Custom paint is far from a new thing, there are hoards of brands offering customisation of cycling products ranging from point-of-purchase customisation such as Wilier's 'Choose Combine Create' and Orbea's 'MyO' to professional paint shops such as Hasie and the Robots, or the likes of Caitlin Fielder, who uses cycling shoes as her canvas.
One brand that has long been offering customisation is Trek. The Project One custom paint and specification programme is nothing new to the American brand, and it was this very paint shop that painted World Champion Mads Pedersen's Trek Madone in a whirlwind project that took just a week.
But with the recent launch of the new Emonda, Trek launched new additions to its lines and turned the bling up to 11.
According to Trek, Amplified Alchemy is an enchanting fusion of metallic blues, purples and blacks, sitting at the intersection of science and magic. In non-marketing speak, it's pearlescent paint that shimmers between blue, purple and black depending on where you stand.
Sweet Gold Leaf
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(Image credit: Trek)
(Image credit: Trek)
(Image credit: Trek)
(Image credit: Trek)
(Image credit: Trek)
Sweet Gold Leaf starts with a gloss black base but uses gold leaf for the entirety of the oversized Trek logo on either side of the down tube. This is then complemented by further gold flake flecks that sparkle throughout.
Holographic Diamond Flake
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(Image credit: Trek)
(Image credit: Trek)
(Image credit: Trek)
(Image credit: Trek)
(Image credit: Trek)
Like Sweet Gold Leaf, Holographic Diamond Flake starts with a similar gloss black base, but adds flecks of diamond confetti throughout the frame and fork, while the Trek logo is finished in a holographic colour that lights up like a rainbow in sunlight.
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KOM
Image 1 of 5
(Image credit: Trek)
(Image credit: Trek)
(Image credit: Trek)
(Image credit: Trek)
(Image credit: Trek)
KOM, defined as a colour picker by Trek, is more of a canvas than a theme in that it provides a templated design which allows 479,232 different combinations of colour ranging from deep matte blacks to radioactive yellows. The design features a simple diagonal intersection, either side of which can be customised to the owner's preferred colour, with the logo offering a third canvas for colour choice. All of which are then available in either gloss or matte finish and with a choice of black or chrome head tube badge.
Any of the above will set you back $1,000 or £1,100, depending on where you reside, when applied to the latest Emonda SLR. If none of those, the other two ICON themes, four standard themes, or additional colour-picker canvas options takes your fancy, there's always Trek's Project One Ultimate, in which you will be invited to Trek's HQ in Waterloo, WI, and work one-on-one with a designer to create a truly one of a kind machine.
Josh is Associate Editor of Cyclingnews – leading our content on the best bikes, kit and the latest breaking tech stories from the pro peloton. He has been with us since the summer of 2019 and throughout that time he's covered everything from buyer's guides and deals to the latest tech news and reviews.
On the bike, Josh has been riding and racing for over 15 years. He started out racing cross country in his teens back when 26-inch wheels and triple chainsets were still mainstream, but he found favour in road racing in his early 20s, racing at a local and national level for Somerset-based Team Tor 2000. These days he rides indoors for convenience and fitness, and outdoors for fun on road, gravel, 'cross and cross-country bikes, the latter usually with his two dogs in tow.
