Price: £2,250.00 (frame w/Cane Creek DBcoil [IL] shock) / From: Swarf Cycles, swarfcycles.co.uk
In comparison to the other two on test, our third bike comes from a much smaller outfit. Founded in Dorchester in 2011, Swarf Cycles is currently a one-man show that is owned and operated by a chap called Adrian Bedford – a man who, prior to making bikes, worked in the military aerospace industry designing air-to-air refuelling systems. With an obsessive testing ethic and a keen eye for attention to detail, Bedford made the decision to go full-time with Swarf Cycles in 2014.
Though the Swarf name is mostly associated with gorgeous fillet-brazed custom steel hardtails, it was actually a full suspension prototype that saw it awarded ‘Best Newcomer’ at the 2014 Bespoked show. Bedford has continued to develop full suspension prototypes in the background, having tested several suspension platforms along with carbon fibre swingarms and rocker linkages. The latest iteration you see here employs a more orthodox design, and it is now available as a fully production-ready mountain bike.
Called the Contour, the frame is built around 29in wheels, 115mm of rear travel and a 130mm fork. Featuring geometry that leans towards descending good times, the Contour is pitched as a short travel trail bike that’s born to eat up technical terrain.