This bike is special for so many reasons, mostly because it was built for a friend.
Heather and I have been talking about a custom bike for her for a while and last June, after a few false starts, she sent me a text that went something like this:
- Her - I found my frame builder. Its a little crazy but I think I'm going to get a Belle bike from Barcelona.
- Me - I rode one, it's beautiful
- Her - You did?!
Kind of a random coincidence, but I rented one of his bikes from the Service Course in Girona when I was there in 2018... It was flawless, built to perfection and equipped with Sram Red, Zipp 404, etc. It rode like a dream, as a well built steel bike should (because steel is real ✨).
Despite having a fair bit of fit data for Heather from several bikes, we got her on the sizing bike and started from scratch, then sent all the numbers to Enrico Belle to get the CAD drawing ready.
I have been involved with quite a few custom builds and frame builders (this is the 19th builder I believe), some better than others (I also wrote about custom bikes here and here). The day we got the drawing from Enrico for approval, was the same day I was trying (mostly unsuccessfully) to get a complete drawing from another builder, as they did not include all the data points needed (not the first time with that brand, sadly). The drawing from Enrico and overall experience was a significant contrast - The drawing was detailed, had all the information needed and Enrico was thoughtful and respectful in his approach and communication. Team work at it's best!
Fast forward to this month... Heather picked up the bike in Barcelona in early April and rode it around Girona right away. I got to fine tune the fit this weekend and as it should be for a well designed custom bike, there was not much to do!
The paint on this one is interesting. You can always trust an architect to come up with something really good! The story behind the paint is not mine to tell, but Heather wrote about it in a series of posts - Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3.
We had fun walking around my office hood, looking for a good spot to take photos that could do the bike justice!
Follow Enrico's work on his website and Instagram.
- Bike: Belle Cycles, custom geometry and sizing
- Handlebars: Enve Road, 38cm
- Stem: Enve aero, 80mm
- Groupset: Shimano Ultegra 12spd di2, with Rotor crank and power meter (160mm)
- Pedals: Crank Brothers
- Wheels: Enve SES 3.4
- Seatpost: Enve, zero offset
- Saddle: Pro Stealth Curved Team, 152
Want to get your bike featured in our bike of the week? If you are a current client, get in touch and lets take some photos! If you are not have not worked with me before, let’s get started, book your appointment for a Dynamic Cycling Analysis.
Happy riding!
