Frame Journey - Lake District ELAN
Build Brief
Riding mostly on the roads & lanes surrounding Bristol James was after something that was both comfortable on the rough lanes and can be ridden year round in all conditions.
He approached us with the idea of building the ELAN to allow for full mudguards with 32mm tyres and would have an endurance setup for Audax riding.
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Frameset - ELAN
Groupset - Shimano Ultegra
Crankset - Rotor ALDHU 155mm
Fork - Columbus Futura Gravel
Headset - Chris King Inset 8
Handlebars - Thomson Road
Stem - Deda Zero
Seatpost - Reilly Carbon
Saddle - Brooks Cambium C15 Carved
Wheelset - Puravelo Premium Rims, Aivee Edition One hubs
Mudgaurds - Kenisis Fendoff
Tyres - Vittorria Corsa N.EXT 32c Tyres
Inspiration
The Lake District was the main influence for James’ paint decision with a colour palette inspired by the natural surroundings blended with details of his regularly hiked mountains integrated into the design.
Having spent holidays and free time exploring the Lakes, James wanted a constant connection to the place that is close to his heart.
The matte primary colour is a reflection of the Limestone that litters the landscape which were part of the images James had sent over from his hikes in the Lakes.
Details on the top tube and on the inner fork blades are depicted by contour lines of Helvellyn which has been overlaid with a gradient taken directly from the autumn bracken that surrounds the landscape.
“Its been a hugely satisfying and rewarding experience from start to finish working with you on this and can't thank you enough.”
Bike Fit
Bike fits are always a session of discovery as they allow us to focus on any weaknesses and discomforts you might have.
James’ initial ride on the jig, which had been setup to his existing bike measurements, outlined poor posture, hip rolling and over extension to the handlebars.
The combination of a too high saddle and too long crank arms paired with restricted flexibility meant that James would unintentionally roll side to side in the saddle to allow for a crank rotation which is not ideal as this would cause discomfort over long periods of time.
Lowering the saddle position and shortening the cranks to 155mm stopped the hip rotation and significantly improved pedaling performance.
Build
James bike features fully lined internal cable routing which allows the brake hose and gear cables to be hidden from sight.
This was a technical challenge as the stainless steel tubes that run internally of the downtube needed to criss-cross each other to avoid the bottle mounts that sit both above and below the downtube.
The use of a T47 bottom bracket shell allowed us to run the hose and cable inside and under the crank axle keeping to the clean aesthetic look James was after.
Paintwork
Stuart at Summit Customs carried out the paintwork for this bike the main feature of the design was the detail of the Helvellyn contour lines which has a colour gradient representing the autumn bracken that grows wild in the Lakes.
To achieve James’ design a colour gradient was initially sprayed to the prepared surface before laying the contour transfer, by applying the gradient first meant that Stuart could have full control of the colours.
The entire frame and fork was then covered with the primary top coat meaning the vinyl transfer could be painstakingly peeled away to reveal the design.
Complete
Since receiving the bike James has been in touch to say.
“Its been a hugely satisfying and rewarding experience from start to finish working with you on this and can't thank you enough.
The frame is a work of art and a beautiful piece of craftsmanship to treasure. But this bike is so much more than that and far more than the sum of its parts - the design process and thought put into all of the components has far exceeded any expectations I might have had and makes it something really special and unique.
I am immensely proud to own a Chris Lord bike and hope to do you and the name proud riding it for many years to come!”
