Bespoked 2025 is in the books. The Dresden airport saw yet another successful edition of this unique bike fair last weekend. With over 90 framebuilders gathering from more than 20 countries, displaying 150 unique bicycles, and public attendance as high as ever — if not the highest for the Dresden edition yet — we’re confident it was one to remember.

Let’s cherish it, because simply, there is no other bike fair of this kind in Europe. What truly makes Bespoked special is that it provides such a loud platform for small, independent framebuilders to showcase the results of hours of work invested into their craftsmanship. The framebuilders, who quite often do this only out of passion rather than for profit, produce just a handful of bicycles a year.

Sure, there are bigger, probably more important exhibitions in Europe if judged by the number of new business partnerships formed or bikes sold, but we believe that it is also crucial that events like Bespoked exist, to provide an opportunity for talented up and coming framebuilders to express their creativity and perhaps also grow their brands.

Creativity is boundless

The creativity on display is one of the event’s defining features. Of the 150 bikes, perhaps a third showcased radically unconventional designs and geometries, much to the delight of us cycling enthusiasts.

Among the many that caught our attention were two bikes from Endless Bikes, including a kids’ cargobike that pays great attention to all the little details, such as kids-size brake levers. Completed with a Molekühl award-winning bag, the bike was a twistful addition to the show. Twist is what Endless Bikes seem to like, as seen on the tangled seat stays of their small wheel bike that caught the attention of many, with a paintjob inspired by the iconic Piet Mondrian’s work and equipped with a seamlessly matching frame bag.

Drust’s oversize steel hardtail mountain bike with Pinion drive and a bag set collaboratively made by Rvmble and Wit Slingers was another highlight, next to Ballern’s 32-inch mountain bike. The 32”s were quite a topic during this edition; let’s see if that becomes a widely adopted trend.

Road & gravel: Innovative or timeless designs

Let’s take a look at the conventional categories that interest us most — road and gravel. Builders approached these bikes in a variety of ways, using titanium, stainless steel, and carbon.

SWI Cycling impressed us with its monocoque, joint-less carbon Unishell construction. Each frame is formed as one continuous shell in a single mould and laminated precisely to the rider’s weight and power output using Thin Ply carbon textiles.

The Paris-based Bordure Cycles builds on a different, no less innovative approach. Their custom geometry featuring custom tubing and layering is combined with 3D-printed titanium joints, allowing for versatile tube replacement in case of damage. Pierre, the talented framebuilder, has been demonstrating this skill for several years, having won an award at Bespoked previously, this time receiving the People’s Choice Award.

Speaking of awards, we were honored to judge the Best Road Bike of this edition. The decision was close, but in the end, Erik Wunderlich’s lightweight stainless steel road bike won our hearts, celebrating the art of traditional steel framebuilding.

With its sleek design and matching custom bottle cages, we chose to award Wunderlich over the runner-up, Quokka’s Falcon titanium road bike. The Falcon stood out with a distinctive fork design, blending modern technologies with traditional craftsmanship. Among the shortlisted bikes were creations built on very different philosophies, including Bordure. For this edition, we chose to honor a design that was minimalistic and traditional, perfectly reflecting the essence of framebuilding craftsmanship.

3D printing with carbon bonding was nevertheless a significant ongoing trend in gravel, as seen at Curve’s gravel prototype, which took home the Best Gravel Bike Award. The Australian brand could be releasing it as their next model in a year’s time.

Other bikes worth mentioning include the Dresden-based brand Sour, with a road bike made from a combination of recycled carbon fibers and steel tubes, and Avalanche’s 6.6 kg titanium road bike, equipped with custom aero bars.

Bespoked bicycles usually demand bespoked equipment, and so the show also hosted 27 component manufacturers and a handful of bag makers, many of whom presented fully-equipped bikes in collaborations.

Posedla’s saddles are already familiar to our readers. This time, they showcased the Tempo Vision edition of the Repete R3 Reason, along with an updated product lineup divided into three quality tiers: Plus, Pro, and Ultra.

Bjōrn Cycles were another saddle brand present, catching attendees’ attention with their cork saddles and a new 3D-printed short-nose model.

Inclusivity is in Bespoked’s DNA

We’ve touched upon this earlier. Emphasizing the inclusion of smaller and emerging framebuilders, and giving them a chance to present their works, is an undeniable part of Bespoked. Sram contributes to this with its Scholarship program, supporting creators with components and guidance. We got the chance to talk to one of the Sram Scholars, Telbert, who built a unique bike for his little son. The son’s requirements were only two: it had to be purple and look like a dinosaur. We’re sure he delivered — hopefully, so thinks his kid!

Apart from this program, Bespoked welcomed an inspiring collaborative course between Black Sheep Bikes and the University of Iowa, showcasing the work of students learning the bikebuilding craft from scratch. One of Black Sheep’s projects won the Best Off Road Award, featuring a cable-less full-suspension bike.

The exhibition also provided a platform for stories that went beyond engineering and aesthetics. One such story was that of Giawasa, a framebuilder of African origin living in Germany. By day, he works as a kindergarten teacher; in his free time, he builds bicycle frames — a passion turned pursuit. His retro-inspired frames, compact and crafted from oversized tubing, reflect not only a love for the craft but also resilience and identity. When we approached him to learn more about his work, he seemed genuinely moved by the idea that his creations might one day attract the attention of journalists. It was a touching reminder of how vital events like Bespoked are in giving visibility and encouragement to talented builders who might otherwise remain unnoticed.

The two evenings were marked by a lively atmosphere — Friday’s awards ceremony and afterparty, followed by Saturday’s drag race presented by Hunt, open to all kinds of bikes and riders. The latter, in true Bespoked fashion, carried a playful double meaning that subtly underlined the event’s inclusive spirit.

Award highlights

Before closing, it’s worth highlighting this year’s Bespoked Awards winners:

Best Road: (RAW Cycling Magazine) Wunderlich
Best Gravel: (Bikepacking.com) Curve Cycling
Best Cargo: (Twotone + Crank! Communication) Woodland Cycles
Best Bag: (Radelbande) Endless Bikes
Best MTB: (MTB-News) Levin Cycles
Best In Show: (Bespoked) Meerglas
Best Touring: (Bikepacking.com) Dlouhy
Best Singlespeed: (Biciclette D’Epoca) Finnbar Trout
Best City / Utility: (Path Less Pedaled) Cycles Steil
Best Off Road: (The Radavist) Black Sheep Bikes
Best New Builder: (BikeRumor) Gregario
Mike Burrows Award for Innovation: (European Bike Project) Huettel Cycles
Best Finish: (Escape Collective) Avalanche Cycles
Absolute Legend: (Bespoked) Rosie Ray
Community Builder: Flo, Fern Cycles

One of the key aspects that makes Bespoked truly unique is that visitors get to meet the person behind each bike and hear the story, the motivation, and the craft firsthand. That experience is priceless. With next year’s edition set for Osaka, Japan, we’re excited to see how this spirit translates to a new setting and what fresh stories will emerge.