Real-World Bike Builds from the Community. Recap on Some of the Best from Last Season

One of the most satisfying aspects of our project with Litebike is the glimpse we get of what happens after we’ve launched a new product. After a component leaves our workshop, gets fitted to a bike and becomes integrated into someone’s cycling world. We have always been hyper conscious of this connection between component, human and machine. 

Earlier this year we ran a competition and got a snapshot of how cyclists across the community are upgrading their bikes. Clean road builds. Weight-focussed set ups. Thoughtful cockpit changes to improve aerodynamics (and aesthetic).

While they look great, none of these bikes were built just for a photoshoot. They’re everyday road bikes that have been refined, often one component and a time, by riders who care about weight, function, and restraint.

Across the entries, a few themes kept appearing: simplifying the front end; reducing weight without compromising stiffness; choosing parts that disappear into the bike rather than shout. Exactly the type of problems we try to solve with our components.

Real-world builds. Some of the best from last season

Alex’s Integrated Road Build: A modern carbon road frame paired with the Litebike Onyx carbon integrated handlebar and Falcon zero-offset carbon seatpost. The choice here was driven by simplicity: fewer parts, cleaner lines, and a cockpit that integrates seamlessly without visual noise.

Matt’s Balanced Lightweight Setup: This build isn’t chasing extremes. Matt upgraded a Specialized Aethos with our x Pro lightweight carbon handlebar. Showing how reducing weight can be done subtly.

Jack’s Retro Configuration: Jack restored a Cannondale Caad9 with the Litebike Mach ^2 carbon seatpost and UNO Kalloy stem, helping keep the build efficient and purposeful without turning it into a fragile showpiece.

Carl’s Litespeed Custom Build: A thoughtful and unique build incorporating the x Pro lightweight x Pro carbon handlebars and our lightweight x TOKEN cassette. Carl’s Litespeed has real personality.

Common approaches to planning a bike build

We have noticed a few common themes that cyclists upgrading with us often consider when upgrading:

• Carbon integrated handlebars. For many of our riders, this is the single most transformative upgrade. An integrated carbon handlebar simplifies the front end, removes visual clutter, and allows cables to be routed cleanly and logically. The benefits aren’t just aesthetic: fewer interfaces mean improved stiffness and a more direct feel at the front of the bike. It’s a change you notice immediately, every time you ride.

• Targeted cockpit upgrades. Rather than replacing everything, many of these builds focus on the cockpit as a system. Bars, stem, spacers, and headset working together. Upgrading here can subtly improve comfort, reduce weight where it matters most, and create a more cohesive, intentional setup. It’s often the difference between a bike that looks assembled and one that looks resolved. Many riders choose to pair the x Pro with the UNO Kalloy stem.

• Minimalist components with a clear purpose. Across the builds, there’s a shared restraint. Components are chosen because they solve a problem e.g. weight, stiffness, integration. Not because they draw attention. We think parts should enhance the frame and overall geometry of the bike.

What’s notable is how few of these bikes were changed all at once. Most evolved gradually. A cockpit upgrade one season. A weight-saving change the next. Small decisions made carefully that compound over time.

There’s a quiet reassurance in seeing other people make similar choices. It confirms that you’re not overthinking things, and that well-designed, lightweight components have a place outside of marketing photos. Most of these bikes weren’t rebuilt overnight. They evolved one thoughtful change at a time.

If you’ve upgraded your bike with Litebike parts, we’re always interested in seeing it. No pressure, no polish required. Just the bike as you ride it (hello@litebike.cc). We’ll continue to put the very best on our website.