CyclistMeet the maker: Javier Valiente of Amapola CyclesVariety, they say, is the spice of life. The world would be a boring place if we were all exactly alike, and if no two people are identical then why should any two bicycles be?Its this line of thinking that inspires Javier Valiente of Amapola Cycles to create his fully custom high-end steel bikes. Together with his partner Elena, he has spent the past six years creating stunning, one-of-a-kind machines for his customers and building a respected brand in the process. Related Posts Meet the maker: Alex de Kraker of St Joris Cycles Meet the maker: Dominik Dominiak of Project D Meet the maker: Driss Boucif of Boucif Custom Bikes Created in Spain (Madrid to be precise), Amapola takes its name from the Spanish word for the poppy flower. Every spring, millions of them sprout across the Spanish countryside, and Valiente says they represent the resilience, refinement and brightness he wants his bikes to embody.Despite strong ties to Spain, the couple moved to the Netherlands in 2020 to give them greater international reach. Since then, Amapola has sold bikes in seven countries across Europe and North America.Blending old and newAmapolas Javier Valiente designs a wide array of bikes, but his most popular are high-end steel race bikes such as this stunning examplePatrik Lundin / CyclistBicycles have always been present in my life, says Valiente. Since I was a child I have been repairing and customising bikes myself. I used to ride BMX and mountain bikes, which allowed me to explore all kinds of terrain. Back then, the most important quality in bikes for me was that they were tough enough to withstand the use I gave them, which was quite extreme. I think this is partly why nowadays I choose to make steel bicycles with a strong focus on durability.Valiente is fascinated with finding ways to merge new technology with traditional bike-building techniques. The goal is to create bikes with soul, that are built to last while still being competitive with the latest crop of carbon fibre speed machines.There is an old myth that steel bikes are heavy, says Valiente. But with todays technology a top-of-the-range steel bicycle can have a similar weight to a carbon one.Patrik Lundin / CyclistValiente has built all sorts of bicycles. He has designed and made a cargo bike, a commuter, a hardtail enduro MTB and even a rather fancy kids balance bike. Still, the products Amapola sells the most of are high-end performance drop-bar bikes, and the one you see here is perhaps the most extreme example of this.Its a completely custom-built race machine modelled on elite competition geometry, with short chainstays for nimble handling and fully internally routed cables. Its also designed with lightness in mind, and the handpicked selection of high-performance steel tubing has enabled Valiente to get the weight down to around 8kg for the complete bike.Patrik Lundin / CyclistI wanted to make the frame unique, so I used tubes from three of the best manufacturers, says Valiente. The lower part is made of Dedacciai Zero 25th anniversary steel tubing, including a large-diameter bi-oval down tube and very nicely thought-out chainstays that balance aerodynamics and wheel clearance well.Another feature that makes this bike special is Valientes use of new old stock (NOS) tubes. He was lucky enough to rescue a collection of tubes from a retired framebuilder, including plenty of rare gems. Valiente likes to use these bits and bobs when working on a special project such as this one.Patrik Lundin / CyclistThe top tube is NOS Columbus Megatube Nivacrom EL [extra light] shaped and elegant, says Valiente. It is a tube from the 1990s that has the thicknesses of the latest-generation tubes. The seatstays are NOS Reynolds 531C, and in the bottom bracket Ive used the T47 threaded system that facilitates the integration of the cables. This selection results in a bicycle that is aerodynamic and stiff but at the same time has some flex in specific areas that makes it comfortable.Minimalist details come in the shape of a thin bridge integrated between the seatstays, which is a strip of steel rather than a tube, and the Paragon dropouts for the Syntace X-12 axle system.Keeping it cleanFrame aside, Valiente wanted to continue the clean lines achieved with the cable integration by choosing components that kept things neat and tidy. For this reason he opted to use the Deda Vinci bar and stem system combined with a Columbus integrated carbon fork to keep the cables hidden at the front of the bike.Meanwhile, pedalling, braking, shifting and rolling is taken care of by Shimano, with an Ultegra Di2 12-speed groupset and 60mm Ultegra carbon wheels to match.Finally, this bike couldnt have a simple paint design, says Valiente. I contacted a friend of mine in Barcelona with my ideas. Hes more of an artist than a painter and he used at least five different painting methods to bring my drafts to life.We love custom handmade bikes because of what it means to be part of the process and the joy every time we deliver a finished product to a customer, seeing that the end result is as beautiful as we imagined it to be.Amapola custom steel race bike, approx 7,000 (5,900) for full build, amapolacycles.com This article originally appeared in issue 155 of Cyclist magazine. Click here to subscribeThe post Meet the maker: Javier Valiente of Amapola Cycles appeared first on Cyclist.