3 NEW NUAS

 

This post is just pure self-indulgence: a photo-essay of three of the latest and sleekest Nuas to come out of our workshop. So scroll on down to get some ideas for your dream bike, or just to appreciate the beauty of a bicycle well made.

 

1. Santtu’s Nua Kuopio

Santtu wrote to us from beautiful Kuopio in Finland, looking for a bike he could use for his daily commute along stunning lakeside paths. Here are a few photos of the
drop bar single speed we made for him:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“My Nua rides very smoothly. No sound at all. Everything works great!
The bike is beautifully finished, light and lovely. Thank you so much :)))))”

 

 

2. Richardson’s Nua 8-Speed Alfine

We recently shipped this marvelous bike to Pensylvania. Simple in design, but capable of handling any surface thanks to its 8-speed hub and wide tires.

 

 

 

 

 

“Now that the weather here in Pennsylvania has been warming up in the last month, my Nua is getting a lot of road time.  I’m really loving it!  It’s also gotten a lot of attention and comments from my friends, all of whom mention how unique it is.

Thanks again for such a great product!”

 

 

3. Phillip’s Nua Single Speed

Phillip got in touch with us in search of the perfect single speed on which to ride the streets of Berlin in style. A few weeks later, this was the result:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Just wanted to drop you some lines after my first commutes to work. The bike looks and rides awesome. I enjoy it very much. It is very clean and neatly assembled. Great quality. 

Thank you for this amazing bike and the great service”

 

 

That’s all for now. If you’d like to receive regular newsletters with updates about our latest custom builds and ideas for your dream bike, sign up here.
Safe and happy cycling!

 

 

A NUA DOWN UNDER

 

John wrote to us all the way from Australia, impressed by our bikes. He realised he’d finally found what he’d been searching for all these years. He needed a well-equipped bicycle, big on quality and small on maintenance. One which he could use for his daily 50 km commute as well as for weekend adventures. In addition, he wanted something designed and made to measure. Something special. Very special. What better than a Nua? After almost a hundred emails and many hours of work, his Nua was born:

 

 

The process of defining John’s bike aesthetically was interesting. At first, he tended towards a strict classicism, but over time that changed to a mixture of classic and modern. The result was a neoclassical style which we love!

 

 

 

A Rohloff Speedhub IGH can circumnavigate the world several times in it’s working life, so it will certainly stand up to John’s level of use for a good few years.

 

 

Combined with a Gates Carbon Drive CDX, it makes for a reliable, silent transmission which needs no more maintenance than an oil change every 5000 km.

 

 

The wheels are hand built, with H+Son Hydra rims, Sapim D-Light spokes, and some gorgeous aluminium nipples, anodised in orange, also by Sapim. The front wheel uses a Chris King hub, so as to be up to the standard of the rear Rohloff hub.

 

 

John wanted the best brakes available. We suggested Trickstuff Cleg 2, and it was a case of love at first sight. Unfortunately, they weren’t available in the colour he wanted, so we had to order them in orange and blue, and then spend a good few hours polishing off the blue!

 

 

The quality of these brakes is impressive. They’re made in the heart of the Black Forest, and we think they might be the best brakes in existence.

 

 

 

In keeping with the orange theme, and also with the high-end componentry of this bike, we chose a Chris King i7 tapered headset, in “mango”.

 

 

If you’ve been following our adventures you’ll know that we love Gilles Berthoud saddles, especially the Galibier model with its titanium rails. In our opinion, it’s the best leather saddle in the world (not to mention the lightest).

 

 

Another component we have a bit of a fetish for are Compass tyres. They’re flexible, lightweight and they look great. Perfect for a top-end build. Here you can see them with some beautifully discreet Curana mudguards, necessary on a bike which will be in daily use, rain or shine.

 

 

To sum up, one of the most complete and best-equipped bikes ever to come out of our little Barcelona workshop. Now it’s riding the streets of Victoria, half a world away! We’re very happy with it, and so, it would seem, is John:

I am very, very happy with my Nua. This bike is such a joy to ride, fits me perfectly, and the overall look exceeds my wildest expectations.”

 

 

That’s all for now. If you’d like to receive regular newsletters with updates about our latest custom builds and ideas for your dream bike, sign up here.
Safe and happy cycling!

 

 

 

 

KOUROCHE’S 2-SPEED

 

The first Nua in Miami is very special, and its owner, Kouroche, has become a good friend since visiting us in Barcelona a few months ago. He had been in love with our bikes for a good while when he finally decided to order a Nua Doppio, customised to his taste. This is the result:

 

 

Kouroche decided he wanted the crankset spider orange, so of course we painted it orange for him.

 

 

And we complimented it with a few other orange touches. Such as this superb quality Chris King i7 headset in “mango”:

 

 

Orange rear sprocket spacers:

 

 

And even orange gear cable casing:

 

 

This bicycle is the first which we’ve constructed with the rear light and headlight integrated into the seatpost and handlebar respectively.

 

 

The lights are nice and bright, and very discrete when not in use. They’re powered by a lithium-ion battery with its own USB charger.

 

 

Another first for us on this bike is the side stand.

 

 

A Brooks saddle in black leather with titanium rails will provide elegant good looks and comfort for years to come.

 

 

In a nutshell, a simple yet superb quality machine, sporty yet comfortable, elegant but with a touch of fun, exactly as our friend Kouroche had requested. Upon receiving the bike, he had these kind words to say:

“Hi Roberto, I just got the bike and it is even better than I had imagined it. It is very light which is impressive….
it is a beauty and piece of art.  I am very happy with it”

Thankyou Kouroche for your friendship and your generous nature. And also for sending us this foto of your new Nua with Miami Beach in the background:

 

 

That’s all for now. If you’d like to receive regular newsletters with updates about our latest custom builds and ideas for your dream bike, sign up here.
Safe and happy cycling!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TOBI’S NUA

 

Zürich is a relatively flat city, but it does have some fairly steep hills in its northern suburbs, so when Tobi came to us looking for the perfect bike for his daily commute and occasional excursions to the lakes, he knew that a 2-speed hub would be ideal. The Kappstein Doppio, for example; integrated into the bottom bracket.
As little plastic as possible, lots of titanium, and practical, maintenance-free components such as a belt transmission. These were the reasons Tobi asked us to make his bike. And a couple of months later, his Nua was born:

 

 

The Kappstein Doppio 2-speed BB hub:

 

Controlled by a minimalist shifter on the handlebar:
The Gates Carbon CDX Centertrack belt drive. Clean, silent, and maintenance-free for the duration of its 20.000-30.000 km working life:
Titanium, more titanium and a bit more titanium….immune to the corrosion which salt on frozen roads causes in other materials:
                 
The saddle and grips are from the Brooks Cambium range, this time in “natural” colour. It’s the first time we’ve used this colour, and we really like the way it combines with the titanium, giving the bike an ethereal look:
In a nutshell, a bike which is as simple as possible and as top-quality as possible. And one with which Tobi is extremely happy:

“it’s super fun to ride 🙂 super agile, also quite fast! Loving the gear set up! “

That’s all for now. If you’d like to receive regular newsletters with updates about our latest custom builds and ideas for your dream bike, sign up here.
Safe and happy cycling!

HORNIK’S DOPPIO

 

Our Nua Doppio has been a big hit, and it’s not hard to understand why. With its sporty yet elegant styling, its exquisite 2-speed bottom-bracket gearbox (ideal for most urban situations), and its minimalist wheels with 12 pairs of triangulated spokes, we knew we were on to a good thing.
But while some people have ordered the Doppio “as-is”, others have felt the need to personalise their machine, creating their own custom version. This was the case with our Nua Ambassador in Düsseldorf, P. Hornik, who opted for some interesting upgrades to come up with his own personal and unique Nua Doppio. This was the result:

 

 

The Kappstein Doppio gear hub, integrated into the bottom bracket, is the nucleus of the system. Weighing in at only 750g, it has a ratio of 1.57, resulting in two speeds sufficiently widely spaced to offer great versatility. Paired with a Gates Carbon Drive CDX belt, it’s poetry in motion.

 

 

It’s controlled by this tiny and incredibly cool shifter (not the brake one, the tiny black one next to it).

 

 

We installed Formula T1 brakes, lightweight yet powerful.

 

                 

 

Another upgrade requested by our client was this Brooks C-13 saddle with carbon fibre rails. Here you can see it atop the always fabulous Thomson seatpost.

 

                 

 

And here is the matching Thomson stem, which combines with our titanium bar to form a solid and stylish cockpit.

 

 

The Gates belt requires precise alignment, so we always machine the aluminium spacers ourselves to achieve the perfect fit.

 

 

Here you can see the lovely Acros semi-integrated headset, a little bit of creative flair with the separators, and the stunning welds on the Nua Ti-CORE titanium frame.

 

 

As as you may know, we like playing with anodising our titanium frames, creating a unique look for each bike that leaves the workshop.

 

 

In a nutshell, a lovely urban rocket which absolutely delighted its new owner.
In his own words:

“I’m totally stoked with the bike. It feels only perfect. I want you know I love this masterpiece!”

 

 

 

That’s all for now. If you’d like to receive regular newsletters with updates about our latest custom builds and ideas for your dream bike, sign up here.
Safe and happy cycling!

 

 

 

GRAHAM’S NUA

 

At Nua Bikes we make custom bicycles. And by custom, we mean that we’ll completely tailor a bike to the customer’s needs and wants. That can mean anything from simply using black spoke nipples when hand-making the wheels, to designing and constructing a modular, dual-purpose front luggage rack, or indeed finding a way to combine a Rohloff IGH with drop-bar brifters. We did all this and more for our latest build, which is as custom as our customer needed it to be.
Graham wrote to us wanting a commuter for daily use which could also be used for off-road adventures and weekend excursions with panniers. A few months later, this “randonneur adventure bike” was born:

 

 

This is the most complex and accessory-rich bike we’ve made to date. Nevertheless, it maintains the classic clean lines which are the hallmark of a Nua.

 

 

The Rohloff 14-speed IGH comes supplied with a twist shifter for use on flat handlebars, so using it with drop bars has, until recently, involved a bit of compromise. This Nua is one of the very first bikes to use the new Gebla Rohbox shiftbox, which allows us to use road bike shifters, no problems. Here you can see the Gebla shiftbox beside the original Rohloff model:

 

 

And here is the simple but effective internal mechanism:

 

 

Since the Rohloff hub already incorporates an indexing mechanism, we modified the SRAM Force 22 shifters, getting rid of a few extraneous bits.

 

 

This is how the whole thing looks: the Rohloff with its special shiftbox, the powerful SRAM hydraulic brake with a Hope rotor, and the Gates Carbon Drive Center Track belt.

 

                 

 

And here are the shifters, now relieved of their superfluous parts and installed on a super-light 3T carbon bar with internal cabling. The right lever changes up a gear with each squeeze, the left lever changes down. Intuitive, quick, and direct.

 

 

Another interesting aspect of this bike is its front rack. Graham wanted a basket to put his backpack or shopping bags in for daily use, but he also wanted to be able to use front panniers on weekend trips. There are a couple of products on the market which allow this, but there isn’t anything (or if there is we couldn’t find it) which allows you to remove the top basket but still use the rack as a support for the panniers. So we designed and constructed a rack from scratch, which was time-consuming, but we’re very pleased with the result:

 

 

The top basket is practical for transporting everyday loads, even books if you’re so minded!

 

 

It’s been beautifully fillet brazed for us by Marcos from Solei Bikes, and finished off with a home-made base of carbon fibre sheets.

 

 

The basket attaches and detaches quickly and easily using four titanium screws especially turned for the occasion (M8 with the shank reduced to M6 so as to render washers unnecessary), leaving a light-weight structure which supports the Ortlieb panniers.

 

                 

 

The front rack includes a bracket (specially designed and made, of course!) for the Supernova E3 Pure front light.

 

 

Which is powered by the best hub dynamo on the market, the SON Delux.

 

 

The lighting set-up is completed with a minimalist Supernova taillight, mounted on the fabulous Thomson seatpost.

 

 

And to crown the Thomson seatpost, what better than the new Brooks C-13 with carbon fibre rails.

 

 

All the components on this bike are top-notch, from the Chris King headset to the marvelously supple Compass tyres, and including our new tapered titanium fork with internal cable routing for post-mounted disc brakes.

 

                 

 

To sum up, an exceptional bike: functional, robust, reliable and lovely. A bike which Graham will be able to ride pretty much anywhere that takes his fancy, both on the streets of San Francisco and in the surrounding mountains.
We’re extremely happy that the time and energy we’ve put into this bicycle have borne such satisfying fruit, and it would seem that Graham is too:

The design, fit and finish is wonderful – exceeding my expectations. I am very happy with it and it is exactly what I asked for. Full of potential for years of adventure. I am really happy I contacted you!”

So happy in fact that he’s planning on ordering another bike from us, this time with a Pinion gearbox, but that’s another story……

 

 

That’s all for now. If you’d like to receive regular newsletters with updates about our latest custom builds and ideas for your dream bike, sign up here.
Safe and happy cycling!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A VERY NUA NUA

Nua (the Catalan word for nude) means “without the usual coverings, furnishings, etc; bare”.

When you make custom bikes, they can sometimes become very complex, kitted out with automatic lights, custom-designed racks, sophisticated gearing mechanisms, mudguards, etc. etc.…
And then sometimes you get to go back to basics, to the original philosophy of “less is more”, and you end up making a very “nua” bike. And that can be a breath of fresh air.

In this case, we also had a fairly tight budget to work to, which was a good reason to explore minimalism to the fullest! We’re very proud of the result:

 

 

Mr. Kuo wanted a simple, maintenance-free bicycle, but he also wanted a quality machine which would be fun to ride on his daily commute in Sydney, Australia.
The starting point for this bike is our versatile titanium Nua Ti-CORE frame, which allowed us to install disc brakes and our new carbon fibre Nua CF fork.

 

 

A single-speed transmission using a belt drive (of course, what else!) gives an efficient and worry-free ride. It’s also lightweight, silent, clean, and completely maintenance-free for the duration of it’s working life (20,000 km minimum).

 

 

The sliding dropouts mean that removing and replacing the wheel is child’s play, and doesn’t affect the belt tension.

 

 

Shimano disc brakes are always a great choice. They work brilliantly, they’re powerful but progressive, and they’re easy to install and to bleed. All reasons why they’re fast becoming our favourite brakes. Great quality at a great price.

 

 

Our new carbon fibre fork is ideal for this type of bicycle. Light and elegant, it lends a sporty air. It’s also more economic than a titanium fork, allowing us to reduce the total price of a bike without compromising on quality.

 

 

The Procraft stem is an elegant part which we often use. It contrasts nicely with the titanium spacers, giving the impression that it’s floating. Our Nua Ti-BAR flat titanium bar completes the ensemble, resulting in a cockpit which is solid, yet comfortable.

 

 

A Brooks Cambium saddle, made with cotton fabric and natural rubber, is another great choice. Comfortable, elegant, and maintenance-free. The Brooks Cambium Slender grips, also cotton, are the ideal match. Our client chose rust colour, which to our taste is the shade which best compliments the combination of titanium frame and black components.

 

 

                 

 

Mr. Kuo was a contented man when he received his Nua:

“I couldn’t be happier, it’s better than I expected!. Fit is perfect, a very comfortable position, top tube length ideal which gives comfort and the right posture to put the power down.  
Quality of the ride was the most surprising thing. It rides beautifully enabling great range and flexibility for a single speed. It’s so quiet when riding along. Feels responsive, light and assured. In many ways, it felt immediately familiar. Best birthday present I could have hoped for!”

 

 

We too are extremely happy with this bike. We think it’s a beautifully balanced and functional set-up and would work well as a preset for other clients, with a very attractive entry price. So, if you’d like a Nua Nemo (as it was christened by 5-year-old Maia when she realised it was headed for Sydney), just drop us a line at contact@nuabikes.com.

 

 

That’s all for now. If you’d like to receive regular newsletters with updates about our latest custom builds and ideas for your dream bike, sign up here.
Safe and happy cycling!

 

A LONDON SUPER-COMMUTER

 

A gentleman from London contacted us looking for a bike he could use for his daily commute. He wanted a machine which would require a minimum of maintenance, and which would be comfortable, practical, and speedy, whether the weather was fine or whether the weather was rain, sleet, and snow.
So he suggested that we make him a single speed using our slim-line SC frame, with drop handlebars, mudguards, and a rack. We were delighted to oblige, and a couple of months later Forsyth’s Nua was born:

 

 

It’s been a pleasure to work on this bike, so essentially simple yet with such a high-quality finish.

 

 

In the brakes department, we have Tektro calipers activated by Crane Creek levers. Powerful, lightweight, and easy to adjust.

 

 

This is the first time we’ve used Continental Grand Prix 4-Season tyres in their new 32mm width. Ideal for the often adverse weather conditions in London.

 

     

 

The combination of a Brooks saddle and a Thomson seatpost is fast becoming a standard in our custom builds. Excellent quality, functionality, and great looks.

 

 

We’ve used a Ritchey Neoclassic handlebar with Brooks Cambium natural cotton tape, in rust colour to match the saddle.

 

 

Mr. Forsyth also wanted to be able to have a bit of fun in fixie mode every now and again, so we installed a second sprocket on the hand-built back wheel. He has only to flip the wheel to change between drive modes. Accordingly, we’ve used MKS pedals with toe clips and discreet nylon straps.

 

     

 

The rear rack is a titanium Tubus Airy. Light and strong, it perfectly compliments our exquisitely welded Nua Ti-CLASSIC titanium frame.

 

     

 

After trying out his bike for the first time, Mr. Forsyth wrote to say:

“It’s arrived Roberto and it looks lovely and beautifully simple and elegant. I cycled to work this morning in the rain with a smile on my face. It’s a lovely, superbly engineered and thought through bike.
Thanks for producing such a lovely bike for me”

We’re pretty happy with that 🙂

 

 

That’s all for now. Next up, a post about a bike bound for the antipodes. If you’d like to receive regular newsletters with updates about our latest custom builds and ideas for your dream bike, sign up here.
Safe and happy cycling!

 

TOM’S NUA

 

Tom got in touch with us to ask us to make him a special bike. One which would be with him for the rest of his life. A bike he could enjoy on a daily basis, but which he could also use at weekends and on family holidays. This was the result:

 

 

Tom wanted as clean and simple a look as possible, so we used our complete Nua titanium set: seat post, stem, and handlebar, in addition, of course, to our Ti-CORE frame and titanium fork.

 

 

We decided to install a Shimano Alfine 8 IGH, ideal for the terrain Tom plans to use his bike on.

 

 

Among Tom’s priorities was an integrated lighting system. He wanted something discreet and maintenance free, so we went – once again – with the Supernova E3 system, minimalist and always reliable.
We were feeling creative, so this time we installed the tail light directly on the mudguard, using a special little bracket we made for the occasion.

 

 

To power these lights we decided to use the new Alfine hub dynamo, much smaller and lighter than its predecessor. To complete the trinity, we installed an Alfine crankset as well.

 

     

 

Tom’s Nua will primarily be ridden on city streets, but will occasionally be required to tackle a dirt track or a forest path alongside a river, for example. With this in mind, we chose Compass Barlow Pass 38-622 tyres, one of the best options out there for this kind of hybrid use. The super-supple casing makes them a delight to ride on any surface.

 

 

And their tan walls go beautifully with the honey brown leather of the Brooks saddle and grips. The saddle has a copper frame, the sight of which led us first to swoon with copper love, and then to install a gorgeous (and lovely sounding) copper bell by the Japanese firm Crane, and also to paint the covers of the hydraulic disc brake levers to match.

 

 

This bike has taken time to build, but it’s been worth it! We hope that Tom will enjoy his Nua for many years to come, as he rides it along the streets and woodland ways of his native Austria.

 

 

If you’d like to receive regular newsletters with updates about our latest custom builds and ideas for your dream bike, sign up here.
Safe and happy cycling.

 

 

THE DOPPIO

 

In this post, we look at the fruits of a very happy collaboration with Kappstein GmbH & Co.

Kappstein is a German manufacturer of precision components for bicycles. With their latest development, the Doppio system, they’ve achieved the not inconsiderable feat of fitting a 2-speed gearbox into a bottom bracket. The first gear (which is direct) gives way to a second “overdrive” gear, whereby a planetary gear unit with six micro cogs alters the pedaling ratio.

The guys at Kappstein asked us to build a stylish urban bike for them as a means to present this new product to the press, and this is the result:

 

 

The Doppio system has a widely spaced gearing ratio, offering a low first gear for strong acceleration out of intersections, and a high second gear capable of reaching dizzying speeds. So we set to work accordingly, and designed a sporty bike which would be up to the challenge.

Our new Nua CF carbon fork seemed like the perfect choice to go with our Nua Ti-CORE titanium frame, which continues to demonstrate its extreme versatility with each new set-up we use it for.

 

 

Super-strong Shimano hydraulic disc brakes were indispensable for stopping a rocket like this.

 

 

The Crank Brothers Cobalt wheels are robust, but with a sporty look which complements the rest of the bike.

 

 

Thomson make superb quality stems and seatposts which have become standard for the best custom builds.

 

 

A saddle and grips by Ergon complete this sporty yet eminently elegant and functional machine.

 


     

 

The entire transmission system is picked out in fiery red, from the minimalist shifter on the handlebar, to the Doppio itself (which we painted for the occasion), the Gates carbon belt drive, and even the gear cable.

 

     

 

To sum up: a bike which is lightweight, sporty, and extremely fun, yet maintains the elegance and functionality which characterise all our set-ups. A perfect mix of heart and head, passion and rationality.

 

 

If you’d like to receive regular newsletters with updates about our latest custom builds and ideas for your dream bike, sign up here.
Safe and happy cycling.