Barry-Roubaix Bike Profile: Shawn Aker’s Breadwinner Holeshot

Shawn Aker's Breadwinner Holeshot with an Ultegra Di2 drivetrain. © Andrew Reimann / Cyclocross Magazine

Last week at Barry-Roubaix, we examined MacKenzie Woodring's Foundry Harrow, which is Foundry's cyclocross-specific model, although it is awaiting a rebranding before the next season begins, with thru axle and quick release options alongside bolder color options.

Today we examine one of the bikes that competed in the Men's Open field: Shawn Aker's Breadwinner Holeshot. Aker is a local road and cyclocross hero out of Columbus Ohio, and has spent the last half-year taking top tens and a few wins both on the road and the local cyclocross courses. Year after year he has also competed against the best in the country at the Cincinnati Kings CX weekend.

At the end of March, he fine-tuned his Breadwinner to tackle the gravel roads, strapped on the lucky race number "7" to the front of his rig, and hit the gravel and pothole-riddled roads of Barry-Roubaix.

His Holeshot frame was made by Portland frame builders Tony Pereira and Ira Ryan, who jokingly invented the name Breadwinner as a company whose bikes would keep putting food on their tables. The Holeshot is TIG welded and brazed with Oversized Columbus Spirit tubing, and each of their builds come with completely custom geometry. The bike comes complete with two waterbottle cage mounts, and although it was an availble option, Aker did not go with the fender mounts. The frame and fork MSRP at $2395.

Like many Breadwinner builds, Aker's Holeshot comes with a Chris King headset and an ENVE quick release fork. Aker was able to gorgeously match the gold accents of his bike with his front hub, Thomson X4 faceplate and straddle carrier, although he used a Powertap G3 hub in the rear for his power readings.

For tread choice, Aker opted with the Challenge Almanzo gravel-specific tire. Despite the nature of the race as a gravel ride, Aker was in the minority of the Open Fields, with more riders opting for cyclocross-branded tires such as Woodring's 700×33 Clement LAS tubulars. What remains clear, however, is that many Open Field riders went with file tread to get them through the 62 miles of Barry County roads, with only rare exceptions like Cody Kaiser using the road treads of 700×32 Specialized Armadillos.

Aker went with the most common chainring setup in the Men's Open Field with his 46/36 Ultegra crankset, although we were surprised at the large minority of riders who opted for a single chainring with 4000+ feet of climbing. Aker completed his drivetrain with Di2 shifters and derailleurs, although his last-minute setup of his bike ended up costing him his position in the lead pack. He didn't properly torque his right shifter, and in the wrong moment, it slipped down his handlebar, forcing him to inadvertently grabbing the brake and locking up his rear wheel. He reported that thankfully the riders behind him were able to dodge him as they darted around.

While the fields played favorites with mountain bike pedals, there was a sizable contingent who used road pedals, and Aker decided on his Ultegra SPD-SL 6800 carbon pedals, which weigh in at 260g a pair. Considering the dry course and little chance for dirt or mud to lodge against the three-bolt cleat, his decision appeared to be the right one for a rider who prefers the larger platform.

Use the scroller below for more photos of the Breadwinner Holeshot along with a spec guide for the bike.