Crust Bombora

Crust Bombora

Occasionally, a custom build will come together so organically that it seems just like it was meant to be. We received a phone call in November from a mother halfway across the country who was looking for a shop to put together a surprise bike for her son in time for Christmas. She had her eyes on a Crust Bombora frame with carbon fork from the Thereabouts collaboration, but didn’t have any specific requirements. Being a surprise, we couldn’t ask the rider about his preferences, but we got some general input about color, fit, and general preferences from a few family friends and launched into it!

Being the middle of the Covid-19 supply chain woes, there were a lot of question marks where parts ETAs should be, so we reached out to manufacturers, other shops, and distributors directly to try to put all of the pieces together before the holidays.

We started with a pretty subdued color palette and wanted an accent that worked well with the gold details on the frame while still being widely available–we settled on orange headset cups and spacers from Wolf Tooth, matched to orange hubs and rotors from Hope and orange/black Paul Klampers. The Kona Wah Wah pedals also feature an orange bearing cap, keeping the accent consistent throughout the bike.

The drivetrain choices were governed by availability, with SRAM being the only company to be able to offer a complete wide-range 1x drivetrain within the time constraints. We went with Force carbon cranks, levers, and derailleur, PNW Components Coast handlebar in 52cm, and Ciclovation bar tape that matched the gold details on the frame. The inimitable Maxxis Ikon tires and Brooks Cambium C17 Special saddle on a Whisky carbon seatpost round out the final details. Altogether, this is a mean, capable gravel and adventure build ready for overnight bikepacking trips or tackling the closest OMTM route!

Fill out the custom builds form or email custombuilds@joe-bike.com to get the ball rolling on your dream build today!