Collection Gift Guide: Tailored Temple
12/01/2006
To celebrate the fifth anniversary of Temple Cycles’ first production bicycle, the manufacturer will produce a special run of only five bikes built by its bespoke Groupe de Tete division to spectacular specification. “We wanted to do something special for 2007 and kicked around a number of ideas—the best was a limited-edition bicycle,” says Lance Johnson, CEO of Temple Cycles. “We have made what is pretty much the ultimate bike.” One of the commemorative-edition bikes has already been spoken for; the remaining four will sell for around $25,000 each.; function voidFunc() { } voidFunc();)
Even those familiar with Temple might not recognize the relatively new
moniker: “Groupe de Tete is the logical extension of everything we’ve done with Temple Cycles
over the last five years,” explains Johnson. “People who heard about our custom paint and custom
leather would call and ask us to personalize their non-Temple bikes. We didn’t have a
reasonable entity to do that, and so we started Groupe de Tete as a service that provides our
level of luxury to the entire cycling community.” According to Johnson, Groupe de Tete’s
modifications parallel those created by automotive tuners: Some are purely aesthetic, while others
stress performance. (Click image to enlarge); function voidFunc() { } voidFunc();)
Given the strictly custom nature of these Fifth Anniversary bikes, Temple
appreciated the opportunity to tap the broad range of personalized options developed under
the Groupe de Tete banner. “We tweaked every piece of this bicycle,” says Johnson. “The
closest elements to ‘standard’ on this bike are the handmade tires with silk casing, which are
extremely limited production items, and the brake and shift levers, which have been
gilded.” Major components include a tuned Campagnolo Record drive train, M5 brakes and
crank set, a custom bar-stem combination from Crumpton and Syntace, gearing and chain coated in
aluminum titanium nitrite, and ceramic bearings. Each has been specifically adapted
for this edition. The bicycle also features custom paint—in this case, Aston Martin’s sapphire
blue—detailed leatherwork, copper-gilded decals with hand outlining, and a signature
head-tube badge with a sapphire embedded in it. Despite its full complement of stylistic
accoutrements, the full bike (with a 55 cm frame) weighs in at only about 13.5 pounds. (Each bike
frame will be individually customized and handmade for the buyer.) “It’s very lightweight,
very strong, and has a very understated aesthetic,” says Johnson. (Click image to enlarge); function voidFunc() { } voidFunc();)
Given the flexible definition of “limited edition,” Johnson is quick to
emphasize the unique nature of this series. “We will only ever build five examples of this
bicycle,” he says. “You won’t see the same thing next year with a different color and a
different name.” If you’re interested in claiming one for yourself, act quickly. According to
Johnson, regular customers of the North Carolina–based company have expressed interest in the
bikes for their performance envelope and aesthetics appeal, as well as for their clear
historical significance. (Click image to enlarge)
Temple Cycles
828.225.3440
www.templecycles.com