the Further Reading grid below. Thanks for reading!

Further Reading

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