Christophe met us at the Paris-Brest-Paris race with a little idea in mind: he wanted to build himself a bike if he finished the race.

So we met up with him again a few months later, along with his brother, for a joint project—the kind we love to take on (see Fabrice and Frédéric’s bikes).

Christophe's brief started from the same base as his brother's: a responsive stainless steel frame, carbon wheels, electronic shifting, and a clean integration of bags and dynamo lighting. But where Loïc wanted colour, Christophe sought understatement. The metallic Aston Martin green that dresses part of the frame sets the tone: sober, deep, almost British. Everything else follows suit: black bar tape, black components, sand-coloured bags. A bike that doesn't seek attention.

The same foundation as Loïc's n°588: Columbus XCR tubes assembled by Grégoire with brass brazing, and an integrated stainless steel rear rack. The difference lies in the surface treatment: where Loïc's frame is entirely raw, Christophe's plays on the contrast between the polished stainless steel of the down tube and chainstays, and the Aston Martin green that dresses the top tube, seatstays, and head tube. The leather washers isolating the seatstays from the rack dampen vibrations between the tubes and the carrier — an effective and elegant technique also found on Jean-Louis's randonneuse fraternelle.

Both brothers ride the same SRAM Force AXS wireless electronic groupset, double chainring, with a power meter at the crankset. The absence of cables simplifies integration and maintenance on a long-distance bike. The Chris King ThreadFit bottom bracket is in black, like all the other components. SRAM Force hydraulic disc brakes with Centerline XR rotors complete the drivetrain.

The wheels are carbon ENVE SES 4.5, fitted with Hutchinson Blackbird Racing Lab tubeless tyres (Loïc preferred Schwalbe Pro One on his n°588 — a matter of taste). The front hub is a SON dynamo, paired with a black Chris King rear hub. The lighting follows the same principle as on Philippe's agile randonneuse: a Sinewave Cycles Beacon headlight powered by the dynamo, with an integrated USB charger, and a rear light wired internally through the dropout.

The Pop Pin's bags follow the same pattern as those on n°588, but in sand-coloured X-Pac fabric with green drawcords and an orange interior lining, in keeping with the bike's palette. The top-tube bag runs from the stem to the seat collar, opening from the top. The rear bag clips onto the rack via the Rouge mécanique system from Jolie Rouge. The sand tone works with the Aston Martin green and the stainless steel — a more understated choice than Loïc's white bags.

Max painted the top tube, head tube, upper seat tube and seatstays in a metallic Aston Martin green, sober and deep. The carbon fork is black with two thin green stripes echoing the frame colour. The contrast with the raw stainless steel of the down tube and chainstays is subtle but legible. On the head tube, the Victoire sprig in gold relief. The Deda stem has been painted in matching green, and the black bar tape completes a deliberately understated ensemble — the opposite of Loïc's n°588, bold and colourful. The saddle and seatpost by Deda Elementi in black carbon were chosen by Christophe for his long hours in the saddle.

Christophe came with his brother in October to pick up his bike. They took the opportunity to explore the Auvergne region for four days: "It was awesome! Four days spent riding around Clermont (in the pouring rain, just to keep things familiar), realizing that I never had to struggle with the bike, even when I was completely exhausted.

That feeling has only grown over time 😊—the smoothness of the ride is pretty… incredible. Just as much as how easy it is to maintain (I haven’t even had to take the stem apart to bleed the brakes yet 😬).

The quality of the paint/clear coat makes cleaning a breeze, and the bike always looks great—and rarely gets really dirty (even the drivetrain, thanks to the fenders).

Still... it got soaked this winter when we were doing more water polo than biking in Brest 😱."