Interview · June 2026 · 5 min read
Telbert Cycles On Framebuilding & Representation
One of four recipients of the 2025 BESPOKED x SRAM Inclusivity Scholarship, Telbert talks about the purple dragon he built for his son, the time-money-space trilogy, and why the scholarship is worth applying for.
In 2025, Telbert from Telbert Cycles joined us at BESPOKED Dresden as one of four recipients of the BESPOKED x SRAM Inclusivity Scholarship. With applications now open for 2026, we caught up with him to talk about the bike he exhibited, what framebuilding means to him, and what the scholarship experience was really like.
Photography by Petor Georgallou. Interview by BESPOKED and Telbert Cycles.
1. Tell us a bit about yourself and the kind of bikes you build. What keeps bringing you back to framebuilding?
I'm Telbert. I'm practically minded and enjoy the challenge of creating and making things for myself and others. When it comes to building bicycle frames there are so many aspects to get excited about - from concept to design, from build to ride.
What starts as an idea, a dream or a vision is carefully developed into a drawing and transferred into a tube set of sawn and filed tubes, ready to be brazed together. With braze-ons added and details crafted, the final steps are paint - which I find the most creative part of the process - and assembly, which is rewarding as component by component you see your frame become a bicycle.
The best bit is always saved for last-… the ride.
2. Describe the bike you brought to BESPOKED through the scholarship. What were you trying to create, and what details mattered most?
I built Adisa, my son, a bike for BESPOKED. As he was 9 at the time, our dream was to build him an extra-small sized frame with 700c wheels. We had support from my good friend Jon at Pedalling Perfection around fit and design, and SRAM supported with the bike bling.
Once the frame was built I followed Adisa's brief of delivering a purple dragon. I enjoyed carving out the dragon's tail in the seat tube, but from a technical point of view the most important detail was altering the geometry to give a smaller rider a riding experience equal to a medium sized bike.
3. What did being part of the scholarship actually feel like once you arrived at the show?
Being a scholar was a fantastic experience. It actually started before I arrived at the show, with a visit from Petor who came over to capture some media bits. Along with being kind, sharp and witty, Petor also displayed his relational skills - making me feel at ease while he interviewed me, and showing how he really wanted to hear my story. SRAM were also attentive, supplying me with details throughout the build process and before travel.
All of the other exhibitors at the show were welcoming. Tools were shared so that my booth could be set up how I wanted it, and finishing assembly touches could be made to the bike after it had been shipped. Members of the press paid particular attention to the scholars, and we were invited out to photo shoots and included in activities. Visitors to the show were also interested in the scholarship, and the whole community showed so much love.
"The whole community showed so much love."
4. Framebuilding can sometimes feel difficult to access from the outside. What helped you find your place within it?
Framebuilding is difficult to access, which is one of the reasons it's underrepresented by minority groups. Having space and tooling to build frames is a challenge that comes after actually acquiring some basic skills in order to build frames.
My journey has been long, and has had long periods of not being able to build frames as I balance the time-money-space trilogy. I've now managed to build my own work shed, so with this space, and children that are older, I just need to find a consistency to continue to develop this craft.
5. If someone is thinking about applying for the scholarship this year but doesn't feel ready yet - what would you say to them?
With my answer to no. 4 in mind, I'd say please apply now. This is a great opportunity for you to step up and represent. The BESPOKED and SRAM teams will be there to support, and previous scholars like myself are only an email away.
The 2026 SRAM scholarship awardees are to be announced soon.