For his latest project, Dangerholm teamed up with the Swedish guitar maker Strandberg. This collaboration resulted not only in an ultra-light gravel bike with a mountain bike frame and suspension fork, but also in an exclusive lightweight guitar. Dangerholm is world-renowned for his attention to detail. Even when it comes to fusing a bike and a guitar, the Swede takes no shortcuts, but takes his highly specialised tuning approach to the extreme. At the Bespoked trade fair in Dresden, we were able to take a close look at Dangerholm’s wild Scott Scale Gravel.
Conclusion
Gustav Gullholm, aka Dangerholm, comes up with some crazy ideas. One is a super-lightweight hardtail mountain bike with a suspension fork but gravel wheels and drop handlebars. The fusion with the Strandberg guitar is another. Dangerholm’s Scott Scale Gravel brings together three different worlds – all in the unmistakable style of the world’s most famous bike tuner. - Jan Timmermann, BIKE editor
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Info: Dangerholm’s Scott Scale Gravel
- Intended use: Gravel bike
- Suspension travel: 100 mm
- Wheel size: 29”
- Tyre width: 2.25” / 57 mm
- Frame material: carbon
- Weight: 8.85 kg
- Special features: Dream-Build and a finish in the style of a Strandberg guitar
Gravel bikes, mountain bikes and guitars – all on the same wavelength
What sounds a bit odd at first glance isn’t so far-fetched on closer inspection: cycling and playing the guitar have a lot in common – at least according to Dangerholm. The likeable bike tinkerer believes that mastering both a bike and an instrument requires a great deal of passion and dedication. Both hobbies usually involve a great deal of training or practice, and for Dangerholm, cycling also offers plenty of auditory delights. His collaboration with Strandberg has resulted not only in a cool hybrid of a mountain bike and a gravel bike, but also in a custom guitar. Both feature the same “Sunray Fade” finish, and the Strandberg guitar is also extra-light, weighing just 1.49 kilos. This is designed to make it particularly comfortable during long sessions – just like Dangerholm’s wide-tyre gravel bike.
But the similarities don’t end there. Dangerholm wanted to create a particularly quiet ambient sound for this special gravel bike, designed to draw attention to the symphony of tyres and gravel. That’s why he opted for Onyx hubs, which have made a name for themselves thanks to their virtually silent freehub. Added to this are textile spokes from Berd, which are designed to dampen vibrations and noise and, of course, come in white, just like guitar strings. A single spoke weighs just 2.5 grams. The brake discs are bespoke designs from Brake Stuff, which are said to produce very little noise when braking.
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Lightweight construction: bridging two worlds
Even setting aside its resemblance to a musical instrument, Dangerholm’s latest gravel bike is a fascinating machine. The frame is derived from a Scott Scale cross-country hardtail mountain bike. The head tube houses a RockShox SID SL suspension fork with 100 millimetres of travel and the wireless Flight Attendant electronics, which can automatically adjust the damping to suit the terrain and the rider’s fitness level. Dangerholm combines this MTB setup with carbon gravel handlebars and a short stem from Darimo. It also features 28-inch carbon high-profile rims and Schwalbe tyres in the intermediate size of 29 by 2.25 inches. Shifting and braking are handled by the Sram Red XPLR gravel groupset.
The Custom Scott Scale Gravel wouldn’t be a Dangerholm bike if it weren’t super-light. Despite its suspension fork and thick tyres, the complete bike, including pedals, weighs in at just 8.85 kilos. All sorts of tuning parts, such as the Björn saddle and a prototype carbon crankset from Darimo, contribute to this dream weight. The icing on the cake is the outrageously expensive Ceramicspeed bearing technology in the headset, bottom bracket and derailleur pulleys.
Facilities
- Frame: Scott Scale RC
- Headset: Syncros with Ceramic Speed bearings
- Fork: RockShox SID SL Ultimate Flight Attendant
- Stem: Darimo IX4AL, 50 mm, -12°
- Handlebars: Darimo Eclipse Gravel, 380 mm
- Saddle: Gjörn Kort
- Crankset: Darimo Sigma (prototype) with SRAM XX SL power metre
- Chainring: Garbaruk MTB, 40T
- Pedals: Crankbrothers Eggbeater 11
- Bottom bracket: Ceramic Speed BB Alpha
- Drivetrain / Brakes: SRAM Red XPLR
- Rear derailleur pulleys: Ceramic Speed Alpha PW
- Brake discs: Brake Stuff Punch Disc Light, 180/180 mm
- Hubs: Onyx Racing Vesper MTB Boost
- Spokes: Berd PolyLight
- Rims: Light Bicycle WG55 Flyweight
- Tyres: Schwalbe Thunder Burt
- Continental TPU hoses
What do you think: do you also see so many similarities between cycling and playing the guitar? Let us know in the comments!
Jan Timmermann
Editor