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Jamie Gallagher of Paniagua and Darron Coppin of Sven Cycles met at Bespoked Bristol in 2013 and the Angry Commuter project was born.
“I wanted to build a fast, aggressive commuter that you could jump on in jeans and nail 20 or 30-mile rides across the unforgiving Somerset landscape while still retaining the delicate balance and emotive heritage of a true classic.”—Jamie Gallagher.
They sat down with a pot of EPO coffee and a dorset apple cake and poured over Darron’s extensive library of historic cycling books and images of classic bikes. They settled on the idea that it was possible, with a little imagination and some solid fillet brazing skills, to turn the legendary Cinelli Laser into a rideable commuter that would fulfill their objective.
A design theme was needed, and the early eighties stomping ground of the Cinelli Laser model was the place to find it. They settled on a design classic from an era that compromised nothing, listened to no one, and was way ahead of its time – The Delorean.
To bring in the classic Italian heritage they chose Columbus Max tubing (as used in the original Cinelli Laser). This tube set broke with convention in its day and provided the perfect combination of lightness and strength. Add a sloping top tube and ENVE 65/45 wheel combination and a big nod was being made to the overall aggressive aesthetic of the Laser.
To ensure that Italian blood ran throughout, a Campagnolo Record TT group set was selected. Then bringing a modern, urban twist and reflecting the gull-wing doors of the Delorean, a set of Cinelli Mash bars were customized to take the Campagnolo TT shifters providing a truly unique cockpit.
Finally, it was down to the details with lightweight CNC milled brakes from EE Cycleworks that just felt Delorean, and the brushed nickel finish giving the industrial luminance that the Delorean became famous for. The handlebars and Zoncolan saddle were hand-upholstered in grey leather to bring that inimitable eighties super car trim feel. Finally, the graphics applied in reflective orange vinyl made sure the bike lit up under the headlights of evening traffic.
This blend of classic Italian heritage with US hand-built componentry, urban track bike aesthetic, and of course a stiff dose of quintessentially British design and craftsmanship should make the purists cringe and the hipsters whinge. But in reality, you have a bike that doesn’t compromise, apologizes for nothing, and fits the brief of being adored by those who created it and ride it. Really, what else matters?
