CENTURIES-OLD SKILLS
Ultimate Craftsmanship
The .1R’s exquisite marriage of titanium stem and carbon fibre bars demand a more elegant, tailored finish than the ridge and furrow of traditional bar tape – a handstitched handlebar sleeve made by a master trimmer.
Strap into the phenomenal Aston Martin Valkyrie and the first touch point is the beautiful suede-like Alcantara seat. This uncompromising 1,000 horse power hypercar is closer in DNA to a Formula One racing machine than a road car, which explains the minimalist, weight-saving philosophy throughout its cockpit.
But function doesn’t have to come at the expense of form, hence the luxurious Alcantara seats, available in a seemingly boundless choice of colours.
So, when deciding how to wrap the beautiful carbon handlebars of the J.Laverack Aston Martin .1R, there was only one choice – the same Alcantara that features in the Aston Martin Valkyrie. It’s blissfully soft, breathable, hard-wearing, resistant to light and heat, cool in summer and warm to the touch in winter.
What’s more, an aerospace grade closed cell, high density neoprene foam backing provides excellent absorption of vibrations. The touch points of a bike make a profound difference to rider performance, so both the handlebars and .1R’s Brooks saddle deploy Alcantara for its grip, feel and comfort.
It takes decades to hone the skills required to stitch Alcantara with flawless precision around the irregular shape of a handlebar.
To meet this challenge required the knowledge of an elite trimmer whose skills were sharpened stitching the seats and dashboards of Aston Martin’s hypercars. It’s a laborious process that demands patience, meticulous technique, and thousands of hours of practice to achieve the best results.
Painstaking process
The craft starts with the creation of templates for each of the different pieces that will be woven together, before the trimmer cuts each section from an Alcantara hide with surgical precision.
The unique skill, however, lies in the hand-stitched assembly of these cuts into the tightest, smoothest of finishes that wraps the handlebars like a second skin.
It takes a lifetime of learning to master this outstanding degree of workmanship.
As befits a completely bespoke bicycle, customers can not only choose the colour of Alcantara for their handlebars and saddle to complement their personalised paint scheme, but also select the colour of the stitching.
Every colour found inside the cabin of an Aston Martin is available, with the opportunity to refine your specification and compare how different combinations will look, thanks to the .1R’s unique bicycle configurator. When visiting Gaydon and personalising your .1R both J.Laverack co-founders will work alongside you during the commissioning process.
“This is simply the best bicycle in the world if you want something bespoke. We’ve pushed the boundaries of design and engineering to match the dreams of our customers. Every single element of the .1R can be personalised. The materials are very much about science, the art of creativity and the ability to create unique solutions that don’t detract from this exceptional bike’s performance capability.”
Marek Reichman, Aston Martin Chief Creative Officer
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31 Oct 2023
31 Oct 2023
The spellbinding J.Laverack Aston Martin .1R was developed from scratch, using the same processes, skill and care devoted to creating Aston Martin’s cars.
31 Oct 2023