Ever since it made it up on our Flickr site it has been a huge hit. Appearing on multiple blogs including Velo Liberte, Tumblr and bike forums.

For the time being it'll be tearing up the roads in Malayasia, but soon will be back in Australia – with the owner keen to start racing. Given it looks fast standing still, I'd say the racers in Melbounre should consider themselves warned!

Congratulations Brian, may it continue to turn heads for years to come.

that's correct, our Turanti cyclocross bike is now ready to order. There will be a more in depth look at the Turanti in the coming weeks, however if you would like a read of the first review (and first ride in fact) of it then I highly recommend dropping by your local newsagent and grabbing a copy of the latest RIDE mag. 

However don't hope to grab this particular beauty now that the review is complete, it's already safely in the hands of its new owner and heading to twilight CX races in Adelaide in the coming weeks. Watch out!

Now anyone in the UK considering a Baum for their next bike have one stop shop in place where they can both get their bike fit and order placed, all under the professional guidance of Stephen. Below is just one of the frames that Stephen has in his store.

with more shots of it here and the Prestige Ristretto can be seen here.

Even for those not looking for a new Baum, I still recommend taking a moment to have a stroll through the new site or even a trip down to Brighton for a visit to Stephen's shop and a chance to see some Baum's up close and personal. There's still a bit of Autumn sunshine remaining, maybe even ride there.

Hope you and all at Baum land are fit and well. Sorry it’s taken an age to get back to you with some photos and a brief ride report, truth is I have taken every single spare moment to get out on the road and enjoy the Baum; and stunning it is. So, see below a few snaps, taken whilst out on a late summer century, I thought you’d like the carefully selected views of the English countryside.

 

Commissioning a hand build bike is no small task; you are faced with a vast range of choices in deciding on geometry, ride feel and components, and let’s be honest, if you’re spending a fair wedge of cash it also needs to look sweet. Now I am of course biased, but I am delighted with the outcome, the care and detail that has gone into the welds and paintwork is a true labor of love. The bike was build up by Barry and his team at Bespoke (thanks guys, faultless work), Matt the mechanic commented on the 20 tiny welds on each side of the cable stop on the chainstay and the overall quality of the build, per·fec·tion!

So to the ride, on commissioning the Corretto I asked for a ride that would be compliant, comfortable enough to spend hours in the saddle and snappy to respond to a jump when required. To be honest it has taken me this long to fully appreciate what I have on my hands, the Baum is a huge step up from my vintage steel frame, I selected components to respect the quality of the build (slight departure from financial reality required) and create something that would take me to the next level of ability and fitness, it is truly the sum of its parts. The Corretto is responsive without being jittery, compliant without being harsh and smooth as the finest Jersey butter. Weird as this may sound, the Baum has removed the mechanical element from my rides, I am locked in to position, feel fluid and have supreme confidence in the bike.

 

A big thank you to you all:

Nick for listening and allowing me to change direction several times often at the 11th hour

Daren for understanding my needs and building something truly unique (still can’t get over the 1in chainstays)

And Jared for pushing the boundaries of what is possible with paint 

Quite the finished build there, we are very impressed and certain there will be many, many happy miles in store for the owner.

Happy riding!

The final stage will again be a criterium race around the streets of Carlton, complete with the sights, sounds and fantastic tastes that Lygon street has to offer. The course is below

With the trade show running all day. 

So if you are coming in to town to watch the race please do not hesitate to drop in the stand and say hello. You might even be able to get a closer look at one of the new beauties we'll have on display. You can get a sneak peek below

Trust me, in real life it's even better!

Look forward to seeing you down there.

Which coupled with Di2 and Reynolds 32mm carbon wheels makes for the perfect understated race machine come Sunday bunch ride cruiser. 

The first time process might have taken a bit to perfect, but now I think you'll agree the hard work was worth it. Come tomorrow afternoon there is going to be one very happy owner of this new beauty.

More shots and our others can be found on our Flickr site.

When yesterday dawned clear over the Great Ocean Road, we all agreed it would be a lovely day for a ride with mates. A bunch of us, including The Boss lined up for a roll in the sun for the Amy Gillet Gran Fondo. This isn't a story about the event (it was great, awesome cause, amazing roads, you should totally do it next year),  no, this is a story of a sneaky attack, about a battle against all odds. About one man who attacked when no one else would dare attack.

It began on the quiet streets of Lorne, 2,500 people and 5,000 wheels (many of them deep section) lined up for 120 odd km of idyllic riding on closed roads.

We rolled out along the base of cliffs and had a bit of fun, sometimes chatting, sometimes attacking but mostly just grinning at how good a day it was to be on the bike. Up front was Nick and Dave, guys happy to set solid tempo all day long. Jim, The Boss and I floated behind them and further back Steve lurked.

When the bunch hit Skenes Creek and the base of the day's main climb conversation ceased and everyone set their own pained pace. I'm not ashamed to say that Dave quietly went about tearing my legs off, while Nick rocketed off ahead of us both to take KOM honours.

At the top we stopped and chatted quietly as one by one we regrouped. Well, not all of us regrouped, Steve took one look at us off our bikes and attacked! He was off like a stuck cat, piling in the Watts while we all wondered what had just occurred. To shortcut this story slightly, that was the winning move, only Jim was to see Steve again, but narrowly missed catching him before the top of Mt Benwerrin and the finish line. So that's it, Steve was the winner of the inaugural Amy Gillet Gran Fondo "Those crazy Baum guys" team cup. Your cheque is in the mail.

Thanks to all the volunteers and everyone that said g'day.

It's now less than a week away, so almost too late for some last minute training! However Darren, David, myself and some Baum special guests are more than ever looking forward to what should be an excellent event.

Without looking to place too much of a premature jinx on it, the weather outlook is appearing to be quite favourable. I know from first hand experience how much more chilly it can be at the top of Benwerrin compared to the top. But we'll all take a forecast like below

any time compared to what Victoria dished up yesterday.

Look forward to catching up and meeting as many of you as we can, especially if you're happy to give us a bit of a sit and a chance to catch our breath.

Vai vai vai!

This green and Ti menace floated past and caught my eye yesterday. I cant remember any other bikes from in the bunch as I was too busy trying to chew my stem off the steerer tube.