Lugged Pionnier - Bespoked 2026
A one-off, hand-painted show bike — shown at Bespoked Dresden 2026. Featured on The Radavist (all photos John Watson)
Last year I presented for the first time at Bespoked “Le Pionnier”, my heavy-duty randonneur for all-terain bikepacking. This year, I wanted to explore the concept from a different aesthetic perspective and show that a traditional lugged frame can also accommodate big tires with a road transmission.
Built with a classic randonneur geometry, 73° head tube, 73° seat tube, 65mm of fork rake, giving it the low-trail handling French randonneurs are known for: stable when loaded, nimble when it isn't, and a genuinely fun bike to ride. The angles here are slightly different from the original Pionnier, shaped by the fixed angles of the lugs used.
The real starting point for this build, though, was the paint. Powder coating doesn't need to mean a single flat RAL color. This frame and fork were hand-coated in-house, fading from Prismatic Powders Illusion Ice into Pink, with the head tube masked mid-process using a mini vacuum to lift powder away and reveal the lug lines beneath.
As built for Bespoked Dresden 2026
Wheels Velocity Atlas 650b rims, polished (front & rear), SON Deluxe front hub, Hope RS4 rear hub, Ultradynamico 650b x 2.2" tires, grey with beige sidewalls
Drivetrain Spécialités T.A. Carmina triple crankset, 42-32-22 (used), Shimano XT 9-speed inverted rear derailleur, Shimano XT triple front derailleur, Dia-Compe bar-end shifters, cables routed externally over the top tube
Brakes TRP RRL SR levers, Paul Component Monolite V-brakes (long-pull brakes run on short-pull levers — an unconventional pairing, but a proven one)
Cockpit Ritchey Venturemax Classic handlebar, Stronglight headset, Velo Orange quill stem (1" steerer, 31.8mm bar clamp), Grepp bar tape, light grey
Saddle & seatpost Idéale saddle, light brown, Ritchey Classic seatpost
Lighting Busch & Müller dynamo lighting, front and rear
Racks & bags Bar-end shifters instead of brifters left the front end clear enough to run a basket — first outing for the Manivelle Bikepacking basket, mounted on a custom powder-coated rack (bolt-on, easily removable). Matching basket bag and a Carradice-style saddle bag, both custom-made by Jean-Michel Timmermans of TimTas Rek — including a bespoke fixing solution for the Idéale saddle's rail-only rear (no bag loops), using an elastic strap, a reinforcement bar, and a hooked seatpost-mounted spacer to keep the bag clear of the rider's legs.
Size 56cm top tube, 80mm stem.
Availability This is a one-off show bike, sold as-is. Get in touch via the contact form below if you're interested.
