Bird Cycleworks: Now with custom paint and gravel options

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Bird Cycleworks, the UK company well known for its responsive and approachable customer service (as well as some very popular mountain bikes), is now offering custom paint options. Plus, next year they’re bringing out a gravel bike. But for those who were expecting it to be a very mountain bikey gravel bike, prepare to be surprised. Read on for the full PR from Bird Cycleworks:

Bird Cycleworks releases custom paint options, previews new Aerelon gravel bike for 2025

For us a bike has always been a very personal affair. Thats why since day 1 we’ve offered custom builds on every model. Almost every Bird sold over the 11 years we’ve been building bikes has been sent out with the parts selected by our customers, not determined by us. In 2025, with a challenging market still prevailing, we’re mixing it up a little, dropping some of our famous bike builder options in favour of the ultimate customisation – paint.

Our flagship models – The Aeris AM and Forge, as well as the new Aerelon Gravel are now available as custom painted right here in the North east. We’ve partnered with East Coast Airbrush to give our customers the chance to get the exact paintwork you’d like, as a price that won’t make you cry. The service, going under the name ‘Steel Town Customs’, reflecting the heritage of our new home in Consett, is live now and available on frames and complete builds.

Complete custom paintwork can be had for as little as £700 – not just a colour choice, but design and style is completely customisable in that budget. We bring the frames in prepped and ready to paint, enabling us to keep the cost realistic for most people’s budgets, while offering the chance to get the look you’ve always wanted.

For custom paint options please contact Bird before you buy so we can start the process and make sure you get a blank frame from our paintable stock.

For more information check out https://www.bird.bike/stc

And did we mention there’s a gravel bike coming too?

New Bird Aerelon Gravel

For 2025 we’re stretching those legs, dusting off the lycra and hitting the (gravel) roads. When considering our first gravel bike, first and foremost, we wanted to deliver one bike that could cut it on the road or off-road equally. Although most people might have expected a dropped bar mountain bike style from us, when we looked at what we actually ride when it comes to our gravel bikes (and we do ride a lot of gravel here at the factory), we found it was a mix of road and off-road in equal measures, and the common thread was always the distance. Gravel rides are generally long, and gravel racing even longer. 60-200km is the norm not the exception.

With that in mind the new Aerelon straddles the all road and gravel categories of bikes when it comes to geometry. We’ve set the trail at a neutral number for handling and a compact wheelbase that’s sharp enough on the road, without feeling dangerous off. Generous stack heights pair with modest reach numbers for a comfy ride thats not too stretched out and a solid weight distribution for descending. Ultra versatile mounts are plentiful, so you can load, or just go, but whichever you choose the Aerelon is dependable, comfy and fast.

With 5 launch sizes for initial launch and 3 more sizes more planned we’re covering all bases right down to a youth focused 650b.

Incredible Value Meets Cutting Edge Tech

For the Aerelon we wanted to ensure that the frame design was future proof from the outset, as well as not excluding people wanting to buy frame and fork only set ups and porting older parts onto that. That’s why the Aerelon features:

  • Full monocoque Toray carbon frame and fork
  • 6 mounting zones for bags, bottles and cargo
  • Detachable mount for mudguard
  • UDH For direct mount drivetrain compatibility including Transmission/AXS XPLR 13 Spd.
  • Designed for wireless, capable of running wired.
  • 1x optimised design, with 2x wide mech option.
  • 50mm dry, 45mm wet tyre rating
  • All models feature lifetime corrosion warranty on headset bearings
  • All models feature Ergon carbon flex posts for enhanced rider comfort
  • All models offer multiple choices for critical sized components
  • Higher end models also feature lifetime warranty on their bottom brackets

Complete bike weights range from 8-9kg depending on specification

* Option to swap for equivalent 25mm 303 Wheels on Aerelon and Aerelon R for customers looking for expanded road/off-road tyre options.

** Other options/widths available

*** Lizard Skins DSP V2 on Steel Town Customs Paint bikes

All models feature 4 bar widths, 4 stem lengths and 4 crank lengths from 160mm-170mm to suit customer’s needs. Aerelon and Aerelon R offer 2 saddle widths.

Frame/Fork Price is £1345 Including lifetime headset, lifetime bottom bracket, stem, axles and UDH.

The new Aerelon goes on sale q1 2025 for delivery q2. Sign up for updates at https://www.bird.bike/aerelon.


Home Forums Bird Cycleworks: Now with custom paint and gravel options

  • This topic has 12 replies, 11 voices, and was last updated 2 weeks ago by iainc.
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  • Bird Cycleworks: Now with custom paint and gravel options
  • 1
    willard
    Full Member

    Dammit. I really don’t want a gravel bike. No, I REALLY don’t need another bike.

    (but that is lovely… I want one)

    2
    thegeneralist
    Free Member

    Looks brilliant. Really keen until I saw the electric builds only ….  You have to be kidding me

    razorrazoo
    Full Member

    Looks brilliant. Really keen until I saw the electric builds only ….  You have to be kidding me

    Current generation SRAM AXS road gearing is fantastic, I had cable Ultegra 8000 before and whilst decent is not a patch on the Force AXS I have now.

    DickBarton
    Full Member

    Electric transmission makes a lot of sense though…less cabling to deal with – external or internal. Recharging a battery every 4-6 weeks really isn’t a hassle. The only real drawback is the cost – I’ve nothing to argue against that as it is a ridiculous amount of money. However, it works consistently every single time no matter what conditions you are riding in.

    4
    benpinnick
    Full Member

    Looks brilliant. Really keen until I saw the electric builds only ….  You have to be kidding me

    Sorry, thats what we’ve decided to go with for a few reasons:

    – While Im a Shimano fanboy on the MTB side, the Gravel options really don’t do it for me. Ergonomically and mechanically SRAM is better.

    – Im not actually a massive fan of electronic shifting on the MTB side, as I find it sometimes fickle and more prone to failure than the wired equivalents. Its also wildly expensive when it does fail. On the flip side we all ride SRAM wireless on our gravel/road bikes and its been nothing but reliable. While SRAM does do wired groups, they’re really nothing like as good as the wired ones.

    – SRAM’s direct mount drivetrain (Red, and hence Force/Rival/Apex will follow) is brilliant. It takes the weaker aspects of transmission and fixes them, with fast shifting, really sleek integration and compact mechs.

    – SRAM’s power meters actually work. I appreciate a lot of people won’t care for one, but alot do.

    – People riding road or gravel tend to have fairly expensive GPS computers. The integration between the shifters/mech/power meter to the computer adds alot to the experience and usability.

    – We’ve decided to go internal routing through the headset, there’s a long post on the other thread as to why, I stand by it being 100% the right choice. It probably only is the top choice with wireless though. If you add in mechanical cabling the really seamless and beneficial aspects of the integration starts to loose their shine a little.

    tonyd
    Full Member

    Looks lovely. Decisions to go wireless make sense, I have SRAM wireless on my gravel bike and love it.

    When did Bird move to Consett? Why leave Eversley?

    hardtailonly
    Full Member

    @benpinnick … That colour scheme, is that a custom job? What will be the standard / no-cost colours?

    tomhoward
    Full Member

    Imagine, a new modern bike using new modern parts…

    thegeneralist
    Free Member

    Current generation SRAM AXS road gearing is fantastic, I had cable Ultegra 8000 before and whilst decent is not a patch on the Force AXS I have now.

    Mmm, probably.  But the wireless version has a battery. And that’s a showstopper for me and many other people. I’m sure someone will be along to claim that electric on bikes is just an incremental change, like droppers, cartwheels etc. but for me, it’s not.

    Apart from my lights, I don’t want electric on my bike. Simples.

    I appreciate that a huge number on STW are just gear freaks who love the bling more than the ride…. all good.  But not everyone is like that.

    1
    benpinnick
    Full Member

    When did Bird move to Consett? Why leave Eversley?

    We didn’t leave Eversley per-se, its still there, we just don’t run it anymore. Without a design function there it was just a shop/showroom. It caused a big rates bill for us as it killed our discount at the factory too, so it was better off run as a seperate business. It still sells, services and demos birds, just the people don’t work for me.

    @benpinnick … That colour scheme, is that a custom job? What will be the standard / no-cost colours?

    Theres a cream/sand graphics, a blood red/silver, and a gulf blue.

    Apart from my lights, I don’t want electric on my bike. Simples.

    Thats fair enough, I feel the same about my mountain bike.

    Ewan
    Free Member

    I can’t see the bike on the site – when will the bike builder be up? Will you offer a di2 version as well?

    iainc
    Full Member

    That middle spec one would be perfect. I already have 2 gravel bikes, so my Diverge Carbon Expert may get replaced…

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