Victoire No. 580

There's something different about a bike built by a small workshop that knows exactly what it is doing. For Choonwei, that difference is the Victoire No.580. A one-off, custom-built steel frame made specifically for him by Victoire Cycles, based in Beaumont, France.

As it happens, Choonwei had already set foot in Victoire's Beaumont workshop before this build ever came together, standing in the very space where the No.580 would eventually take shape.

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Built in Columbus XCr steel to his exact specifications and fitted with a breakaway coupler system, the frame can be disassembled entirely and packed into a compact case. Effortless on the road, precise in its response, and just as at home rolling through familiar local streets as it is folding down into a travel bag bound for somewhere new.

We sat down with Choonwei, Founder & Head Fitter at FITSKÜUL whose studio we are lucky enough to share space with (or maybe it's the other way round), to talk about why he chose Victoire, what went into the build, and how the bike has held up on its first big trip away from home.

The Build

Choosing the components felt a little like picking candy right outside his own studio in between his fitting sessions, except every "sweet" here was a deliberate choice, not an impulse buy.

If you've been following along, you'll notice a pattern. Choonwei has a well-documented love for silver components, the same eye that gave his Cicli Bonanno Commuter its silver crank.

The wheels were the one Choonwei wasn't willing to compromise on. Built by Built Wheels, the set pairs Chris King - Matte Jade hubs with Berd polymer spokes which is a combination chosen as deliberately as the frame itself.

Built to Travel

The standout feature of the No.580 is its breakaway coupler system, where the entire frame splits apart and packs down into a travel case. Conceived for travel, vineyards, and high places, it's a bike with a very specific kind of trip in mind.

"It's for European travel," Choonwei said. "Vineyard rides especially." Picture rolling out of a small European town, bike fresh out of its travel case, vineyards on either side. That's the dream this frame was built for.

But its journey didn't begin in Europe. It began a lot closer to home, in the hills of Chiang Rai, Thailand.

First Stop: Chiang Rai

"No time or money for European countries yet," Choonwei laughed, "so Chiang Rai it was." It turned out to be the perfect testing ground. Tea plantations, gravel, and climbs put the bike, and Choonwei, through a proper workout well before its eventual European debut.

Travelling with a breakaway bike sounds simple in theory: Bike goes in a bag, bag goes on a plane. In practice, it takes a bit more finesse.

"It's not easy," Choonwei admitted, "but it's worth it for the travel ease." He's been using the Ritchey Break-Away Travel Bag to get the bike from point A to point B, and while the pack-unpack process takes patience, the payoff: being able to bring this exact bike anywhere in the world, makes it worthwhile.

Got a trip (or a vineyard) in mind? 🍇

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