Zoe's Look/Roberts Custom Track Bike

Build: DT Swiss T1800 Hubs to (gulp) no-name 90mm Carbon Rims, Campagnolo Record Pista Track Crankset, Alpina Carbon Sprint Bars (33cm), Easton EC90 Sprint Stem, Izumi SuperToughness Chain, Pro Stealth Saddle, various Gebhardt Chainrings, Dura Ace Cogs & one very special 12t EAI Gold Medal Pro Cog

 

The Roberts frame came to me as a budding track sprinter, and accompanied me en route to many podiums, and to the fastest elite women's 200m time at the 2018 BC Provincial Championships.

 

 

My current build on this frame weighs just under 23lbs, so it is certainly not for weight weenies but what it lacks in lightness it more than makes up for in stiffness. The origin of this bike is shrouded in mystery and myth: a lot of people claim that it is a relic of a Team Canada crash, the broken bikes of which were cobbled into this sweet, sweet bici. I actually don't know if this is true, but I do know this: the bike was definitely a Look to begin with, but then Rob Mulder of Roberts Composites made changes to several parts of it, including the head tube to make it a stiffer, sprint specific bike, as part of a custom build. While I have retired from the life of a pure sprinter and have embraced a love of endurance track racing as well, I will definitely be keeping this bike forever because it really truly is one of a kind, and despite being a custom build originally for someone else, it fits me like a glove.

 

Words and images from Zoe Saccio