John documented two Ron’s Bikes Alumax II builds for our last bike showcase from the 2026 Bespoked UK show. One is an Alumax II sample frame Ronnie built up, and the second is Tom from The Woods Cyclery’s personal build. Both are beautiful examples of a rim brake gravel bike, but they take different approaches. Both were on display at the Brooks England booth at Bespoked, which so graciously supported our journey out to London…
The Radavist thanks Brooks England and Schwalbe for sponsoring our 2026 Bespoked UK coverage and our independent Reportage!
Ronnie’s Build: Alumax II Sample Frame
The Alumax II sample has a few minor differences from the production model, notably the chainstay length. Which you can see by the ever-so-tucked rear end on Ronnie’s build. The production Alumax II has 15 mm longer chain stays, and the water bottles come slightly down the downtube more, optimizing space. Yes, you can fit three bottles in this size large frame.
This build is slightly different than what Ronnie displayed on his blog earlier this year after some Southern Arizona romping about. He dropped the 1x setup in favor of a compact double with Sugino PX 170 mm cranks (good luck finding those!) and TA rings, with 44t x 26t gearing. Much like the CR1, which we displayed in our 2025 Made coverage, the geometry of the Alumax II features a geometry meant to engage your core and hips in a much faster-feeling pedaling position.
It does so thanks to the steep seat tube angle, a long reach, and a shorter stem. This puts you more over the front end, versus a slacker seat angle which positions you more evenly on the bike. The Alumax II bottom bracket is lower, too, with 80 mm of bb drop. Since Ronnie has a long torso and shorter legs, these cranks optimize his power transfer. He opted to size down from the size XL to a large and compensate with a longer stem.
Cari had to put Ronnie in the submissive pose after he took his shirt off with The Floating Bike Shop’s Sam Skinner.
@UltraRomance
Tom’s The Woods Cyclery Build: Alumax II Production Build
While Ron’s ride-worn Alumax looks good, Tom’s build from The Woods Cyclery was a show stopper. It’s clean. It’s new. It doesn’t smell of patchouli and olive oil. You can see the 5 mm of chainstay length helped with tire tuktedness, too. Tom’s build is slightly different than Ronnie’s, favoring a 1x crank setup and a smaller chainring over the 2x drivetrain Ron specced.
Because we’re in the UK and Tom is not a heathen, he chose the Middleburn crank to do the job in that department. Paired with a Stridsland 36t ring, this crank looks the part. The brass crank bolt matching the gold chain is the chef’s kiss.
Rather than the B17, Tom chose a Brooks Swift, which has a narrower profile. While his lacks the beautiful break-in lines of Ron’s, there’s nothing hotter than a black leather saddle. Speaking of hotness, the Hope parts on Tom’s build also match the UK vibes of his bike with an inverted Hope headset and Hope rim brake hubs – in silver, of course.
I quite liked the twine details on the Paul Motolite brakes and the paracord rope holding the frame pump. The Woods Cyclery decals on the inner chainstay and on the back of the seat tube are a nice touch as well. Tom and his crew have a great eye for detail.
I’ve followed The Woods Cyclery on Instagram for a few years now, and it was nice seeing one of their shop’s stunning builds in person. Plus, Tom, the owner, is a real gem. I wish I’d gotten him to flex in the photo studio, but this candid photo will have to do as a placeholder!
Well done here, team! The bike looks phenomenal.
@TheWoodsCyclery
The Radavist thanks Brooks England and Schwalbe for sponsoring our 2026 Bespoked UK coverage and our independent Reportage!