The brief

Toby wanted a dream super-commuter: a bike which could cater to his weekday commuting needs but also perform on longer weekend hill rides.

He also had a very clear idea of the traditional aesthetic he wanted, which was very helpful for us, too.

The bike

We were initially planning to use a Bossi Summit frame with a non-standard fork because we needed headlight and mudguard mounts. However, finding a fork which both matched the Summit's geometry and complemented the frame's performance proved next to impossible. Not to worry! We switched to the Grit frame, which had the added bonuses of slightly longer chain stays (for better heel clearance) and larger tyre clearance.

Toby wanted the simplicity of a 1x11 drive train, and didn't require a massively wide cassette range, so a SRAM Force 1 groupset with an 11-36 cassette fitted the bill nicely. Force gives that perfect compromise between weight, performance, durability and price, so it's generally our go-to SRAM groupset for custom builds.

The wheelset needed to be robust, high-performing, and still fit the overall budget. We custom-built the wheels with an SP dynamo front hub and Alex rims, and completed the look with a set of tan sidewall Panaracer tyres.

To continue the traditional aesthetic, silver SKS guards and a Tubus rack were the obvious choice, as well as a polished alloy Thomson stem and Soma handlebars (two of the very few good-quality silver components still available).

How could we not finish it off with Brooks handlebar tape and a matching saddle? These leather touches were the perfect end to a beautiful, high-performance commuting bike.

And Toby was very happy indeed. "I'm riding it every day. There's such a difference in comfort, it's a new experience. And of course it looks amazing."

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