With the myriad of options for frames, accessories and apparel out there, it can be very daunting for a new cyclist to know which is going to be a worthwhile investment — or a stash of cash and time down the drain. Sydney’s Chris Deal was fortunate enough to have a brother-in-law who knows his way around a bike and this dashing Colossi Rambler Road was the result.

The well-loved and well-ridden Primate Frames we featured last week belongs to Chris’ brother-in-law, Jonathan Vandenberg, a long-standing member of the Australian fixed.org.au massive. Jonathan sold Chris his old Surly Crosscheck as an around-town bike, but when he spotted him riding it at dawn along a popular stretch, he knew it was time to move to the next level.

Chris admits: “I am by no means an expert in bike stuff, so in terms of this particular bike I pretty much told Jonathan what I wanted and ‘art directed’ it, while he ran around the internet looking for parts that matched my aesthetic, size and budget. Which suited him as he got to live vicariously through me buying a bike. He’s a total enabler.”

Yes, it’s a well ‘art directed’ build. Chris can’t help it — he’s a creative director by trade. So with Jonathan’s assistance, he ended up with a very tidy unit, consisting of the Colossi Rambler Road frame — built from Columbus Zona tubes, an Ultegra groupset, Thomson stem and the matching seat mast. It’s all topped with the clean and sophisticated lines of a Brooks Cambium saddle.

Jan Kole founded the Colossi brand in 2005 after a brief career during the 80s as a pro racer, racing for the Dutch team of Femis Bank-Elro Snacks, and for the Belgian team of Solahart-Hercka. The Colossi factory is located in China, which producing a fine catalogue of frames, ranging from the ‘Spirited’ Colossi 5 pursuit to the Reynolds 853 tandem — all built to Jan’s strict standards of quality.

Looks like we can add another keen cyclist to our numbers. Special thanks to Chris and Jonathan for the scoop and, again, Denise Braki for the excellent photography.