Dorset-based Zerofour is a new bicycle company on the horizon hoping to appeal to those wanting a custom carbon or titanium bike. Although only coming to our attention now, it was set up in 2004 by Matt Gibbons, a former engineer and mechanic for the Animal Orange Downhill MTB team.
Matt says his vision for Zerofour was born from his frustration at trying to find an off-the-peg frame that would fit him properly - he's 5ft 4in. He also found it "incredibly disheartening" working in the bike trade and seeing so many people buying expensive bikes that didn't fit them properly.
So step forward a range of fully custom bicycle frames. Zerofour don’t offer off-the-shelf frames and instead prefer to build bicycle frames that fit like the glove of legend. Zerofour uses its Power-Fit system, which involves a power meter to determine the optimum riding position. The fitting process takes around three hours. As well as finding the ideal position for power output, the process claims to maximise comfort and reduce the potential for injury.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at the MTB models Zerofour offer, of which there are two. The 9ine Ti is made from 3AL/2.5V titanium with CNC machined head tube, bottom bracket shell and rear dropouts, with a geometry designed around 80-100mm forks – fast XC is clearly the order of the day here.
While there are a few other choices for a custom Ti frameset, the same can’t be said of carbon, in fact, it’s extremely rare and usually costs more than a small hatchback. Step forward the £1,495 Carbon Works which uses a carbon wrap approach to offer a fully custom carbon fibre frameset, complete with bespoke design, engineering and paint work.
Find out more at www.zerofourbikes.co.uk
