The small factory in which Baum Cycles handcrafts its bespoke titanium bicycles may be more than 10,000 miles from Rapha’s London headquarters, but the two brands could barely be closer aligned. Both founded by passionate cyclists with a deep appreciation for the sport’s history and beauty, Rapha and Baum are dedicated to creating products of the highest quality.
30 years ago, Darren set out to build a bike frame that was better than anything else in the hope of furthering his own racing career. And a few years later, Simon started Rapha to create high performance cycling clothing that was functional but also beautiful. If they had played by the rules, neither brand would exist and our latest collaboration would not be possible.
Rapha’s relationship with Baum stretches back over a decade and several special edition frames. In 2012, as part of the Rapha Continental Australia, we worked closely together on a limited edition Corretto frame that we showed at the Australian Custom Bicycle Show. With a unique paint job that incorporated Rapha gazette paper directly into the wet coat, the one-off frame required over 80 hours of dedicated craftsmanship.
Mechanically minded from an early age, Darren Baum started building bikes in his teens and hasn’t looked back. At the helm of Baum Cycles, he now has over 30 years’ experience hand crafting bespoke bicycles.