{"id":4136,"date":"2018-08-20T22:52:31","date_gmt":"2018-08-20T21:52:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.spanner.org.uk\/?p=4136"},"modified":"2018-08-20T22:52:31","modified_gmt":"2018-08-20T21:52:31","slug":"tims-spanner-bike-lightweight-disk-road-machine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/spanner.bike\/?p=4136","title":{"rendered":"Tim’s Spanner Bike Lightweight Disk Road Machine"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

My commercial spin off, Spanner Bike, has been turning dreams into metal for a couple of people recently. In the spirit of inspiration I thought I’d start sharing some of them with you…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It’s fair to say Tim loves bikes. He loves riding bikes, he loves fixing bikes up too. So much so he even runs a service, Ello Velo Custom Bikes, dedicated to restoring and modding classic machinery.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Popping round for a cuppa I have to admit even I was impressed to find over twenty bikes in and around the house he shares with his partner, Ellen. Luckily she’s just as keen on two wheels as he is!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He approached me with an idea for a ‘big birthday’ treat for himself. He’d even managed to sell it to Ellen with the idea that this would be one final bike to rule them all. Well, at least until next year anyway!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He had in mind a fast road machine that could also be used for cyclocross duties. As we worked together though that morphed steadily into a pure fast road machine, one with disk brakes that could be used for commuting and that would be comfortable enough to use on all day rides.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tim made my job harder by making both light weight and stiffness a priority! He wanted the bike to shift when he put the hammer down, but also to not be too hefty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We were also able to incorporate some unique cosmetic twists including a shaped and curved top tube, along with some subtle sandblasted graphics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Tim included some unique sandblasted graphics on his machine – the Union Jack is for the rider not the frame! (And the seat post clamp is a little thank you from me).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Getting the exact mix of characteristics Tim was after was a real challenge, plenty of pencils were chewed and midnight oil burnt! I was able to work with the fabricator to put together a collection of custom tubes that hit just the right balance; as large as I dared on the main frame to keep it rigid with some super skinny stays to remove material where it wasn’t needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the frame was delivered I had to admit I was holding my breath as I put it on the scales, luckily there was nothing to worry about:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
3.5lbs – very handy for a titanium frame!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The build didn’t give us any problems but how would it ride?\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“It’s really smooth to ride with a solid feel, the handling is spot on too!”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And for going ‘full gas’?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Its funny how my aero bike is 500g lighter but I did the same hill as I did the other day and was 20 sec quicker today over the space of a 3 min climb of 9% avg gradient!”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Boom! Tim’s gone on to claim a few more Strava PR’s and KOM’s so I think it’s safe to say that his new Spanner Bike is suiting him well!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Which is what I’m all about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
So nice I nearly kept it for myself \ud83d\ude09<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

If you’re interested you can find out more about Ello Velo’s latest projects on their Facebook page<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For a custom titanium road, CX, gravel or mountain bike though, you know where to turn. I could help you realise your dream project and all for less than you might think.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Full custom frames starting from \u00a31045 all in – drop me a line via the contacts page or check out www.spanner.bike<\/a> for more info.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

My commercial spin off, Spanner Bike, has been turning dreams into metal for a couple of people recently. In the spirit of inspiration I thought I’d start sharing some of them with you… It’s fair to say Tim loves bikes. He loves riding bikes, he loves fixing bikes up too. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4144,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[13,14,5],"tags":[18,43],"class_list":["post-4136","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bikes","category-gallery","category-news","tag-road","tag-spanner-bike"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9GLNb-14I","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":9864,"url":"https:\/\/spanner.bike\/?p=9864","url_meta":{"origin":4136,"position":0},"title":"Jon’s Custom Titanium Spanner Fat Bike; but who’s Bob?","author":"andrew","date":"26th June 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Jon likes his tyres like his adventures - on the large side! Being a tall chap he also struggled to find something 'off the peg' that fitted him, so he got in touch for a chat. The result was another finely designed Spanner Bike custom frame: A few hundred miles\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Bikes"","block_context":{"text":"Bikes","link":"https:\/\/spanner.bike\/?cat=13"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spanner.bike\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/20211022_135002-900x675-1.jpg?fit=900%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spanner.bike\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/20211022_135002-900x675-1.jpg?fit=900%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spanner.bike\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/20211022_135002-900x675-1.jpg?fit=900%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spanner.bike\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/20211022_135002-900x675-1.jpg?fit=900%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":9655,"url":"https:\/\/spanner.bike\/?p=9655","url_meta":{"origin":4136,"position":1},"title":"Jeff’s Custom Spanner Bike ‘Descendant’ Titanium Hardtail","author":"andrew","date":"22nd January 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"I am totally delighted with the bike, It's very playful and comes into its own on winding single track!As a bonus it's also the most comfortable hardtail I have ever ridden! And you can't ask for a better review than that. Jeff approached me as he had a yearning to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Bikes"","block_context":{"text":"Bikes","link":"https:\/\/spanner.bike\/?cat=13"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.spanner.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/11_QH-900x570.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.spanner.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/11_QH-900x570.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.spanner.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/11_QH-900x570.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.spanner.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/11_QH-900x570.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4328,"url":"https:\/\/spanner.bike\/?p=4328","url_meta":{"origin":4136,"position":2},"title":"Steve’s Spanner Bike Titanium Hardcore Hardtail – Licketysplit","author":"andrew","date":"6th May 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Another day another fine addition to the exclusive Spanner Bike club. Steve had ridden Dan's SYD (see here) and instantly fell in love - he's only human! But he couldn't help thinking a little nip here and a little tuck there might just make things even more perfect. He also\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Bikes"","block_context":{"text":"Bikes","link":"https:\/\/spanner.bike\/?cat=13"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.spanner.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/20190505_101015-1-900x675.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.spanner.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/20190505_101015-1-900x675.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.spanner.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/20190505_101015-1-900x675.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.spanner.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/20190505_101015-1-900x675.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":9740,"url":"https:\/\/spanner.bike\/?p=9740","url_meta":{"origin":4136,"position":3},"title":"Richard’s R3rd Titanium Bikepacking Machine by Spanner Bike","author":"andrew","date":"23rd October 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Richard likes getting out and about - he was looking for a multi purpose machine that could be used for bike packing adventures but also to take on his local singletrack. 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You might remember Jeff from the last post - he had a finely crafted replica of his favourite frame made in titanium. Well... It turns out he was so happy with the frame that he couldn't resist taking me up on a special offer to compliment it with\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Bikes"","block_context":{"text":"Bikes","link":"https:\/\/spanner.bike\/?cat=13"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.spanner.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/DSC_0545-e1565561839767-712x900.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.spanner.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/DSC_0545-e1565561839767-712x900.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.spanner.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/DSC_0545-e1565561839767-712x900.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.spanner.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/DSC_0545-e1565561839767-712x900.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/spanner.bike\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4136","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/spanner.bike\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/spanner.bike\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spanner.bike\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spanner.bike\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4136"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/spanner.bike\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4136\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/spanner.bike\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4136"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spanner.bike\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4136"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spanner.bike\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4136"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}