2023 BIKES OF THE YEAR

Juan Vargas
Head of Purchasing and Merchandising

Andrea's Scarab Paramo

I can’t deny that I like steel bicycles, being the owner of two steel bikes, one of which I’d call my best bicycle, a Scarab Paramo.

Because of this, it would be dishonest of me to choose anything other than a Scarab. For me, my favourite bike of 2023 is Andrea’s Scarab Paramo. Like with my own Scarab, I totally identify with the intention behind this bike, not looking for lightness above all else, this bike is built with comfort and happiness in mind. As well as this, this bike is all the more special as Andrea travelled over to Colombia to work on the design and experience first-hand how the bike is built.

It’s an inexpensive bike, with a unique, personalized paint job, and is Andrea’s first bike. I couldn’t think of a better bike to begin a lifelong love of cycling. Remember, steel is real!

Andres Vargas
Bicycle Technician

Andres' ENVE MOG

My bike of the year this year has to be the ENVE MOG I’ve been riding since March. Whilst I’ve worked on many excellent bikes this year, this was an easy decision to make. The bike has everything I was missing on my previous gravel bike, without losing the light weight and race focus that bike did well.

It has a very large tire clearance, with a frame that can clear up to 700x50 tires. A high-performance 12 speed wireless shifting system keeps wires to a minimum, and an Eagle Transmission’s bomb-proof rear derailleur ensures that there’ll be no more bent hangers! The bike also features an integrated cockpit, and some extremely useful storage inside the top tube.

Gravel riding is changing, and becoming even more technical than it’s ever been before — what we often called “Gravel” before is now more commonly called “All Road”. My previous bike was beginning to hit the ceiling of its ability on those more technical rides that demand bigger tires and more relaxed geometry, an issue that is solved by the MOG.

I’ve already ridden over 1,500 miles on this bike this year, and can’t wait for all the events I’ll ride on it next year.

Alex Hellner
Fit Technician

Jason's Seven Cycles Adventure Touring Bike

This year, I’ve been very fortunate to work with great clients who know exactly what they want and trust that we can meet or exceed their expectations.

When choosing my favourite bike of 2023, Jason’s Seven Touring bike stood out to me for a lot of reasons.

It has a modern aesthetic, yet simultaneously looks remarkably classic. It doesn't just have style, it's got an attitude. It's the most sensible, trend-bucking, no-nonsense smile machine that can go almost anywhere and carry almost anything you'd want to bring on any bicycle adventure.

The key considerations behind the build were ultimate reliability, durability, versatility, ease of use and maintenance and overall capability. The titanium tubes are straight gauge for toughness and the rig even powers its own front and rear lights with an internally routed dynamo system. By contrast, the shift cable and brake lines are externally routed for easy repairs. It can clear max tire sizes of either 650Bx2.1" or 700Cx47mm, so the options for rim and tire combinations are plentiful. It currently sports 650Bx50mm tires which effectively allow Jason to tune his bike's vertical compliance and traction perfectly for a variety of riding conditions.

The final product is a true work of art and collaboration between the client, the team at Signature and the good people at Seven Cycles. This project was especially rewarding for me because I love this kind of bike and if I were to build one for myself I'd do it exactly the same way.

Santiago Santana
Head Technician

Dan’s No. 22 Great Divide with Couplers

For 2023, my bike of the year has to be Dan’s No. 22 with couplers. It’s what I’d call the ultimate riding machine, a stunning titanium frame complete with an invisible coupler.

The single bolt coupler system is extremely simple, with a low profile and no need for specific tools to take the bike apart. A fast-release system allows a hydraulic hose to be taken apart for compatibility with disc brakes, and when broken down, the bike fits into an extremely small case, perfect for travelling.

Perfect for all riding purposes, both on road and off road, this bike is ready for absolutely anything that Dan is going to throw at it on the adventures he’ll go on with it. Totally versatile and durable, there’s nothing this unique bike can’t do.

Abraham Soler
Co-owner, Lead Fit Technician

FiftyOne Custom Gravel Bike

For my bike of the year, I have to choose our own custom FiftyOne Gravel bike. The first ever fully custom, purpose-built gravel bike made by FiftyOne, this bike represents a first step into the custom gravel world for one of our closest partners.

This is a project that will lead our clients to a better gravel experience fully custom to their needs, closely aligning with our ideals of customization and personalization here at Signature. We of course opted for a very special custom paint-job, reflecting our visual brand. We can’t wait to see the bike out on the road, and to deliver many more gravel bikes with custom geometry from Aidan Duff and the team at FiftyOne.

Ruedi Laager
Co-owner

Tim's FiftyOne Disc

Of course, we’ve been able to build many wonderful bikes for our clients this year, so choosing one bike is extremely difficult. My choice is a bike that for me, best embodies the core DNA of Signature Cycle’s business concept, Tim’s FiftyOne Disc.

We love to work with clients that have high expectations, and a deep understanding and appreciation for building custom bikes. Tim brings all of that to the table, a former racer and considerable bike collector. A year ago, Tim had the experience of riding with FiftyOne’s owner, Aidan Duff, in his home country of Ireland. There, the seeds of this project were sewn, with the two of them remaining in close contact throughout the whole design and manufacturing process of his custom bike.

Inspired by the colour schemes of Aston Martin cars, this bike’s British Racing Green and rich red-brown frame is complimented by exposed carbon details.

Upon delivery of the frame, we invited Tim to the store to unwrap his masterpiece. The smile on his face upon first seeing the frame was the ultimate highlight, the culmination of the design journey he’d been on with Aidan. A few days later he was back to pick up the completed build, eager to take his bike out for a first spin on the local roads, grinning with anticipation.

This bike is the result of a wonderful collaboration between client, our team, and a world-class frame builder. Thank you Tim, for giving us this opportunity.