The Dangerholm Scott Foil - A masterclass in custom built bikes

Gustav Gullholm, AKA @Dangerholm on Instagram, is well-known in mountain biking circles for creating some of the lightest and prettiest machines in the world. More recently he's tried his hand at gravel and his latest creation, a 7.1kg Scott Foil, takes road bike custom building up to the same saliva-inducing level.

> Scott Foil gets lighter, comfier and faster with release of third generation road bike

The bike started life as a standard 2023 Scott Foil RC Pro frameset, just like the one that Liam got to ride pictured above. This is a pro-level bike which claims to be 20% faster, 9% lighter and 10% more comfortable than the previous generation.

> Check out the 2023 Scott Foil RC Ultimate that Romain Bardet is riding in the Tour de France

The frame and fork come in at 1,470g for the RC Pro model which isn't half bad for a disc brake aero bike. However, for real weight weenies, such as Romain Bardet of Team DSM, Scott also makes the RC Ultimate model which sheds a further 100g thanks to the use of HMX-SL carbon fibre.

> First Ride Review - Scott Foil RC Pro

Of course, the original paintwork didn't stick around, with Dangerholm instead opting for this 'sketchpad' design. For anyone wondering, yes that does say "Aeeeeero" down the fork leg.

> 6 road bike upgrades you don't actually need

Syncros is Scott's in-house componentry brand and you'll find its Creston IC (Integrated Cockpit) SL Aero bar and stem combo adorning many a Scott Foil.

Any cables and hoses are routed internally and even the stem bolts are covered by a magnetic cover. The cockpit weighs 325g for a size 420/110mm.

The answer was to slam!

The majority of the drivetrain is 12-speed Sram Red eTap AXS. Dangerholm has removed the front mech entirely to create this 1x setup.

> Head to head: Shimano Dura-Ace R9150 Di2 v SRAM Red eTap AXS

Dangerholm often opts for £1,200 Sturdy titanium crank arms for his bikes which are built up in Somerset, England. Currently on the bike, though, appear to be the standard carbon Sram Red arms stripped bare.

These are paired with a $90 7075-T651 aluminum alloy Garbaruk chainring which is available in sizes 38 to 52T and a wide variety of colours and fitment options.

As the writing on the chainstay indicates, the plan is to use the bike with either a 10-36T or 10-44T cassette to give the necessary range, The additional link between the rear mech and mech hanger indicates that this is the Max version of the Red derailleur which increases the standard 33T capability to 36T.

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Gustav Gullholm (@dangerholm)

The plan is to fit a Kogel Kollossos oversized pulley wheel system. Dangerholm has a long-standing partnership with Kogel and the brand recently released 30 limited-edition Dangerholm cages, each with pink champagne pulley wheels, raw aluminium cage and Rose titanium bolts.

The wheels are not exactly what you would call standard either. These are 48.5mm deep Bike Ahead Composites Biturbo Aero hoops with Michelin Power Cup tyres. The wheels have an eye-watering MSRP of €3,699. That's about £3,200!

Dangerholm said the following about the wheels: "As soon as I knew I’d build a Foil, I also knew I had to get myself a set of these wheels. The aero shape monocoque full carbon construction will simply look incredible together with the frameset, and I already loved the responsive feel of my Biturbo mountain bike wheels.

"The spoke shape is super thin for an aero profile. At just above 1450g they’re pretty light too, and they’ll most likely feel even lighter since the rotating mass is more centred than on most traditional wheels. The finish is incredible straight out of the mould. No clear coat or anything on these."

Now, plenty of roadies like to match their saddle with their bar tape but how about the saddle and tan wall tyres!? Like the bars and stem, the carbon-railed saddle comes from Syncros, one of the few manufacturers mass producing tan-coloured saddles.

> Review: Wahoo Speedplay Zero pedals

Wahoo Speedplay pedals complete the build. I wouldn't mind betting that these are the Nano version given Dangerholm's known love for titanium axles. With pedals and bottle cages, the complete bike is reported to weigh in at 7.1kg. Not at all bad...

Dangerholm says that this version of the bike is just a "temporary test mule" and that the final build with fine tuning will be built "when the snow comes".

For more rather special bikes, check out our other Bikes at Bedtime...

What frame would you use for your dream spec road bike? And would you also go 1x? Let us know in the comments section below...