A bicycle frame doesn’t naturally lend itself as a generous slab of advertising real estate, even those made from carbon composites. So when they’re surrounded by a couple of hundred other bikes, in a peloton, for instance, it’s important for manufacturers to cram as much branding onto their products as possible. The latest time trial bike by Rob English, however, proves that less is most definitely more.

Rob’s racing credentials are evidenced by his frame designs, which are both performance-driven and innovative. His own geometry provided inspiration for an integrated fork/bar/aerobar configuration which turned a lot of heads at the races. But every body is different, so not every body is suitable for such a setup. Dave, a local Oregon customer, was fortunate enough to fit the bill.

A custom battery, powering the Shimano Di2 components, lives inside the seat tube and is charged by a micro-USB port (normally protected by a rubber plug). Locating a TRP TT brake behind the fork required the cable to pass through the legs, and a Tri-rig Omega brake is tucked behind the bottom bracket. A Chris King ‘builders edition’ Inset headset bears the all-important front load.

English Cycles are intriguing, due to their unconventional layout and tube selection, but leave little to the imagination, thank to their honest construction. Dave’s Naked TT is laid even more bare, thanks to the subtly sandblasted logos by Eric at Colorworks and Tina Buescher’s wonderful photography. See more on the English Cycles website.

PS: Another incredible machine by Rob English, shot by Tina Buescher, is Miss August in the 2013 Cycle EXIF Custom Bicycle Calendar. Have you ordered your copy yet?

















