Cyclist Ribble’s Special Edition Ultra SL R: A solid gold hit for DJ Spoony He might be better known for spinning vinyl than turning pedals, but Radio 2’s DJ Spoony has turned the volume up to 11 with this eye-catching Ribble Special Edition Ultra SL R custom build. The disc jockey discovered cycling after he picked up an injury when running, and had been riding a stock Ribble Ultra since falling in love with the bike at a show. But this creation really moves the dial. The Lancashire-based bike brand remixed the high-end superbike at its in-house custom design and paint studio, decking out the Ultra SL R with some seriously hot components and embellishing the build with details personal to Spoony. Let’s start with the paint. The Ultra SL R’s T1000/800 carbon frameset has been hand-coated in a black and gold marble paint scheme, featuring a Spoony logo in gold leaf on one of the fork legs and handwritten lyrics from the Prince track ‘Starfish and Coffee’ on the chainstays. The DJ says, ‘Prince wrote the song about an autistic girl he went to school with. It teaches us people with special abilities, or who are different, are extraordinary – we are the ordinary ones.’ The one-piece Ribble Ultra Aero Carbon integrated handlebar is colour-matched to the frame, while the Mavic Cosmic SL 45 Carbon Tubeless Disc wheels feature custom Silk Graphics decals. A gold Kustom Kapz top cap with DJ Spoony logo completes the cockpit. As you’d expect for a machine that’s had this much time and effort applied to its creation, no expense has been spared on the componentry. The Ultra SL R has a 12-speed Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 R9200 groupset, while the drivetrain is spiced up with a KMC X12 TiN gold chain. Practical additions include tubeless Continental GP5000 28mm tyres and a black Fizik Arione R5 Kium saddle perched on a Ribble Ultra SL R carbon seatpost. DJ Spoony doesn’t intend to hang the custom creation on his studio wall simply to be admired, either. He completed RideLondon last year, and aims to ride at least 100 kilometres a week in the run-up to this year’s event. He also has plans for riding further afield. ‘I’m going to take the bike to Ibiza and try to cycle around the island,’ he says. ‘Plus, I’d really like to build up my “Beats and Bikes” cycling club to cater for various standards and abilities. Cycling should be enjoyed by everybody and anybody.’ The standard Ribble Ultra SL R costs from £4,999, but why stop there? Follow in DJ Spoony’s footsteps and create your own chart-topping creation at ribblecycles.co.uk/ribble-customcolour. The post Ribble’s Special Edition Ultra SL R: A solid gold hit for DJ Spoony appeared first on Cyclist.