Bike Check: Rachael Walker’s custom ‘tattoo’ Juliana Furtado

Rachel Walker shows off her Juliana Furtado

Key Points

  • Juliana Furtado in small with hand drawn graphics and InvisiFrame finish
  • Hope components Tech C wheels, Tech 3 X2 brakes, stem and grips
  • SRAM X0 drivetrain with Hope 40T-Rex and cranks

If you’ve ever had a hankering to own a totally unique bike, something you’d never see the like of on the trails, take a close look at this Juliana Furtado. Juliana is the women’s-specific sister brand to Santa Cruz but it’s the custom paintjob that’s the real standout feature: doodled by talented graffiti artist and regular mbr snapper Sam Needham.

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Rachel’s bike is truly a thing of beauty (Needham)

There’s a story behind those doodles though — penned for Hope rider Rachael Walker and designed to show the relationship between bike and rider.

“After the Andes Pacifico in February, Sam and me got a little carried away over a few beers,” Rachael says. “From my blurred memory I remember us talking over each other as we threw ideas around of your bike telling a story, a story of all the adventures a rider shares with it.”

Watch: Hope goes orange for 2016

The Furtado tells the tale of Rachael’s favourite trips past and planned, including the Andes Pacifico, the Trans Provence, local rides in the Lakes, hand-drawn with a Sharpie pen onto the frame over the course of weeks.

“Sam was pretty nervous to begin with and it took him a while to pluck up the courage to start getting creative with the purple Sharpie pen,” Rachael said.

Custom juliana furtado 3 close up_edited-1

DIY paintjobs are the ultimate custom touch (Needham)

Lee and Vicky at InvisiFrame then applied the finishing touches to protect Sam’s artwork. Meanwhile the guys at Hope took Sam’s doodles and turned them into workable laser etching programmes — lasering skulls and lightning bolts on hubs and brake lids.

“From a distance now the result looks similar to a tattoo sleeve,” Rachael said.

Your custom bike frame

Sweden-based slikgraphics.com will create a totally unique design for anything bike-related — helmet, frame, shock, forks, even mudguards; price on request. For a cheaper option choose bike-specific logos and colourways for your Orange, Mondraker, Nukeproof or 11 other brands, from £19.99.