Ground Up Speed Shop is based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and is in the business of custom frame building. Company owner, Eric Baar, has built over 1,000 frames during his 13 years of company ownership, ranging from steel, aluminum and titanium. In Eric’s words, “I machine, weld, and finish your one off in a style that can only be described as HOT ROD.”
This example of Eric’s handiwork belongs to Sheary Clough Suiter. In the words of her friend, Nard Claar, “Sheary loves to ride bikes and has a touring bike and mountain bike. She was looking for a bike to do it all that was special and versatile. She talked with Eric Baar of Ground Up Designs who fabricates bikes out of most materials: steel, aluminum, and titanium. Sheary is five feet tall, so a custom bike was a natural choice. She wanted a bike that would take the road and gravel and some single track with joy, and thanks to the work of Eric, she has it.”
Sheary’s machine is based on the 27.5″ / 650b wheel size, which is a blast to ride in singletrack and other fun places, but perfect for a smaller rider too.
Above, an Interloc Racing Designs crankset with 46 / 30 chainrings is finished with pinstriping by Eric Baar.
Single ring drivetrains aren’t for everybody, as is the case with Sheary’s bike; SRAM Rival front derailleur.
Sheary has a wide spread of gears, courtesy of the SRAM’s PG1030 12-36 cassette. Paired with the 30 tooth small chainring, she can ascend virtually any hill / climb with relative ease!
Above, note the additional bracing in the left rear triangle, designed to help resist the forces of braking.
On the subject of braking, Sheary relies on TRP’s excellent Spyre dual-piston mechanical disc brakes.
Photos in this article by Nard Claar, bike build by Blaine of BikePRO-Mobile.
Sheary Clough Suiter’s Ground Up Speed Shop, Custom Titanium Gravel Bike:
- Frame: Ground Up Speed Shop, Custom Titanium.
- Fork: Wound Up Composites.
- Headset: Chris King.
- Stem: Unknown.
- Handlebar: Soma Portola, 53cm (centre to centre at bar ends).
- Bar Tape: Planet Bike.
- Brakes: TRP Spyre mechanical disc.
- Brake Rotors: Shimano XT 160mm centre lock front, Shimano 160mm centre lock rear.
- Brake / Shift Levers: SRAM Rival 10-speed mechanical.
- Front Derailleur: SRAM Rival.
- Rear Derailleur: SRAM GX T 2.1 10-speed.
- Cassette: SRAM PG1030 10-speed 12-36.
- Chain: KMC X-10.
- Crankset: Interlock Racing Designs with 46 / 30 chainrings.
- Bottom Bracket: Interloc Racing Designs, square taper, English thread, 122mm axle.
- Pedals: VP Platform.
- Wheelset: WTB KOM 27.5″ / 650b rims unknown hubs and spokes.
- Tires: Bruce Gordon Rock and Road 650b x 43mm.
- Saddle: Terry Women Butterfly Gel.
- Seatpost: Unknown.
- Bottle Cages: Lezyne Side Load.
[email protected] or Ground Up Speed Shop on Instagram.
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Cool bike. I like the checker board and pin stripe accents!
The checker board is something I’ve never seen before on a bicycle. Definitely a neat touch.
Always great to see Eric’s work. He is one of my favorite builders in the country.
A beautiful bike built for a beautiful pedalin’ woman!
Eric has a style all his own and has created the perfect bike for Sheary. I’ve seen it in person and to see how it all works together is impressive.