Cycling is Julien's way to escape day-to-day and reconnect with nature. With limited free time, he wanted a simple, easy-to-maintain bike he could rely on, whenever an opportunity to ride came up.

Getting back to his roots was also part of the brief. Julien started cycling in the mid-90s, a time when the vast majority of mountain bikes tried out in specialised magazines were hardtail steel models.

This simple technical base has been modernized with more contemporary geometry angles (66.5° / 75°), a 27.5“ rear and 29” front wheel configuration and 2.6” tire width.

A telescopic seatpost, single-plate drivetrain and disc brakes bring the bike into the modern era.

The frame is made entirely of Columbus Zona 29er tubing, with a 44mm bushing and a T47-standard bottom bracket.

The tubes are considerably oversized compared to a '90s mountain bike, allowing us to adapt to changing geometries and a much longer front triangle than on historical configurations.

The frame and fork were made in Columbus Zona by Nils Wendling.

Nils is a compagnon du devoir and has been with us throughout the 2023/2024 school year, enriching his knowledge and learning how to make cycle frames. This project serves as his end-of-year project, allowing him to put forward all the techniques he has learned throughout the year from our framers Olivier, Marco, Greg and Matthieu.

Victoire n°572 has a classic structure with a modern twist: it's the first Victoire frame to use the UDH dropout standard.

Created by Sram in 2019 with the stated aim of standardizing the derailleur's attachment to the frame on the majority of frames produced worldwide, it became apparent last year that it was also to prepare the ground for the new standard of electronic derailleur attached directly to the frame, named T-Type.

The advantage of using the UDH bracket is to have a derailleur bracket readily available, anywhere in the world.

As the aim of this bike is to be timeless and easily repairable, an electronic derailleur with inevitable obsolescence would have absolutely no place on it. On the Victoire n°572, everything is cable-operated and everything works, even in the event of a widespread power failure!

Everything is cable-operated, even the brakes! At a time when hydraulics are becoming the norm, a few brands like Paul and Growtac continue to offer easy-to-maintain alternatives that are as powerful as the best hydraulic brakes on the market.

We are proud to distribute Growtac components exclusively in France. You can find these components directly in the online store of our bike café, Cartel Cycles & Café.

The components selected for Victoire n°572 are mostly second-hand, coming from test bikes, old assemblies or customer order cancellation.

The main departure from the classic bike configuration is the telescopic seatpost, which is indispensable forJulien. The model used here is a second-hand Fox Transfer, combined with the Reform Tantalus saddle.

As Julien was fully satisfied with the Reform Seymour thermoformable saddle used on his Victoire n°491, he didn't hesitate to equip his mountain bike with the Tantalus model. This new model from the Canadian brand is designed for off-road use, and features titanium rails to complement the thermoformable carbon frame.

The finish of this all-terrain bike is a blend of Nils' and Julien's skills. Thanks to his training with the Compagnons du devoir, Nils has mastered metalworking. He therefore applied an acid treatment to the steel tubes to obtain a black tint that highlights the brass and silver cords. This treatment was then stabilized with a second treatment, before being powder-coated to isolate the treatment from the future paintwork.

Julien then took over, creating a multi-coat paint finish according to his inspiration and the components involved, resulting in a multicolored, asymmetrical paint with added glitter and covered with a satin varnish.

Nils was able to put his stamp on the fork and frame, as well as a pretty copper dove he cut out with a jeweller's saw, before soldering it to the seat tube.

Victoire n°572 is now roaming the singletracks of the Chaine des Puys, so don't hesitate to say hello if you come across him around a bend!