December 19, 2023 ~ Will Tucker

Kenneth's No.22 Aurora

The Idea

At LSS, we wake up every day with a desire to take our craft to the next level. This motivation is the same that fuels our favorite manufacturers. No.22 Bicycle Company exemplifies this drive towards the upper echelon.

It's our pleasure to present to you our first No.22 build; Kenneth’s custom Aurora.

This build began the same way all of our builds do – with a thorough sizing consultation that includes anatomical measurements and mobility assessments. From there, we worked with the experts at No.22 to design a complete custom geometry to perfectly suit Kenneth and his riding goals. Then the real fun began.

The Finish

As far as the finishwork goes, No.22 keeps the process simple. Kenneth sorted through digital renderings of every possible color combination that they offer. The hardest part of the entire build is settling on a colorway! In Kenneth's case, he was torn between two different finishes. We relayed this to the guys at No.22 and they were kind enough to send over a large batch of real-world images of the two finishes he was considering. Seeing the real-life examples helped settle on his final decision of Northen Lights Cerakote/Gold Anodization. The cerakote has a slight iridescent shimmer when the light hits it. This, combined with the sophistication of the gold anodization results in a final product that speaks for itself.

The Cockpit

You will find numerous 3D printed titanium components throughout the build. It begins at the cockpit. The titanium stem is printed by No.22 to a custom length and angle. The stem matches up to the printed titanium computer mount from Silca – anodized to match, of course.

The Seatpost

As you may expect with a fully custom bike, there’s no seatpost here. Instead, the solid carbon seat tube extends past the top tube and meets a 3D printed titanium seat topper that is a work of art all in itself.

The Crankset

A show stopping bike like this needs a show stopping crankset. To keep with the theme, we partnered with Sturdy Cycles on their custom 3D-printed titanium crankset. Check out the custom CNC chainrings with matched anodizing. We were amazed by the engineering of this incredible component.

The Wheels & Groupset

The pairing between the Aurora and Lightweight Meilenstein wheels just seems natural. The craftsmanship and high-end allure of the German carbon wheels match perfectly to the theme of this build.

We've chosen the mighty Dura-Ace 9270 for its smooth shifting quality and lightweight construction. Combined with the 3D printed titanium @ceramicspeed OSPW system, it represents the best that modern drivetrain technology has to offer.

In Closing

This build filled me (Will) with a feeling of humble pride – not of myself, but of the team at Latting Speed Shop, and of the bicycle industry as a whole. I truly believe that we are living in the golden age of bicycle manufacturing. The fact that companies like No.22 exist and offer products like the Aurora is truly remarkable. The bicycle is an old and simple design. It has remained relatively unchanged for over one hundred years. We could sit back and just let it be what it is - an unvarying form of human powered transportation; but bikes like this show that the bicycle can be much, much more. It's a vessel for friendships, great adventures, therapy, competition, and in the case of the Aurora - art.

We're celebrating our third year in business this December, and I feel greatly blessed by what we have accomplished over the course of the last 36 months. Kenneth's No.22 Aurora is a sign that at year three, we are just getting started in our quest to offer the absolute finest bicycles with unparalleled customer experiences.

If we could wrap up what we do at Latting Speed Shop into a single bicycle build, I feel that Kenneth's No.22 fully encompasses our process. It began with an idea - not born from a sales pitch, but born of a true desire from the customer. Kenneth and I were on a ride together one day when he said "Hey Will, have you every heard of No.22? We need to build one, and it needs to be crazy!" Of course, I was in.

From there we went through our thorough fit and sizing process. Once the geometry was nailed down, we approached the goals and design around the build. It's a pleasure working with a customer like Kenneth – he allows us creative freedom while we stay in touch with his ideas and desires for the build. He may send us a component idea, we may send back a technical spec suggestion, and by the end we have designed an excellent bicycle that is exactly what the customer dreamed of. Our desire is to replicate this process with every customer we work with and every bike we sell.