A proud graduate of The Bicycle Academy’s frame building course, Rob Quirk has been putting together some very good looking bikes lately. Hugo’s request for a new frame was a simple one: a fast road bike that looks good — and that’s exactly what he got.
Hugo was one of those dream customers that allows the builder carte blanche, completely trusting their competency to deliver a dream bike. Sure, it’s got a fancy paint job, so you’ll just have to visualize the fine fillet brazed frame that lies underneath.
Hugo is one of the founders of Huez, a modern cycling apparel brand inspired by one of the world’s greatest climbs — the Alpe d’Huez in the French Alps. Deep down, he wanted a bike that could transport him to the top of the mountains and look good doing it.
The entire frame and forks are constructed from materials by Columbus. Rob built the frame from oversized Columbus HSS tubes for the front triangle and MAX chain and seat stays, with the new Columbus Futura fork at the front of the show.
Peer between the fork legs, upon the 56mm carbon wheels from Parcours, and you’ll spot the front hub personalized with the Huez logo, a detail that will keep Hugo inspired as he climbs the alp’s 21 hairpin bends over 13.8 kilometres of tarmac.
That amazing matte paintwork was executed by Cole Coatings Workshop in South East London. The ‘cycledelic’ top tube design and colors were inspired by the Northern Lights, with high-altitude Nordic scenes adorning the down tube and fork legs.
The Ultegra groupset will provide reliable shifting and braking over alpine roads and the Deda finishing kit keeps the contact points alive. Quirk Cycles build bikes for Transcontinental riding and Hugo’s mountain-muncher will continue that speciality.
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Big thanks to Nikoo Hamzavi for the photography.
