When we were putting together the SRAM Bespoked Inclusivity Scholarship, there was reasonable doubt that we would receive enough good applicants to fill the available spaces. Fortunately we were completely wrong! Having received an unprecedented number of applications, we had the difficult task of choosing who to say no to, which was hard based on the number of amazing and suitable applications we received. After much deliberation and back and forth, here are the awardees of this years’ scholarship.
Avalanche Cycles is a French bespoke bike workshop, based in Paris. The brand was founded by Marie Kervella, and quickly joined by Laurent Beurriand. We mainly build road, gravel, and travel bikes, but we really love to take new challenges when some clients ask us. We love to mix artisanal handmade work and new manufacturing processes. Each Avalanche frame is built by hand with uncompromising attention to detail.
There are only two women framebuilders in France, and there are very few female mechanics. Mechanical, technical fields, and metalworks are, in France, associated with men. So I want to prove them wrong, and also try to attract women in the bespoke frame world.
I am Viola from Sideways Bikes. I have spent the years since studying Engineering working in various fields of composites across the UK. The underlying goal to all of this was to take the knowledge and apply it to framebuilding. I like to build unique, handmade bikes that still take advantage of all the properties of composites.
I have been fortunate to be chosen for The SRAM x Bespoked Inclusivity Scholarship which makes a world of difference as I wouldn’t have been able to come to the show without the support. London is somewhere I have been very few times and it’s a long way from home! I am excited for the adventure and can’t wait to meet and chat to all the other framebuilders and custom bike enthusiasts!
I am a Brit, living in Germany, building simple lugged frames in a workshop in France, from classic Italian steel.
2022 is the ten-year anniversary of my first trip as an exhibitor to Bespoked at the London Velodrome. I’m happy to be participating this year as part of the SRAM Bespoked scholarship.
I am a bicycle enthusiast and lover of coffee, cake and picnics. I run the Trans Cyclist Collective Instagram page which I set up because, as a trans person, I couldn’t see anyone like me in the cycling industry or riding bikes. There isn’t enough representation of women and LGBTQ+ people in the bicycle industry, and I hope that, even in a small way, my work can encourage a change.
Photo Credit: Mike Dodd
I am Sarah Green and my frames are built by hand using the finest chromoly steel. I have been building bicycle frames for 3 years now and I fell in love with bespoke, artisan frames and through Salitter I create exceptional quality frames, each one a unique and functional piece of art. I am inspired by art and alchemy together with form and function to produce frames where detail matters.
I build frames that use lightweight tubing and are engineered to be fast, sure footed and simple. I have stripped away complexity so the rider can connect more easily with nature. I custom design, build and paint the frames according to their intended use and to be special and meaningful to their owner.
I find that a lot of the branding, design, photography, clothing and even language used in the cycling industry is very white male oriented. I want to showcase bicycle frames that demonstrate femininity and artistry that are designed by a woman and that appeal to a woman to help encourage more women to be attracted to this industry. I am interested in gravel and mountain bike riding and I really want to use my skills and passion to connect with and inspire other women
