Prova Cycles has been in business for a decade, and in that time they’ve produced some of the world’s finest handmade bicycles. The Prova shop dog, Ruby, has been around for an equal amount of time. There’d be less fanfare outside of family and friends for that milestone, so under the guise of an Open House for customers past and future, the crew at Prova celebrated ten years of beautiful bikes and one very good dog.
On today’s playlist: a social ride, delicious donuts, coffee, and the opportunity to share a passion for the handiwork of sibling framebuilders Mark and Kelly Hester. It was a trip down memory lane, with some of the earliest bikes making an appearance (including Prova #2), several of which carried birth certificates from the UK and Canberra before Melbourne was established as Prova’s manufacturing HQ in the spleen of West Heidelberg.
Provas lined against the walls provided a visceral display of the high standard straight out of the gates. Visitors marveled at the remarkable evolution from the early steel frames to the Specialé Integrale, from which other bicycle legend Colnago is clearly taking notes (respect comes in fewer higher forms).
Steel has been in the rearview mirror since 2021, pivoting to only titanium TIG welded frames, utilizing 3D printing and carbon composite tubes to push the envelope of possibilities.
Across the range, other industry peers contribute to the finished product. Though Mark Hester is an engineer, he obviously has an eye for elegance in design. Velo Craft’s paint finishes are sublime. Nine Volt Colour continues to dazzle with anodized finishes, increasingly more common in the range as a compliment or alternative, and all Provas are assembled by Dan Knives of Superbe Velo Service, who is at the pointy end of the spear for assembly with care and flair. You might spy Mick Peel of Busyman’s leather work if the customer so chooses. Most incredibly, all these world-class craftsmen lie within a 30 km radius.
Driven to make the finest bicycles in both form and function, the decade has seen Prova win the hearts of many owners and the desire of thousands of ‘one day’ hopefuls, as well as countless awards from shows like Bespoked and MADE. With production limited to 50 frames a year, the Prova Owners Club is partly exclusive due to the brand’s modest output. Owning one is truly specialé.
If it’s not apparent, I’m a super fan of Prova and Mark Hester. I’m in the queue for a custom frame for which I eagerly wait and save while marveling at how each new Prova is impossibly more incredible than the last.
Head to their website and fall deeper in love.