Closer Look: Rob English’s TT Mk2
- By Caley Fretz
- Published March 6, 2013
- Updated March 8, 2013 at 12:42 am
Rob English custom steel
Rob English's phenomenal TT bike, the latest version of the bike he's used to win multiple Oregon state time trial titles, took NAHBS attendees collective breath away. The frame is less than 18mm wide and completely bespoke, from the unique steerer and headset arrangement to the internal Di2 routing and custom buttons to the base bar built into the fork itself. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com
If you saw last week’s gallery of the best of the Handmade Bike Show, your eye will almost certainly have been caught by Rob English’s TT Mk2. It is a bike of beauty and was the bike our sister magazine, VeloNews, named bike of the show. Caley Fretz from VeloNews got the chance to take a proper look around the bike after the show.
Rob English custom steel
The base bar mounts level with the top of the tire. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com
If you saw last week’s gallery of the best of the Handmade Bike Show, your eye will almost certainly have been caught by Rob English’s TT Mk2. It is a bike of beauty and was the bike our sister magazine, VeloNews, named bike of the show. Caley Fretz from VeloNews got the chance to take a proper look around the bike after the show.
Rob English custom steel
Since the TT Mk2 only has a single front chainring, English could dedicate both shifters to the rear dearailleur. They function like Di2 sprint shifters, with one button shifting up and the other shifting down the cassette. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com
If you saw last week’s gallery of the best of the Handmade Bike Show, your eye will almost certainly have been caught by Rob English’s TT Mk2. It is a bike of beauty and was the bike our sister magazine, VeloNews, named bike of the show. Caley Fretz from VeloNews got the chance to take a proper look around the bike after the show.
Rob English custom steel
The base bar is built into the crown of the fork itself, keeping the hand position exceptionlly low. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com
If you saw last week’s gallery of the best of the Handmade Bike Show, your eye will almost certainly have been caught by Rob English’s TT Mk2. It is a bike of beauty and was the bike our sister magazine, VeloNews, named bike of the show. Caley Fretz from VeloNews got the chance to take a proper look around the bike after the show.
Rob English custom steel
The Di2 brain lives the front end of the top tube, just behind the small blue cap in between the arm rests. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com
If you saw last week’s gallery of the best of the Handmade Bike Show, your eye will almost certainly have been caught by Rob English’s TT Mk2. It is a bike of beauty and was the bike our sister magazine, VeloNews, named bike of the show. Caley Fretz from VeloNews got the chance to take a proper look around the bike after the show.
Rob English custom steel
English custom-built this ultra-narrow front hub to decrease spoke drag. He uses bolt-on skewers. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com
If you saw last week’s gallery of the best of the Handmade Bike Show, your eye will almost certainly have been caught by Rob English’s TT Mk2. It is a bike of beauty and was the bike our sister magazine, VeloNews, named bike of the show. Caley Fretz from VeloNews got the chance to take a proper look around the bike after the show.
Rob English custom steel
The Di2 battery lives in the seatpost, and is charged through a USB port (the small black dot near the saddle mount). Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com
If you saw last week’s gallery of the best of the Handmade Bike Show, your eye will almost certainly have been caught by Rob English’s TT Mk2. It is a bike of beauty and was the bike our sister magazine, VeloNews, named bike of the show. Caley Fretz from VeloNews got the chance to take a proper look around the bike after the show.
Rob English custom steel
Narrow is aero. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com
If you saw last week’s gallery of the best of the Handmade Bike Show, your eye will almost certainly have been caught by Rob English’s TT Mk2. It is a bike of beauty and was the bike our sister magazine, VeloNews, named bike of the show. Caley Fretz from VeloNews got the chance to take a proper look around the bike after the show.
Rob English custom steel
The headset is custom built, with zero exposed bolts. It pulls together with a bolt that enters through the crown of the fork. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com
If you saw last week’s gallery of the best of the Handmade Bike Show, your eye will almost certainly have been caught by Rob English’s TT Mk2. It is a bike of beauty and was the bike our sister magazine, VeloNews, named bike of the show. Caley Fretz from VeloNews got the chance to take a proper look around the bike after the show.
Rob English custom steel
Brake levers sit in line with the base bar. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com
If you saw last week’s gallery of the best of the Handmade Bike Show, your eye will almost certainly have been caught by Rob English’s TT Mk2. It is a bike of beauty and was the bike our sister magazine, VeloNews, named bike of the show. Caley Fretz from VeloNews got the chance to take a proper look around the bike after the show.
Rob English custom steel
The crank is custom built by English and has only a single, full-carbon chainring. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com
If you saw last week’s gallery of the best of the Handmade Bike Show, your eye will almost certainly have been caught by Rob English’s TT Mk2. It is a bike of beauty and was the bike our sister magazine, VeloNews, named bike of the show. Caley Fretz from VeloNews got the chance to take a proper look around the bike after the show.
Rob English cycles
Rob English has been on the handbuilt radar for some time, but came into his own at the 2013 North American Handmade Bicycle Show. His time trial bike, the TT Mk2, took home Best In Show honors from the show's judges, and is our own pick for best bike of the event as well. His creations are inventive, practical, and beautiful. Photo: Caley Fretz | VeloNews.com
If you saw last week’s gallery of the best of the Handmade Bike Show, your eye will almost certainly have been caught by Rob English’s TT Mk2. It is a bike of beauty and was the bike our sister magazine, VeloNews, named bike of the show. Caley Fretz from VeloNews got the chance to take a proper look around the bike after the show.
FILED UNDER: Gear & Tech / Photos TAGS: Bike / Gallery / MK2 / photo / Rob English / Time-Trial / TT
