At the 2015 Ironman European Championships in Frankfurt, Germany our man Karsten Täschner noticed a custom painted Hawaiian themed Specialized Transition. The distinctive S-Works bike belongs to Christian Häp, who designed the artwork and then had the bike airbrushed by German brand AliiDrive.de for the 2010 Ironman World Championships in Kona.
Custom paints are often over the top, but in this case it is nicely balanced.
The Hawaiian Islands can be found on the front and rear Zipp wheels, with Kona marked by a bright green M-dot.
The top of the aero bars also got a lot of attention in terms of design and paint.
Now that is a very German aero handlebar setup.
The paint scheme covers nearly the entire bike, with plenty of interesting details.
The Michelin Man on the headtube is a reminder that the owner was heavier before, and the green snake warns against the danger of overdoing getting in shape.
The name of the rider also found a space on the bike.
Although the owner resides in Germany outside of Frankfurt, he has a special connection to the Wallis region of Switzerland and thus this badge here.
Ke alahele o ke koa was the theme of the 2010 Ironman Hawaii.
Attention to detail even behind the saddle.
Ready for action.
All images © Karsten Täschner / slowtwitch.com
