Sean has broken the Europe cycle record on a Stanforth Conway!!
Sean Conway set a new world record for the fastest unsupported crossing of Europe by bicycle. He arrived in Ufa, Russia, on Friday 11th May at 15:39 local time, after cycling 3,980 miles from the most westerly point of mainland Europe, Cabo da Roca, in Portugal.
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As the trip was unsupported, Sean carried as little as possible to keep the weight down, opting for no tent and instead just taking a sleeping bag and bivvy, getting around 4 hours sleep per night on roadsides and even in under-road drains…
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He had to deal with severe headwinds during the last 1,000 miles, as well as a pulled quad for the last 500, but he still managed to break the record with 9 hours to spare. The previous Guinness World Record was 25 days 3 hours and 38 minutes set by Jonas Deichmann in July 2017.
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We're proud to say that he broke the world record on a Stanforth bike!! Sean had collaborated with Stanforths on the design of the bike to ensure it was the ultimate performance tourer.
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The bike
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The Stanforth Conway that Sean rode was close to the standard spec, with a Reynolds 853 steel frame hand built in England, a Shimano 105/Ultegra transmission and TRP mechanical disc brakes for easy roadside fixing.
He decided on the Whisky carbon fork option, weighing in at 483 grams so saving 0.5kg versus the Reynolds 853 steel disc specific fork.
The big upgrade was the wheelset. This wheelset alone retails at £2,150 but Sean has ridden with these wheels for a few years now, and to break the record he felt it was an easy (although expensive...) way of saving weight. They are the Reynolds Aero 46 24 spoke wheelset. This is an available option found here
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Sean on the bike and world record: “Damn, I love this bike! After 6 years, 3 failed attempts and 60,000 miles, I have finally achieved a cycling world record!”
Simon from Stanforth Bikes: "We’re really pleased for Sean as he’s attempted to break this record before. It’s great that he’s now done it, and great that he did it on a bike we worked together on. He’s a true legend. It’s a great achievement and he so deserves it.”
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The standard spec Stanforth Conway can be found here and the world record spec here
