A flagship groupset deserves a top-flight frame and this Festka Spectre Custom delivers both – and then some.
With real gold-leaf graphics and a top-drawer build, no expense has been spared.
This Spectre has been built up with the new SRAM Red AXS groupset, which the American brand claims is the world’s lightest disc brake electronic groupset, saving 154g over the previous generation.
This groupset test-bed build has been put together by The Bike Tailor for senior technical editor Warren Rossiter.
Breaking the mould
The Spectre is the “stiffest and most explosive platform” in Festka's range – and is the brand's all-round race bike, if you will.
Compared to its predecessor, this Spectre is claimed to be 31 per cent more compliant, achieved primarily by a revised carbon layup and a new, thinner, 27.2mm seat tube.
The Czech brand stands out from the crowd with its construction, using wrapped carbon fibre tubes rather than the conventional method of laying prepreg sheets into a mould.
This sees a collection of round tubes made from wound carbon filament. The brand has the ability to vary the type and wrap of the carbon, as well as the tube shapes, tailoring the ride quality and fit to the customer.
Festka can even replace specific tubes in frames if they sustain damage, but it reckons there’s less chance of fracturing with this design.
A size-medium frame in Festka’s ‘Core’ design, which leaves the carbon weave exposed, is claimed to weigh 1,035g.
This particular frame uses real gold leaf instead of paint, while tastefully leaving the carbon weave to be seen in all its glory.
The frame can accept up to 33mm road bike tyres (as measured) and is built around a BB86 press-fit bottom bracket standard.
The Spectre relies on an integrated front end, lacking frame ports for cables or hoses.
Although you can buy the frame with an integrated seatpost, this build has a conventional 27.2mm seatpost.
The lightest electronic disc-brake groupset
Bolted onto the Spectre is the new SRAM Red AXS, the American brand’s flagship road bike groupset.
In addition to the 154g claimed weight savings, the lever ergonomics have been redesigned, with the remodelled shape intended to fit a wider range of hands. The lever hood is much lower in profile compared to its predecessor, thanks largely to the brand reorienting the hydraulic piston from the previous vertical alignment to a new horizontal layout.
The new pivot location and hood shape reduces the effort required to actuate the brake, with the brand retaining both independent reach and contact adjustment.
The brake calipers have been revised too, employing a skeletal design to save weight.
The shifting has been improved too, with updated guides developed to simplify the front derailleur setup process, while a new auto-trim function is claimed to result in faster, quieter and more reliable shifting.
The rear derailleur’s weight is down by 16g, thanks to an updated hollow outer parallelogram plate and cut-outs in the pulley wheels. Both pulley wheels are now running on ceramic bearings, too, and there’s a larger 14t X-Sync upper pulley (increased from 12t).
Warren opted for 46/33t chainrings and a 10-34t cassette.
More top-drawer components
There’s far more eye candy to this bike than the lavish frame and brand spanking new groupset.
Warren’s specced a rather Gucci pair of Partington R-Series MKII R39/44 wheels, which weigh 1,218g for the pair, including tubeless valves. As such, the Australian brand claims the wheels are “the lightest tubeless-compatible clincher [disc brake] wheelset in the world”.
To acheive this, the wheels have an unusual construction, with the all-carbon hubs forgoing traditional flanges with spoke holes. The hub flanges are instead profiled to lock in the unique V-shaped ‘In-tension’ proprietary carbon spoke design, which hooks around and locks into the hub.
They are then attached to the 39 and 44mm-deep carbon rims using traditional spoke nipples.
The carbon rims sport a 21mm internal width and the hubs are equipped with CeramicSpeed bearings, for further marginal gains.
The 28mm-wide Pirelli P Zero Race TLR tyres are set up tubeless on the Partington rims.
ENVE takes care of the integrated front end with the 44cm-wide Compact Road In-Route handlebar and matching 110mm-long Aero In-Route stem.
Although a matching ENVE seatpost now rounds off the build, Warren briefly used the pictured Zipp SL 70 seatpost while he was waiting for it to arrive.
Finally, Warren opted for a Posedla Joyseat 2.0 custom 3D-printed saddle. Once the saddle’s ordered, Posedla sends you its ‘Smiling Butt Kit’, which effectively takes an imprint of your sit bones so the brand can tailor-make a bespoke saddle.
Now, the price. As you can imagine, none of this kit comes cheap and this custom build will set you back approximately £15,700, which includes a full fitting session.
Finally, the weight. The bike comes in at 7.44kg on our Scales of Truth, which includes the Time X10 Pro pedals, Hammerhead out-front mount and two Wolf Tooth titanium bottle cages.
