His Dark Materials
Cyclist Middle East|November 2017

Ben Farver made his reputation building steel frames in Portland, Oregon, but in 2011 he swapped his brazing torch for pre-preg sheets and went all-in on carbon fibre. He shows Cyclist what drew him to the dark side

James Spender
His Dark Materials
Tell me about your perfect ride. Where would you go? That might sound like an excerpt from a psychiatrist’s transcript, but it is in fact one of 13 questions Argonaut founder Ben Farver poses to a prospective customer before a conversation about their new bike has even got started.

‘The questionnaire paints a picture of them as a cyclist. Geometry is just a small part of a custom bike. A bike can only be so stiff and so light, so for me the real opportunity in bike design, and a bike’s lasting value, is how it feels on the road,’ Farver says with an earnest smile.

It wasn’t always the case that Farver looked to influence one of his creations so directly. He came to frame building in a roundabout way, taking a metalworking course for fun after completing a degree studying history. However, it wasn’t until 2007 when, inspired by other frame builders he’d seen in Portland, Farver decided that building bike frames ‘seemed like something I might quite like to do’.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة November 2017 من Cyclist Middle East.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة November 2017 من Cyclist Middle East.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

المزيد من القصص من CYCLIST MIDDLE EAST مشاهدة الكل
Dear UCI
Cyclist Middle East

Dear UCI

With Brian Cookson out and David Lappartient in, Felix Lowe writes an open letter to the new president of the UCI

time-read
3 mins  |
December 2017
Canyon Ultimate WMN CF SLX
Cyclist Middle East

Canyon Ultimate WMN CF SLX

Canyon has finally decided that, yes, women do need their own race bike

time-read
5 mins  |
December 2017
Craig Calfee
Cyclist Middle East

Craig Calfee

From bamboo e-bikes to full suspension racers, frame building pioneer Craig Calfee talks carbon fibre, Greg LeMond and the future of bikes as we know it

time-read
5 mins  |
December 2017
Track In The USSR
Cyclist Middle East

Track In The USSR

Not only did Don Walker found the North American Handmade Bicycle Show, he also shows some pretty mean bicycles himself

time-read
4 mins  |
December 2017
Rotor Uno Hydraulic Road Groupset
Cyclist Middle East

Rotor Uno Hydraulic Road Groupset

£2,400, saddleback.co.uk

time-read
1 min  |
December 2017
Frank Schleck
Cyclist Middle East

Frank Schleck

The ex-pro and former yellow jersey wearer tells Cyclist about the unique pleasures and pains of riding at the Tour de France 

time-read
5 mins  |
October 2017
The Worlds Are Your Oyster
Cyclist Middle East

The Worlds Are Your Oyster

Designing a course so a local rider wins the rainbow jersey? Felix Lowe asks just what are the Worlds coming to…

time-read
3 mins  |
October 2017
Pick 'N' Mix
Cyclist Middle East

Pick 'N' Mix

If we had to pick five…

time-read
2 mins  |
October 2017
Q&A : Thomas Voeckler
Cyclist Middle East

Q&A : Thomas Voeckler

The French fans’ favourite on his last ever appearance in the Tour de France, his old Miguel Indurain poster and the glorious art of the attack.

time-read
5 mins  |
June 2017
In Praise Of... Memorials
Cyclist Middle East

In Praise Of... Memorials

Plaques, statues and shrines to cycling’s fallen heroes are scattered all over the mountain roads of Europe, turning any ride into a pilgrimage.

time-read
4 mins  |
June 2017