BIKE OF THE YEAR 2022

Juan's Pick
Head of Purchasing and Merchandising

The bike of the year didn’t take me long to decide. Magda’s Scarab Paramo was my clear favourite build of 2022.

I love this bike. I have a Paramo myself and nothing beats the feeling of a modern steel bike – it handles exactly how you want it to with its custom geometries and classic styling. I have 4 bikes and only my Paramo is a custom fit, the difference in comfort is unbeatable.

I may be biased as a fellow Colombian, but I think the Chivas bus custom paint is genius! It’s a lovely homage to our home country a beautiful piece of rolling art, it’s also amazing that you can get a 100% custom bike for around $5,500. Most custom bikes normally come with an eye-wateringly high price tag. The flat bars on this bike look awesome, and make it even more unique.

The main reason I have chosen this project is that Magda is new to the sport and she has started in the best way possible. I hope she loves it as much as we do, and welcome to the best sport in the world! I can’t wait to see her around on rides around Greenwich.

Andres's Pick
Technician

My decision for the bike of the year has to be Eric's stealthy Assassin Black Ops.

For me personally, gravel riding is the future of cycling and this bike is ahead of the game with its incredible versatility.

The fact that you can change the riding qualities of the bike depending on your needs is just amazing, tailoring the handling whether you want to go fast on the road or take an adventure deep in the woods. The naked carbon leaves the bike ready to be custom painted, a blank canvas for anyone who wants to take personalisation to the next level. All this on a stock frame, with the spirit of a custom brand.

Whilst building Eric's bike I realized it has everything I would want in gravel bike; ready to tackle any terrain and designed for any adventure – finished off with the unbeatable SRAM Mullet combination and Enve gravel-specific wheelset.

It gives me a such great satisfaction to build my dream bikes for other people and the Assassin Black Ops is the pinnacle.

Santiago's Pick
Head Technician

Whilst this was no easy decision, I have picked Joel's Bastion as my bike of 2022.

The way this bike came together was just perfection. Since this is Joel's 3rd custom bike with us we wanted to push the bar even higher. That was no easy feat – what can you build for to someone who already has an amazing titanium Seven and a beautiful Parlee? It turns out a 3D printed titanium/carbon bike was the answer.

When I took the bike out for the first test ride I was blown away by the way the frame responded to each pedal stroke — the smooth ride and rapid responsivity took my break away. Not only that, the beautiful emerald green carbon in a beautiful matte finish means this is a bike that you can't take your eyes off.

This to me, is the bike of the year.

Abrahams's Pick
Co-Owner

My bike of the year has to be my wife's NYC themed Scarab.

Of course, it's very easy for me to pick this bike since the story behind the project has so much meaning to me. The bike features a special paint scheme that has our wedding rings, my son's birthday and a glass of wine that referenced my first date with Karen.

We celebrated 10 years of marriage with a custom bike for each of us, made in my hometown with a paint job referencing the city where we fall in love. There is nothing that could have made it more special for both of us. This project has also inspired other couples to do the same and also influenced other paint jobs.

Last but not least, it was great to see Karen back on the bike and enjoying the pleasures of cycling. Whilst this is a personal project for me, it perfectly sums up what we do for our clients – weaving their personal stores into a truly custom build.

Ruedi's Pick
Co-Owner

I have chosen Michael's elegant FiftyOne, inspired by his super cool Porsche 911 GT3 Touring.

We are so fortunate at Signature that we can help our clients to make their visions come to life in so many ways. Michael’s bike is a perfect example of that. Having just ordered his new silver Porsche 911 GT3, Michael was speaking to us about a new road bike for himself. Inspired by the clean lines and understated engineering of his Porsche, he wanted to replicate this in his new bike design.

The beautiful and flowing lines of his FiftyOne are such a wonderful match and the Porsche silver brings the bike frame to life. For that extra special detail, we were able to match the racing yellow brake calipers and added elegant yellow accents to the frame. Not to forget the carbon accents such as the wheelset and bottle cages that each add to the complete package.

The looks aren't where this story ends, the ride quality is still of utmost importance and this bike shares the sports DNA of Michael's car, with touring comfort and rapier handling.

I like how all these designs ideas and execution details can come together in a custom bike. A great match, a clear winner for me!