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Mastering the art of hand-built bikes — Take a look at this Festka "Kafka on a bike"

Custom Czech build featuring custom geometry, SRAM Red groupset and ENVE panache

The Czech brand Festka first made an appearance in the world of cycling in 2010, creating high-end carbon bike frames. In this short time, it has become one of the "most interesting and expensive" bike brands in the world, renowned for its original designs and daring collaborations with artists.

2022 Festka Kafka on a bike paintwork

@Tom Hnida

 

 

 

Carbon tubes are the core building material for every Festka frame, using a "unique production technology" of joining wound carbon filament tubes via tube-to-tube joints. Festka says its capability to work with individual fibres brings nearly unlimited design options, allowing them to optimise the tubes to virtually any specifications.

> 6 road bike upgrades you don't actually need

2022 Festka Kafka on a bike paintwork toptube
@Tom Hnida

Lyndon, the client for this unique bike, chose a custom geometry Festka Scalatore. Festka says the Scalatore maximises performance and is low weight, providing "the perfect combination of stiffness and comfort."

With the right setup, Festka says the disc brake Scalatore can be under 6kg; however, it comes at a cost to have one of the best road bikes. Framesets start at €‎5,990 (around £5,100) or the fanciest of builds will set you back €‎11,400 (around £9,800). 

2022 Festka Kafka on a bike sketches

This Festka is no exception to its comprehensive range of bikes with its 'frame tattoo' from illustrator Michal Bačák inspired by motifs from Franz Kafka's books. Franz Kafka is considered one of the most influential writers of the 20th century, blending realism and the fantastic. 

Michal has a distinct style, with his illustrations featuring in books and on walls, as well as on porcelain. The 'Kafka on a bike' almost looks as though the frame has been tattooed, due to Michal's style, and that the drawings were done directly on the frame in a special felt-tip pen. His work can be seen on two previous Festka bikes, the Porcelain Bike and the Samurai Festka. 

2022 Festka Kafka on a bike toptube

@Ondrej Szollosz

Festka says "your Scalatore deserves the best", so it recommends the ideal set of components for you and your riding style. Lyndon's 'Kafka on a bike' features an ENVE cockpit and ENVE SES wheels. The ENVE road stem has been painted to match the rest of the aesthetic. 

> Affordable ENVE Wheels! Deep dive into the ENVE Foundation range

2022 Festka Kafka on a bike ses wheels

@Ondrej Szollosz

ENVE has overhauled its entire wheel range for 2022 by ditching rim brake options and introducing two new depths, which you can read about here

This bike has been built up with the ENVE SES 3.4 wheelset which is said to be "versatile, aero, light, and fast", weighing 1390 grams. They are currently £1,800 on Sigma Sports. 

They are a tubeless-only design and these wheels have been fitted with the Tufo Comtura 3 TR Tubeless Road Tyre. 

2022 Festka Kafka on a bike SRAM red

@Tom Hnida

Finally, this Festka Scalatore has been built with a wireless SRAM Red 12-speed groupset, which currently costs around £2,100. The chainsets are available with an optional power meter. 

> How to choose the best SRAM road bike groupset for you

2022 Festka Kafka on a bike

@Tom Hnida

www.festka.com

What are your flashiest paint job ideas? Let us know in the comments section below... 

Emily is our track and road racing specialist, having represented Great Britain at the World and European Track Championships. With a National Title up her sleeve, Emily has just completed her Master’s in Sports Psychology at Loughborough University where she raced for Elite Development Team, Loughborough Lightning.

Emily is our go-to for all things training and when not riding or racing bikes, you can find her online shopping or booking flights…the rest of the office is now considering painting their nails to see if that’s the secret to going fast…

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1 comments

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Rendel Harris | 1 year ago
1 like

Love Kafka, love good art, love high-end bikes. Why anyone would want to spend a fortune combining the three is beyond me!

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