CyclistMeet the maker: Ben Spurrier of CondorIt doesnt take much to turn heads at the cafe. A set of deep-section rims or a frame in some colour other than black will usually elicit a few sideways glances. By contrast, in the obscure and esoteric world of custom bicycles, the bar is somewhat higher.Take a bike show such as Bespoked, where some of the weirdest and most wonderful two-wheeled creations in the world gather under one roof for a few days each year.Here, only the most beautiful and bizarre bikes stand out. That could be due to some sort of alien geometry, an experimental new construction method or, in the case of Condors stunning Porta Romana Italia RC, a particularly decadent paintjob.Condors head of design, Ben Spurrier, developed the Italia RC alongside the now disbanded UCI Continental team JLT Condor. But this steel beauty isnt just about going fastJuan Trujillo AndradesCondor is a name that requires little introduction. The London marque has been building bikes since 1948 when Monty Young opened the original shop on Grays Inn Road. In the decades that have passed, its frames have been ridden by everyone from club riders to professional racers.Its a brand rooted in classic framebuilding and the golden age of metal bikes, but one that refuses to be governed entirely by nostalgia. Aesthetics lean towards the classic diamond frames and metal tubes prevail across the range but head of design Ben Spurrier doesnt shy away from modern details either.What has changed is where those frames are built. Condors production moved from Britain to northern Italy in 2006, and its frames continue to be made there today. And a bike that encapsulates all of the above is the Italia RC, a blisteringly fast alloy race bike with classic lines and a relatively accessible pricetag, despite the fact it is handmade in Veneto.Juan Trujillo AndradesIts a lightweight frame with racing pedigree for anyone who wants the snappy ride characteristics of a performance machine without the costs of a high-end carbon frame, Spurrier explains.Each frame is made by our master craftsmen, one at a time rather than on a production line. This allows a single builder to dedicate greater attention to detail and use less material at each join, ultimately enhancing the overall quality of the ride. We also use custom-drawn 7000-series aluminium, which has an exceptional strength-to-weight ratio that allows for thinner and lighter tubes for a stiff yet durable frame construction.The Italia RC was developed alongside Condors UCI Continental team, JLT Condor, which at the time was home to the pelotons tallest rider, Conor Dunne at 6ft 7in, whose gargantuan 64cm R&D model served as the ultimate test in 2016.Conor rode it to a fifth-place finish in the Tour of Taiwan, battling through a challenging mountain-top finish to secure his general classification position, says Spurrier. The long alloy tubes proved their strength in competition, their stiffness for elite performance and their ride quality for gruelling all-day breakaways.Juan Trujillo AndradesThis stunning gilded version of the bike is the result of a collaboration between Condor and Porta Romana, a UK-based interior design and lighting outfit that has done everything from creating installations for the Royal Academy of Arts to dreaming up unique designs for homes, galleries and hotels around the world.The goal was to help support Clerkenwheels fundraising adventure ride, which saw podcasters Jonathan Forster and Tom Bourne ride 430km from Plymouth to Clerkenwell to raise money for United in Design, a charity devoted to creating opportunities for underrepresented talent in the design industry. The one-of-a-kind bike was then raffled off at Clerkenwell Design Week, with all proceeds going to UiD.Flying coloursPorta Romanas painting studio is central to the design process. Its there that they have spent more than three decades building on the craft of hand-painted finishes, developing their own unique library. Each patination takes a skilled team weeks to develop, sampling layer upon layer of colour in search of the perfect Porta Romana finish.Juan Trujillo AndradesUsing their extensive paint library, I created the design using their Burnt Ochre finish and asked them to gild the Condor logo, head tube and fork, explains Spurrier.The finish is applied by hand using proprietary techniques to build up layers of paint to achieve the final depth and texture. On top of that, the logos, details and fork internals are all gilded by hand using gold leaf.If the finish alone isnt enough to grab your attention, the all-Italian components might do the trick. The bike is fitted with a full Campagnolo Super Record wireless groupset and matching Campagnolo Shamal wheels a decision, Spurrier says, that was made to attract as much attention for the ride and the charity as possible. For those who like what they see enough to open their wallets, the good news is that a Campag-dripping Italia RC can be yours for 7,200. As for the finish, thats harder to put a pricetag on, but Spurriers best guess puts it around 1,500 for the full Porta Romana treatment. Condor Italia RC, 7,200, Porta Romana build approx 8,700. Visit condorcycles.com for more informationThe post Meet the maker: Ben Spurrier of Condor appeared first on Cyclist.