Industry Bike Check: Ken Bloomer’s Crema Duo Gravel Bike
Gravel bikes are part of the future. They blur the borders of roads and allow for freedom on two wheels – but how does the perfect gravel bike look? We looked at the Crema Duo of Crema-founder Ken Bloomer and talked about his vision of a perfect gravel bike.
GRAN FONDO: Why did you decide to build the Crema Duo?
Ken Bloomer: Hybrid designs have always intruiged me; I recall a builder from Northern California doing a similar dual-purpose bike, their’s was a combo of a full-suspension mountain bike with 26” wheels that could also take a set of road or cross wheels in it, that was around 1998 or so. That never left my conscious so when I saw the Open U.P. it struck a chord with me. After riding the U.P. once, I knew what tweaks I wanted to make to get the ride I wanted out of it. The Duo was born out of all of this, to be the ultimate one-bike that does it all with an influence on dirt performance.
GRAN FONDO: What do you do on your Crema Duo?
Ken Bloomer: What don’t I do on it? It’s my quiver killer. We have a lot of over-the-top technical trails around where we live in Fuessen, Germany. Super gnarly, rooty, rocky terrain; the Duo eats it up. It is just such a fun bike, I can never stop smiling while I am riding it. We are heading to Colorado in August and I’m looking forward to shredding some sweet flowy singletrack out there on it. It is a real shred sled.
GRAN FONDO: Who is the Crema Duo made for?
Ken Bloomer: The Duo, like all Crema models, reflects my riding style, so really it is for anyone that wants a bike with drops that shreds trails and dirt. But I would love to see Tomac on one! That would be rad.
GRAN FONDO: Why did you build your Duo with these specific components?
Ken Bloomer: We have been devout Enve fans since day one, so all of our bikes get full Enve spec unless the customer demands otherwise (even those we try to up-sell). Right now I am in a Shimano phase, and their mechanical and Di2 offerings really offer the best shifting and braking performance for this bike. We had to do a little modification with a Wolftooth Tanpan to make the levers compatible with the XTR rear derailleur, but it works really well. There are not many great aftermarket cranks on the market, and the Rotor ones allo
About Ken Bloomer
As European brand-manager for Enve, Ken is in charge of marketing and brand-building measures. Additionally, he founded Crema Cycles, where he creates wonderfully crafted steel frames with Legor Cicli – kitted out with Enve parts, of course.
More information can be found on the Crema Website.
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Words: Photos: Noah Haxel, Crema Cycles
