No matter how you try to pigeonhole someone, the fact remains: everyone is different. Different hairstyles, tastes and body shapes. You may be the same height, but your arms or legs will vary in length. So expecting a cyclist to fit either a small, medium or large frame is a tall order by the big bike brands. Thankfully, custom frame builders like Chris Bishop offer a more personalised solution.

Case in point: One of Chris’ most recent customers is well over six feet tall and was seeking a sportif road bike that could accommodate 28c tires for the odd excursion onto gravel. That would be a rare bird to encounter in your standard bike shop but Chris responded with this flawless, and entirely individual, road racer.

A semi-compact layout was finalised, which would maximise the stiffness of a larger frame. Chris is well known for his fillet brazed frames, having won numerous awards for his skill. Columbus Life Mega tubes were predominantly used with a MAX seat tube for its ovalised section near the bottom bracket, eliminating the need for compound mitering of the tube against the Press Fit 30 shell.

An interesting inclusion was the use of a set of heat treated lightweight Kaisei seat stays with an aero profile, whose slim diameter balanced the other huge tubes. Once again, Bryan Myers of Fresh Frame applied the liquid-like paint, before it was built up with Campagnolo’s Super Record groupset and a selection of Chris King’s finest components.

See many more detail photos on the Bishop Bikes flickr stream and contact Chris via his website.

















