This week's featured build is a feast for the senses. But cast your eyes over the Form Throne saddle on this stunning Prova Mostro for one moment—a camouflaged Form saddle courtesy of bespoke leatherworker Mick at Busyman Cycles in Australia, all perforations of color like pulsing waves of sonic bliss. It's the sort of simple detail that makes us want to grab the next flight to Australia, knock on Mick's door and applaud to his face. Words would be unnecessary.
The depth of Mick's work speaks to the importance of subtlety and detail if you're looking to elevate a bike beyond the norm, which is our reason for living at Above Category (there are other, lesser reasons). You can't see too clearly in the images, but on the top, to the right-hand side, is the same red dot motif that repeats across the frame and hubs. We have our friends at Toronto's Velocolour to thank for that and more, and Mick for echoing the design on the Form saddle.
Sticking with the cockpit, we chose Enve's Road stem and All-Road handlebars, complemented by a Busyman bar tape in the same design as the saddle. A silver Chris King headset sits pretty in the center, enhanced with Prova's titanium spacers (the eagle-eyed will note how the lower spacer gracefully flares out to connect with the headset). The newest iteration of SRAM Red keeps the wheels turning and completes the controls.
However, before we rush over the drivetrain, check out the Carbon Ti chainring and eeWings cranks. The former is a trick, Italian-made gear upgrade. If you like that, you'll love the brand's disc rotors we just added to the shop. They're stellar.
55-wide Rene Herse tires, Fleecer Ridge. They're big—the biggest you can get on the Mostro. In reality, the client will need to drop to 48s if he plans to roll through mud, a point worth noting if you own a Mostro or plan to commission one with us.
If you can widen your gaze past the Velocolour three-dot motif on the bike's hubs, you'll note the Duke logo, a French outfit specializing in artisanal wheels. We dig them and are finding ourselves using them more and more.
Let's end where we began with design. This Mostro is another Velocolur triumph. The colors are so beautifully complementary (mirrored on the bottle cages), and the hues so artistic and unfussy, so purposeful, that we have no doubt that this bike's lucky rider won't hesitate to let it rip, paint dings be damned, they're part of the rush.
If you'd like something similar from Prova or another builder on the AC roster, please don't hesitate to contact us.
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