This incredible custom Scott Foil RC is Dangerholm's first road bike

Liquid Gold paint and a host of custom parts make for a phenomenal build

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By Paul Norman

Published: June 1, 2023 at 5:06 pm

Sweden-based Norwegian bike customiser Dangerholm, real name Gustav Gullholm, has turned his attention to the Scott Foil RC, creating an amazing custom bike with great graphics and a spec to die for.

It’s Dangerholm’s first foray into customising road bikes.

He’s previously worked on super-light custom Scott mountain bikes, and his creations have included the Scott Spark RC ridden by Nino Schurter in the 2022 World Cup season.

Dangerholm says his objectives with the Foil RC project were to: “Take the essence of the Foil to the next level, building an aero bike with elegance and performance turned up to 11.”

The Scott Foil Liquid bike’s paint colour is named Liquid Gold. Dangerholm says it shifts from looking green, gold and almost blue to completely transparent so that you can see the black carbon fibre, depending on the lighting. In low light, it’s said to look olive green.

The painting process started by stripping the frame and parts down to bare carbon before adding the paint, which Dangerholm says weighs only 38g.

The Syncros Creston iC SL Aero cockpit has also had the paint treatment. The bars are wrapped in Syncros Super Light bar tape and fitted with a Syncros computer mount.

The Foil has two seatpost options: the standard solid post and the CFT comfort variant, which has a cut-out at the rear for a light.

Dangerholm has added a custom-painted 65g Coco Designs Spline saddle for the lightweight version. He says the saddle’s flex makes it very comfortable, despite the absence of padding.

The groupset for the Scott Foil Liquid is SRAM Red AXS, but with plenty of customisation.

Even the brake levers have been stripped and repainted to match the bike. The standard Red crankset has been replaced by a Sturdy Cycles titanium one, which includes 3D-printed aero crank arms, a 50-tooth aero chainring and a titanium axle housed in a Kogel Ceramic bottom bracket.

Dangerholm says that, with his mountain biking background, the larger jumps between ratios from going 1x didn’t bother him – plus it’s more aero.

At the rear is a SRAM Red AXS XPLR wide-range derailleur, which was taken apart and polished, so that it matched the pre-production Kogel Kolossos Aero OSPW system, a new model due to be launched this summer. Dangerholm says he swaps between a 10-36t and a 10-44t SRAM Force cassette, dependent on the terrain.

There’s a standard SRAM Red flattop chain and Wahoo Speedplay Nano pedals to round the drivetrain off.

The brake calipers are from German brand Trickstuff, whose brakes are claimed to be the lightest in the mountain bike world, while its Power brake pads make them among the most powerful too.

Dächle Ultra Light 160mm front and 140mm rear brake rotors are also from Trickstuff.

The wheels are Bike Ahead Composites Aero six-spoke, one-piece carbon, which Dangerholm says weigh 1,450g.

They’re shod with 25mm front and 28mm rear Michelin Power Cup Competition Line tyres, which have had their logos sanded off to avoid sullying the bike’s lines. No tubeless here: they’re set up with Revoloop Ultra Race 25g tubes.

Despite all the upgrades, the Dangerholm Scott Foil RC weighs 7.1kg, so the UCI commissioners shouldn’t be put out too much if one turns up at the next pro race. They won’t like the unsanctioned solid-spoked wheels, though.

Paul has been writing about bike tech and reviewing all things cycling for almost a decade. He had a five-year stint at Cycling Weekly and has also written for titles including CyclingNews, Cyclist and BikePerfect, as well as being a regular contributor to BikeRadar. Tech-wise, he’s covered everything from rim width to the latest cycling computers. He reviewed some of the first electric bikes for Cycling Weekly and has covered their development into the sophisticated machines they are today, on the way becoming an expert on all things electric. Paul was into gravel before it was even invented, riding a cyclocross bike across the South Downs and along muddy paths through the Chilterns. He dabbled in cross-country mountain biking too. He’s most proud of having covered the length of the South Downs Way on a crosser and fulfilling his long-time ambition to climb Monte Grappa on a road bike

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