Rogers Bespoke Ronin
Check out some sweet new Australian made steel frames.
Photos supplied by Rogers Bespoke
Adelaide’s Rogers Bespoke has been building quite a reputation for quality steel frames with striking aesthetics. Owner James Alderson has decided to expand his business model, which currently includes exclusively custom builds, to also incorporate a Signature frame, offered as a frameset, rolling road or complete build. I caught up with James to talk about his new offering - the Ronin.
"A Ronin is a Samurai without a master, a wanderer or rambler of sorts"
James built the first Ronin to satisfy his own requirements for a new road frame:
“I wanted a fast handling road bike that would fit up to a 30 mm tyre. We are pretty lucky in Adelaide to have some amazing roads to ride in the hills. Many of those roads have pretty poor surfaces or are gravel. So I was after a road frame with a little more flexibility to run a wider tyre.
We’re entering a new era for road bikes with ever-widening tyres, disc brakes, loose surfaces, and reduced focus on being race ready. The Ronin is a perfect example of that movement. People are far less interested in the “UCI Approved” sticker and Rogers Bespoke is making a move in that market.
There’s a lot of efficiency gains to be made with offering bikes like The Ronin because it removes the often lengthy consultation process involved in full custom bikes. As a one man shop, this enables James to spend more time building resulting in a shorter waiting list. Many customers engage James with aesthetic and build kit requirements and trust him to do what’s best with geometry. Now customers can buy what the maker himself backs.
So how does the Ronin ride?
"I’m really excited with the way the Ronin handles. The end product turned out exactly how I had envisioned. Stiff when you want and comfortable when you need.”
Quick handling on such a versatile bike is an exciting prospect. It means riders can benefit from the mod-cons of wide tyres and disc brakes without sacrificing handling and weight that you might see with most gravel bikes. Add in the lovely ride quality of steel and suddenly I’m thinking about where I can make room in my collection.
BUILD OPTIONS
James has given buyers a few options for how they want their Ronin:
- Frameset only - frame, fork and Chris King headset - $3300 Rim $3500 Disc
- Rolling road - frameset paired with Hunt Aero wheels - $3900 Rim $4250 Disc
- Full build - Hunt wheels, Sram force 22 group, Zipp SL cockpit and Fabric finishing kit - Rim $6700 Disc $7300
Get more info on the Rogers Bespoke website.
