Dorset-based Zerofour is a new bicycle company on the horizon hoping to appeal to those wanting a custom carbon or titanium bike. Although only coming to our attention now, it was set up in 2004 by Matt Gibbons, a former engineer and mechanic for the Animal Orange Downhill MTB team.

Matt says his vision for Zerofour was born from his frustration at trying to find an off-the-peg frame that would fit him properly – he’s 5ft 4in. He also found it “incredibly disheartening” working in the bike trade and seeing so many people buying expensive bikes that didn’t fit them properly.

So step forward a range of fully custom bicycle frames. Zerofour don’t offer off-the-shelf frames and instead prefer to build bicycle frames that fit like the glove of legend. Zerofour use their own Power-Fit system, which employs a power meter to determine the optimum riding position. The fitting process takes around three hours. As well as finding the ideal position for power output, the process claims to maximise comfort and reduce the potential for injury.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at the models Zerofour offers. There’s four road bikes and one time trial frame, with a 50:50 split between titanium and carbon. There’s the titanium Custom Evolution and, for the winter or commute, the Custom Audax, and two made from carbon; the Works SL Custom and the Works HP Custom.

The £899 Custom Evolution employs a 3AL/2.5V titanium frame with a CNC machined head tube, bottom bracket shell and dropouts, with the weight coming to a claimed 1.35kg. The price includes a 2-hour fitting, and you can choose from a variety of finishes. The choice of components fitted is entirely down to the customer, or Zerofour can recommend a suitable build depending on your budget.

While there’s plenty of choice on the market for custom titanium frames (and which seems to increase every year), the same can’t be said of custom carbon. The Works HP Custom, then, offers a custom carbon fibre frame at an altogether not unreasonable £1695. Weight is a claimed ballpark 980g, depending on the specifics of the tubeset you opt for. The Works SL is built using the same carbon wrap approach but lighter tubes and other changes deliver a lightweight frameset with a 12 stone rider weight limit.

Find out more at www.zerofourbikes.co.uk