We saw the cool mint of NAHBS 2015 People’s Choice Award-Winning Mars Cycles’ fillet brazed cyclocross bike, WWII motorcycle inspired NAHBS 2015 Best New Frame Builder-Winning LoveBaum’s cyclocross bike, and the Award-Winning Best Finish on the Shamrock Cycles Road/Gravel Disc Bike. In terms of paint jobs and color design on a bike, Erik Noren of Peacock Groove likes to find the outer limit of conventional tastes, and sometimes has even happily crossed it, and it won him honorable mention at NAHBS 2015.
This is not the first time we've met up with Peacock Groove. At NAHBS 2012, we took a look at his custom cyclocross bikes with integrated cable hangers off the forks. The owner, Noren, is a one-man shop, calling himself the Rodney Dangerfield of the industry ("I get no respect"). He boasts his strengths, saying he can build a darn good bike, but admits he's not the world's best businessman. It’s the typical blessing and curse of wearing many hats for one-man builders.
His displayed gravel bike, which could be called Electric Hell in the same fashion that his famous bloody track bike of years past could be called Evil Dead 2. Electric Hell is a gravel bike built for a customer, which he told us fits the soon-to-be owner perfectly. The bike would go on to be the runner up to the Best Finish award at NAHBS.
Although practically hidden under purple, the bike sports a Campagnolo Record EPS group painted to match. Blasphemy for some, amazing color coordination for others. The fork alone is extensively detailed, and would typically go for $1000 if sold alone, but typically the frame, fork and "normal" paint goes for $2400. Normal, of course, is in the eye of the beholder, as it can sometimes mean a polka-dot frame in bizarre color combinations.
Along with frames, Peacock Groove builds their own headsets called the PLUS, which are designed with options to eliminate the need for external spacers, offering a clean look around the stem.
You can find details of the cyclocross bike through the slider below. For Noren's latest creations and designs, his Facebook page is the place to visit at facebook.com/PeacockGroove. Be sure to see our ever-growing list of NAHBS 2015 cyclocross and gravel bikes and goodies here.
Campagnolo EPS: electric heaven? Every inch of Campagnolo’s carbon weave design on this group has been painted purple. © Cyclocross Magazine
