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Festka Scalatore Samurai takes light, custom Czech carbon road bike to an artful next level

Festka Scalatore Samurai Prime road bike, full-custom hand-painted lightweight handmade Czech carbon road bike, design by Michal Bačák, front end
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Czech custom carbon bike builder Festka creates another stunner – the Scalatore Samurai Prime, hand-painted by artist Michal Bačák for one lucky Prime cyclist. Every bike they create is custom handmade in Prague from their exclusive carbon tubing, but only the top-tier get labeled Festka Prime, taking custom to the next level and finished off with a one-of-a-kind paint job.

Festka Scalatore Samurai Prime, hand-painted custom road bike

Festka Scalatore Samurai Prime road bike, full-custom hand-painted lightweight handmade Czech carbon road bike, design by Michal Bačák, C59 saddle painted
c. Festka

Almost a year ago Festka shared their first collaboration with Prague illustrator Michal Bačák in the Festka Spectre Porcelain Prime rim brake road race bike. Now they have come together again for another showstopper for another customer enamored with the finely detailed work of Bačák’s signature hand-drawn style.

Festka Scalatore Samurai Prime road bike, full-custom hand-painted lightweight handmade Czech carbon road bike, design by Michal Bačák, studio

This time the bike model that serves as the canvas for his artwork is Festka’s lightest carbon road bike – the Scalatore. First developed as a superlight carbon rim brake climbers’ bike, the current Scalatore has evolved adding a disc brake version of the frame that still weighs just 790g and has room for 28mm tires.

Festka Scalatore Samurai Prime road bike, full-custom hand-painted lightweight handmade Czech carbon road bike, design by Michal Bačák, non-driveside

Built for a client in Costa Rica, the hand-painted bike seems a bit more subdued at a glance, covered in intricate mythological dragons and samurai warriors. The process of creating the unique finish took nine months in total, from the design’s conception through the painstaking hand-decorated process.

Festka Scalatore Samurai Prime road bike, full-custom hand-painted lightweight handmade Czech carbon road bike, design by Michal Bačák, toptube detail

The bike’s owner Mitchell thanked Festka for “creating such a beautifully detailed masterpiece from the best components and this amazing frame. I am grateful for this experience; I really enjoyed it and I am now a proud member of the Festka family. I’m so happy I’m already planning my next project.”

Festka Scalatore Samurai Prime road bike, full-custom hand-painted lightweight handmade Czech carbon road bike, design by Michal Bačák, headtube

Festka co-founder Michael Moureček describes the artwork of their fully-custom Prime bikes as “either real works of art created by renowned artists, or they are highly complicated designs from our artistic director requiring unrivaled mastery and precision in the paint shop.” Few bike companies are able to match the work they do, both in the level of carbon customization and their unmatched finishing.

Completely Custom – Prime build details

Festka Scalatore Samurai Prime road bike, full-custom hand-painted lightweight handmade Czech carbon road bike, design by Michal Bačák, details

The cost of such custom bikes is hard to fathom. The Spectre Porcelain Prime estimated at $35,000. But Michael says they continue to see growing interest. Even though the market for such bikes is overall quite small, “there are many cyclists in the world who want to be different and are ready to pay for the highest quality and unique design.”

Festka Scalatore Samurai Prime road bike, full-custom hand-painted lightweight handmade Czech carbon road bike, design by Michal Bačák, Campy Super Record EPS

This complete Scalatore Samurai is said to weigh 6.9kg, built up with a Campagnolo Super Record EPS 12-speed electronic disc brake groupset, and finished off with suitably light Lightweight Meilenstein EVO carbon clincher wheels, a Schmolke carbon seatpost and THM carbon cockpit.

Festka Scalatore Samurai Prime road bike, full-custom hand-painted lightweight handmade Czech carbon road bike, design by Michal Bačák, painted THM stem

The custom finish also extends beyond the Scalatore frame and Columbus fork, to include the THM Tibia stem and the Selle Italia SLR C59 saddle.

Festka Scalatore Samurai Prime road bike, full-custom hand-painted lightweight handmade Czech carbon road bike, design by Michal Bačák, top view

Festka Scalatore – Pricing & availability

Festka Scalatore Samurai Prime road bike, full-custom hand-painted lightweight handmade Czech carbon road bike, design by Michal Bačák, complete

Festka haven’t made official the exact price of this wildly custom Scalatore Samurai Prime, only to say that it is in the range of $30k-42k or €30k-38k.

Festka Scalatore Core road bike, lightweight handmade Czech carbon road bike

But if you are looking for something a bit more off-the-shelf with the same handmade carbon ride, the standard Festka Scalatore Core frameset pricing starts from a slightly more manageable 6000€ price level.

Festka Scalatore Core road bike, lightweight handmade Czech carbon road bike, 5.6kg actual weight

But with the possibility to build it back up to 5.6kg complete, there’s plenty of room to get that price back up even before you add in custom paint!

Festka Scalatore Samurai Prime road bike, full-custom hand-painted lightweight handmade Czech carbon road bike, design by Michal Bačák, creek

Festka Scalatore Samurai Prime road bike, full-custom hand-painted lightweight handmade Czech carbon road bike, design by Michal Bačák,

Festka.com/Scalatore

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18 Comments
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Miclaroc
Miclaroc
3 years ago

Utter stupidity – the only “samurai”’thing about this over priced nothing is the saddle. I had one – the inner edges on the cutout are so sharp they shredded 2 pairs of bib shorts.

advcyclist
advcyclist
3 years ago

Is it just me or is BikeRumor pivoting to cater the articles, recommendations, and reviews to a more… elite class of cyclists?? Grandiose overlander vehicles, SEMA award winner, Campy Ekar, Rapha/B&O collabs, et al… I’m just seeing a trend of cycling elite that isn’t very welcoming to entry level riders.

This year, probably more than any other in recent decades has ushered in a whole new class of entry level riders. They are looking for budget upgrades and tech during a global pandemic… not for the unobtanium that has been posted here of late.

Bring back Dirt Rag and Bike Mag!

Durianrider
Durianrider
3 years ago
Reply to  advcyclist

BR is a business. They post whatever they paid to post.

Kristi Benedict
Admin
3 years ago
Reply to  Durianrider

Hi Durianrider,
We were not paid to post this article. Here is a link to how we make money: https://bikerumor.com/revenue-disclosures/

advcyclist
advcyclist
3 years ago
Reply to  Durianrider

I just find that I am clicking the emailed links less and less. I like ogling the high end bikes, bits, and baubles on occasion, just as much as any other passionate cyclist, but this trend of late just seems over the top; even for BR. The overland vehicles and SEMA crap especially.

It’s a business (not mine) and I get it; they need to generate revenue… but that comes at a cost of reader engagement and eyes on screens. I just see these ostentatious articles as a turnoff to the average rider that’s just looking to party up their ride and have fun on two wheels. That’s ultimately what we’re all in this game for anyway…

BMX
BMX
3 years ago

why paint a saddle is this rideable or would it just wear off in ten min.

Greg
Greg
3 years ago

Lol. You’ll been fished in.

Durianrider
Durianrider
3 years ago

That is an incredible effort on the paint work.
Pity about the disc brakes though!

Festka are doing the best paint jobs on road bikes. Second is Pragma

Pm732
Pm732
3 years ago
Reply to  Durianrider

Where do orbea and trek rank?

Alex
Alex
3 years ago

If you cannot innovate by technology you do it by paint.

K-Pop is dangerous to your health
K-Pop is dangerous to your health
3 years ago

Why is it that anything on the high end gets trolled to no end by people who aren’t even considering a purchase? Conversely, why do we not see more posts about the more budget minded options trolled by people who prefer the top shelf stuff? Asking for a friend.

advcyclist
advcyclist
3 years ago

Purchasing a bicycle and maintaining it should not have to be equated with financing something like an automobile or mortgage. Owning and riding a bicycle should be the antithesis of class elitism. A bicycle, to a person with low income, homeless, and/or just choosing to live minimally equals freedom to move about society much faster and more efficiently than walking and often even more so than by public transit (if even available) but with a low cost of entry and low cost of maintenance ownership.

It’s easy for us passionate cyclists to get caught up in the chase for the latest and greatest that the industry panders out to us and let’s not forget that any hobby/passion/pursuit can be a bottomless money pit if we choose to let it consume us. There’s a reason the manufacturers have massive investments in marketing departments to continue convincing us to purchase that which we don’t really need in the most basic definition of the word.

What we often fail to remember is that riding a bike should be fun and freeing, of both body and mind. Letting go all of the BS from the omnipresent doom-n-gloom of daily life, politics, coping with a pandemic, et al… riding the bike is catharsis.

“Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that’s creativity.” – Charles Mingus

Robin
Robin
3 years ago
Reply to  advcyclist

Cycling is whatever each rider believes and wants to be, not what someone else decides for that rider.

mud
mud
3 years ago

For those with the money to spend, cycling at this end of the spectrum is actually affordable (this particular example excepted), if you compare to to what the rich spend their money on. Seems to me Festka is trying to ride the wave of interest in bikes in the age of Covid. There are plenty of cheaper options.

Robin
Robin
3 years ago

Perhaps you’re confusing your preferences for those of the average rider and reader. I think the reality is that you really can’t say what the average rider and reader thinks about these articles…..unless you’ve done survey with a statistically significant population size. I’d love to see that data if you have it.

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