This is the sort of bike you stare at for several minutes, a speed sculpture that makes you shake your head to shift the dream, only for the light to reveal a new complexity to the paint, the shapes it makes, inviting a deeper appreciation for the mesmeric blend of metal, carbon and fine engineering. Quality is both a sprint and a marathon. A crit and a Grand Tour, if you will. A feeling that hits and, over time, builds with each look, ride and fleeting impression. It is the wonder of handmade things everywhere, and, in this case, a Prova Integrale, this week’s featured build.
First, the paint. Our client, Eduardo, has impeccable taste and an excellent eye. He presented his inspiration and guided our paint partner, Velocolour, in its application. The result is evident - it cannot be held by the frame, spills and pools onto the hubs and makes a merry dance with the fork. But it never overwhelms the frame. It’s enough.
Prova’s Integrale is a titanium treat. It features a hand-wrapped, handmade carbon fibre seat tube (made in Prova’s own mould, in-house, exceptional). It’s in many ways a Speciale, with the addition of a unique head tube design using a CNC machined lower section with Prova’s 3D-printed upper to allow for internal cabling. There are a lot of 'metal' bikes with carbon seat tubes out there, but the way Prova machined the tube and its connecting parts to mate with the bottom bracket shell, creating a seamless line between materials, is simply stunning. The sheer number of hours such work takes for the rider to only appreciate the result as aesthetic is a testament to Prova’s no-holds-barred frame-building ideology. And if you like that, you’ll undoubtedly love the graceful curve of the top tube as it somehow transforms into stays, flowing and curving to the rear dropouts. An Enve integrated fork, seat-topper and cockpit complete this crazy diamond.
Away from the frame, we chose the Enve 3.4 rims, laced with Sapim CX-Ray spokes to DT Swiss 240 hubs, augmented with Ceramicspeed bearings. While the hubs are good and reliable, they appear because they’re easy to paint. And what paint. Velocolour excelled themselves.
The drivetrain comes by way of Shimano’s Dura-Ace Di2, embellished by an SRM Origin Power crank that handily uses Dura-Ace chainrings. The rear derailleur features Ceramicspeed’s OSPW with coated bearings. Note the lack of Ceramicspeed logos, which we removed to keep the look clean. A Ceramicspeed-coated bottom bracket completes the running gear. Naturally, we waxed the chain.
Moving to the outer edges, you will note Speedplay Nano pedals, Veloflex 32C tires, Arundel bottle cages, painted purple on the outside and left black on the inside, and sitting pretty, a Busyman-designed saddle cover, wavy and referencing the bike’s colors, which complements the bike’s matching Busyman bar tape.
And that’s the bike. If you love this and would like a Prova of your own, give us a call. However, please note that build slots are highly limited.
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