Every path to #NewBikeDay is unique, some being a longer journey than others. This particular bike was a year in the making, with nearly every detail scrutinized to perfection. A Baum Coretto with a stunningly unique paint job and a masterful build from both the frame builder and our mechanic. Read on to get a glimpse into the process and results of this beauty of a ride.
Every bicycle starts as a frame and a box. The magic lies in the hands of the mechanic to bring it all to life. With a mixture of traditional mechanical pieces and state of the art electronics, a modern mechanic but be a master of time-honored trade secrets while staying up to date on tuning manufacturer’s latest offerings, all while implementing their own hacks and tricks developed over years of experience in the shop. Here Robert lays his skillful hands over this Baum build.
Deciding on paint is arguably the most challenging step of any custom bicycle process. In this case, it was a big debate over a matte or gloss finish. In the end, a wonderful compromise was made with a satin deep purple laying the base for the glossy red and silver accents and logos to pop from. Combining the two finish types is no easy feat for a painter to pull off, but the experts at Baum execute it masterfully. The paint, however, is just the icing on the cake and not to distract from the precision craftsmanship of the bare frame itself. With paint or without, every unit to leave the Baum workshop is a true piece of art.
With an eye on keeping things up to date with the latest tech, we guided our rider towards Shimano’s flagship Dura-Ace Di2 group, complete with their 9100-P power meter crank. In addition to fitting our client’s ergonomic preferences, the glossy black and grey finish of the Shimano kit perfectly compliment the gloss details of the frame.
The wheels area custom built affair from our workshop. Keeping in line with the matte/gloss theme, we based the build around a pair of Chris King R45 hubs in a matte slate finish. From there we determined the appropriate spoke count for our rider and laced them to a set of Alto CC40 rims. Lightweight, incredible braking performance and their stealthy, nondescript finish was the perfect choice for this build. Finally, we wrapped the wheels in our favorite Vittoria Cora 25c tires.
Finishing out the build are the EE brakes. While the Dura-Ace brakes are an incredible option, sometimes you want something a little more…special. Their heavily engineered aesthetic and premium stopping power fit that bill.
A bike worth the wait? We certainly think so.
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