We designed Marceau's bike as a Gravel bike with MTB tires. It's a bike for going to the end of the world, for riding on all roads and in all conditions. Muddy paths, rocky slopes, forests and fields - nothing can be impassable if Marceau is to successfully complete his project to cross Canada.

To satisfy the need for autonomy, the bike must also be able to carry the necessary luggages. An experienced craftsman himself, Marceau chose to make his own panniers, and he guided us on the location of the eyelets he would need. We then positioned the (many!) inserts on the tubes and fork to accommodate the bags Marceau made once he had received his bike.

For this bike, which is destined to go to the ends of the earth, we chose to design and build as many parts as possible ourselves. This is the best way to ensure that they are perfectly suited to the bike's use. In particular, the light mounts (front and rear) and luggage racks, which we describe in more detail in this description, are made in our workshop.

You may have already noticed the way the rear light is integrated on another of our creations. It's a system we designed for Jeanne's bike, which we entered in the Concours de Machine 2022. The light's cable routing is totally internal, protected from being pulled out by a low branch or root. This also lightens the aesthetics of the bike in the cassette area.

Contrary to the Concours de Machine's bike, Marceau's one is closer to a mountain bike, with very wide tires. The brakes are in post-mount format, so we had to adapt our initial solution to this new configuration.

The rear light is powered by the front light thanks to a dynamo system in the hub of the front wheel, to ensure Marceau never runs out of battery.

To ensure maximum reliability and durability, we opted for internal cable routing wherever possible. In the crankset area, we used a yoke to allow wider tires to pass through. Rather than using welded tubes on the bottom bracket, two curved plates extend the chainstays: this leaves more room for the tire.

To keep the cable routing as protected as possible, we brazed a 5/10 stainless steel tube to the yoke plates, which we then perforated. This solution has the dual advantage of being both robust and aesthetically pleasing.

We used a rack developed for Julien's bike, the founder of Victoire. These front and rear racks are both lightweight and capable of carrying everything you need to be independent for several days: tent, sleeping bag, stove and clothes. The panniers are easy to assemble, and the way they're fitted and positioned means you can keep plenty of momentum on the bike: even when loaded, you can still climb a tough hill out of the saddle.

The color chosen by Marceau is green. The application of a simple monochrome highlights the finishing details of the frame, fork and racks.