When NAHBS landed in Austin back in 2011, it opened the door for a lot of locals to the custom framebuilding world. Many of which had never heard of a majority of the builders, so it was easy to strip away all the hype or internet chatter and have them pick their favorites, based on construction, communication and overall aesthetics.

Joah went to NAHBS and meandered around the aisles looking for a builder who would make him a road bike to last a lifetime. After all was said and done, he felt the most connected to the Hampsten line, particularly the Gran Paradiso Minimus road frame. Made from Columbus Spirit tubing with an ENVE 1.0 fork, this is one lightweight frame. After some communication with Hampsten, his bike was on order.

Parts began to pile up and Joah reached out to Melbourne’s Mick Peel of Busyman Bicycles to make a matching saddle and bar wrap. At the time, this leatherwork was a deep, dark grey but after four years of constant riding – this is Joah’s only bike – the leather wore in nicely, offering a beautiful patina, which is the first thing that caught my eye.

Mick matched the orange Mango Chris King hubs with an inlay beneath the perforations and Justin at Luxe Wheelworks built up his wheels. Joah loves this bike and had nothing but positive things to say about working with Hampsten Cycles. Personally, I still can’t get over the bar tape’s unique texture and color.