Behind The Design: Scarpa Racing On How To Build A Bike

January 08, 2019

A year ago we began sponsoring Scarpa Racing - a grassroots female race team based in London. This winter, Olivia Campbell (one of the five riders) built her very own bike. We love considered and crafted design, so we sat down with Olivia to talk about the process and all of the small details that will make this bike truly one of a kind.

How did the journey start to building your own bike? What thought set it off?


I started riding CX (Cyclocross - cross-country racing) a couple of years ago. After borrowing a British Cycling CX bike through my club to see if I liked it, I was quickly hooked and ready to invest in my own CX bike. I've now been racing in local CX leagues for a couple of seasons and doing some adventuring in the summer. This has helped me understand exactly what I would like from my next bike and I thought, why not design and build it myself?!

Tell us about the details - where and when did you build it?


In October 2018 I went home to Somerset and took part in a 7-day frame building course at The Bicycle Academy in Froome. During the course, we had a bike fit and designed the geometry of the bike using a programme called Bike Cad. My frame design took a fair amount of tweaking as I wanted a versatile bike that was both aggressive for racing and ready for summer adventures. The tuition and advice at the academy was excellent and I'm really pleased with the result having now raced on it.



What did the design process look like for you?

The design goes back to a solo off-road ride I took across Dartmoor last summer. With rain and wind in my face, I was focusing on looking down at my front wheel. I then looked up and was surprised to see I was suddenly in the middle of a herd of highland cattle with calves, sat nestled in the purple heather. It was a moment I'll always remember. The cow head now sits proudly on the head tube with the colour of the heather forming one of the main colours of the frame. I worked with Kitty (another member of Scarpa Racing and the cyclist behind the Camden x KPP watch) to design the cow head, which was then developed further by a friend Matt. The leaves and twigs are designed to flow backwards as if you're riding through the woods. The Scarpa Racing team logo sits proudly under the seat post, my name is on the top tube and a #1 to represent this being the first bike that I've made. I worked with Ian and Dan at Cole Coatings Workshop in London, to refine the colour pantones before they expertly painted the frame. They encouraged me to name the bike which took a fair bit of deliberation. In the end, I chose the name 'Coverack', which is a small fishing village on the Lizard in Cornwall where my Grandparents used to live. I have many happy memories from spending a lot of my childhood there. The font for 'Coverack' tumbles down the down-tube, as the rocks there do regularly into the sea.

What did you learn about the design process?

I learnt a huge amount as this was the first time I'd built and designed a bike. It was great to have a brief and then work through the process. Ideas moved in all directions but ultimately came back to answer the key things I was looking for. Learning from experts in the trade and collaborating with friends was also a really enjoyable part of the whole journey.

What features of the bike are you most proud/excited about?

I'm so excited to be able to ride something that went from steel tubes and a box of components to 3 months later being a beautiful and responsive bicycle. I raced on the bike the weekend I collected it from Rat Race Cycles (who finished off the build) and I can't wait for the days to get longer so I can plan some great adventures with friends in 2019.

What are your 2019 goals with the bike and Scarpa racing?

I'm currently finishing off the CX season with the National Championships this weekend and a few more local league races. I'm then looking forward to some adventure riding off-road on the new bike before doing some crits (a bike race consisting of several laps around a closed circuit) with the Scarpa girls this summer.

Photos by Gem Atkinson (racer and founder of Scarpa Racing)

Want more? Take a look behind the design of our cycling watch, the Camden x KPP, here.

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