With both 2024 Bespoked UK and MADE Australia taking place over the same weekend, we’ve got an action-packed week of event recaps ahead.

First up, Josh is in Manchester, UK, reporting from the historic Victoria Baths with the second group of stunning bikes and products from Alfano, Assembly, Atherton, Olsen Bikes, Medusa, Reilly, Eighteen Bikes, SON, and Wizard Works 

Let’s dive right in below!

Thanks to SILCA for sponsoring our 2024 Bespoked Bike Show coverage!

This iteration of Bespoked has been quite the whirlwind. There’s been so much to see and learn – from intricately finished and built bicycles to prototypes years in the making.

The scene here in Manchester is as much about finding your next bike or accessory as it is an acute environment for exchanging ideas. In an industry that is always evolving and changing so rapidly, small-scale builders are at once responding to trends while also leading the charge in their unique position to adapt and work nimbly.

For me, choosing bikes and gear to highlight in these galleries is always a challenge. There is no way to cover everything as just one person. My goal lately, though, has been to identify exciting concepts, new brands, and otherwise eye-catching objects.

So, without further rambling, enjoy the second installment of our 2024 Bespoked reporting from the UK! And don’t miss scrolling through the massive photo gallery from the show above!

Assembly Cargo “Carry” Bike

Assembly started first as a cargo bike with a sidecar to help transport tools and materials. The concept has since evolved into the bike you see here, with folding modular racks better suited to city life in general, whether that’s transporting kiddos or tools. Different sorts of racks and attachments will be available, each suited to the rider, with the core cargo bike staying the same.

Hackney Wick-based Assembly is building the cargo bikes in-house of steel. They envision the brand centered around a community-based circular economy of sorts with buy-back programs, rack rentals, etc. It’s a wonderful concept, and we hope they see quick and prolonged success!

Atherton A-Range Enduro 150

Atherton’s bikes are a sight to behold. This “A-Range” Enduro build is the personal bike of the brand’s lead mechanic, Luca. Named “A” for “additive manufacturing,” this bike and others in the lineup are constructed with 3D-printed titanium lugs and carbon tubes. Available in 22 different sizes, the titanium parts are printed in-house on Atherton’s Ren500 machine.

Suspension guru Dave Weagle sits on Atherton’s board of directors and has designed a unique DW6 linkage for the A-Range, reportedly providing excellent kinematics and performance. There are eighteen bearings throughout the suspension platform. Each bike comes with a lifetime guarantee, but only the really important folks get their picture printed on the seat lug ;)

Medusa Deka Touring Bike

Medusa is the project of local Manchester builder Pete Skelton. Drawing the Greek term for the number “ten,” the Deka is the tenth Medusa design and one that Pete plans to keep in rotation as a somewhat standard offering.

It’s designed for comfortable all-day riding and handling rough trails like Pete encounters in northwest England. A short rear end, low bottom bracket, and big 29er wheels add up for a stable ride quality while still climbing steep trails well. The tubes are all bent by hand to both exemplify Pete’s creativity and tuck the bike’s rear end as tightly as possible, hence the elevated drive-side chainstay.

Other details, like integrated dynamo lighting, sleeved gussets, and visual congruence with the custom-painted Allygn Grill Rack, make the Deka really stand out. Well done, Pete!

Drust Cycles Dropbar MTB / Über Gravel with Seido Components and Allygn/Gramm Luggage

Displayed in the Seido Components booth, this monster gravel bike features two of the components Seido wanted highlighted at the show: a 25-degree flared handlebar and a new suspension-corrected fork.

German builder Konstantin Drust crafted this high-stack MTB-inspired frame with a specific dropbar reach to best demonstrate the use case for the new Seido parts.

The bottom bracket height allows the bike to be equipped with a suspension fork if wanted/needed. Both the fork and rear end will clear a 29×2.6“ tire. It’s specifically designed for 1x drivetrains and has a port for a dropper post cable.

Dresdener Pulverei finished the bike in an imitation rust powder coat. The cranks are from Cyber Cycles, and the bags/racks are by Allygn/Gramm (including the new Micro Panniers!).

This frameset will be available for sale after the show with a Whisky carbon fork.

Reilly Cycleworks Fusion Titanium Road

Reilly Cycleworks primarily designs and builds traditional round-tubed road and gravel bikes. In an arguably wild departure from their norms, the Fusion Road Bike is a modern take with an aero-look and form. Utilizing full cable integration, 3D-printed titanium junctions, and hydroformed tubes, the ti Fusion could be mistaken for carbon at first glance.

The printed parts are first tumbled and then linished back after welding to achieve a near carbon-esque look. And while there are two different grades of titanium present, it’s nearly impossible to tell.

Reilley claims the large ti T47 bottom bracket combined with a medley of 6-4 and 325 grades of titanium creates a stiff bike with compliance where desired. The bb shell also contains a port in bottom for accessing cable routing.

Further accentuating the build’s clean lines, the Classified hub and wheelset eliminate the need for a front derailleur.

Alfano Frameworks Gravel Bike

This multi-top tube Alfano is a Reynolds 853 gravel frame designed for off-road use and easy maintenance. The large front triangle is divided into two spaces: the top accommodates either a tent or large 750 ml water bottle, and the bottom can hold a full frame bag.

Pete Alfano is based in Leicester UK, and has used this bike on many multi-day trips, as it’s comfortable yet fast and capable. The frame will clear 700 x 45 tires and mudguards if needed.  This is his personal bike, but he’s built similar versions for smaller riders and found sectioned frame design to work well in those, too.

Olsen Bikes/CargoN E-Cargo Bike

Following over two years of research and development – in collaboration with Beighton, Oxford, and Leeds Universities – the CargoN E-Cargo bike is nearly ready for production.

This prototype is made from titanium but will ultimately be available in steel for a lower price point than the ti versions. Based on a modular system, it can have two lengths of front ends depending on cargo type and will be rated to the industry standard of at least 150 kilos.

The drivetrain system is a belt-driven IntraDrive 8-speed with a modular battery system that can be replaced “on the run.” The New Haven-made front hub allows the entire platform to run lower to the ground and avoids bulky steering arms. Hub steering theoretically also helps eliminate the startup wobble that can accompany some long bikes. In the future, they might incorporate a suspension system, which also lends well to this front steering hub. Both the motor and hub are designed to need limited service intervals but are fairly simple processes when they are required.

Eighteen Bikes LTD Full Suspension

18 Bikes is both a bike shop and workshop based in Hope, UK. They’ve been making hardtails for some time now. Recently, they have been prototyping an interesting full suspension enduro type bike with 160 mm front travel and 155 mm in the rear.

The use case is interesting and unique to many other brands, as 18 Bikes has developed a front triangle that can run an analog drivetrain or accommodate an electric motor and a gearbox system.

Still in the prototype phase, the final construction method/material has not been determined. The front end, however, will for sure be made of steel in-house, but the rear could be aluminum or steel welded elsewhere. They also need to evaluate further the use of the floating carbon arm meant to reduce the brakejack that often comes with elevated chainstays.

SON Dynamo Ladelux Light/USB Charging

Available later this year, the SON Ladelux will integrate 12w smartphone charging capabilities into the headlight unit. Pulling power from a dynamo hub, the unit provides auxiliary charging while the light is functioning.

The updated Ledelux light assembly will also offer more power than current models, equating to 150 lux in low power mode and around 170 lux in high.

Keep yer eyes peeled for these the Ladelux later this year!

Wizard Works Full Framebags and Other New Goodies

Our friends at Wizard Works are always up to something magical. New for this year, the London makers have a few tricks up their sleeves, including three stock sizes of full-frame bags. These bags are designed to best fit “gravel” style bikes with sloping top tubes, but will likely fit other types of bikes as well.

Additionally, Wizard Works added to their lineup of wearables with the Munin Mini Messenger bag. They’re also offering a new smaller handlebar bag called “Lil Presto,” which is objectively adorable.

Stay tuned, and we’ll share all the details for the official full-frame bag launch soon!

And that’s a wrap… Hopefully, we’ll see you in Dresden later this fall for more Bespoked goodness!