Tom's All-Road Rocket
Tom has been Victoire’s lead mechanic for more than two years. He is a competitive cyclist of the Puy-de-Dôme area. His bicycle project matured for a year, and he carried it out meticulously at the workshop. He wanted his bike to be versatile, responsive and comfortable. Tom’s bike has been designed to accommodate two pairs of wheels, equipped with tires of different widths, in order to get two machines in one : a road bike and a go-anywhere gravel bike.
The frame, made of Columbus Life and Spirit tubes, has curved chainstays and seatstays to give clearance to tires of various sizes. Tom’s bike is equipped with 700C wheels and 28mm tires, but also supports 650B wheels with 42mm tires, to match two completely different practices, from road to rough trails.
The drivetrain is made up of a single 44-tooth Gabaruk chainring with an elegant design, and an E-13 9/46T cassette. This combination offers the perfect range for the long distance rides that Tom loves. This very versatile cassette also allowed him to opt for a single chainring, ideal for gravel riding.
Pictured here with an electronic groupset, Tom’s frame was designed to also work with a mechanical groupset, if needed.
Tom chose FMB tires, made in Brittany, his native region. FMB is a manufacturer of high-end tubulars (used by all Paris-Roubaix winners from 2008 to 2015). They have now launched production of "open tubular" tires which provide additional comfort. It’s an important feature for Tom, who paired them with Mavic rims for his bike.
Tom's bike is the result of real teamwork at Victoire. Designed and painted by Julien, welded by Marc, machined and polished by Tom, it is the result of numerous tests and feedback in the workshop. The frame is equipped with inserts to integrate a bag into the top-tube, for Tom's long rides on the(dirt)roads of Brittany, the Massif Central and the Alps.