Made In England - Celebrating Britain's artisan producers

Ask most people what they think the bike market is like for producers in the UK and they will most probably say that nobody builds bikes here any more and it's all done in the Far East. However, anyone who has been to Bespoked Bristol or follow the likes of Ricky Feather and Tom Donhou on Instagram will know that the British bike building businesses is thriving, you just need to know where to look. The authors of Made In England, one of them being Ricky Feather himself, wanted to celebrate this fact and show off some of the amazing work which is going on in workshops, sheds and shipping containers up and down the country.

The photography is provided by Kayti Peschke and gives a wonderful insight into the working lives of the builders. Accompanied with frank, informative and humorous interviews with the frame makers the book is a fantastic tome highlighting the great and good in the bicycle business.

Now available through their website I think it would be a great Christmas present for any cycling fans who love the craft which goes into building these machines. Also, it works as a fantastic catalogue if you are looking for a builder to create your dream bike. Just need to save up for a few years!

The evolution of my bikes

It's been a while since I put up a post, partly because I've been spending a lot of time tinkering with my bikes. So I thought I would put a piece on how they have evolved.

I got back into cycling about two years ago starting with commuting to work before buying an old road bike for a few longer rides. I'm now on my third and fourth bike and have definitely learnt a lot since I bought the first one from Halfords.

The old commuter soaking up some sun

I made the classic mistake of buying something I didn't know much about and based my decision on looks over quality. This bike did me well for over a year but I wouldn't be rushing out to buy another bike from Halfords any time soon. Commuting on this bike did reignite my love for cycling though and within months I decided to buy an old road bike off ebay. The Raleigh Winner. 

Not actually my bike but the same model. Image by rodcorp on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rodcorp/3560756408/

This bike was great fun but the look wasn't a winner for me, so I decided to undertake a little project. Now, this won't please everyone, some feel that bikes should stay as they are or be restored to their heyday form. Well I wanted a green bike so I painted it green, not much more thought went into it than that really.                                     

Respray complete with a few nice additions.

I really loved this bike, it wasn't the lighest, it wasn't the fastest but it was still a joy to ride. Also, as I put so much time into it I felt like I really knew how it worked and every time I went out on it I had fun. Unfortunately as I was learning more I soon learnt that it was far too big for me! So I started looking for a new frame to build up. Which led me to another Raleigh frame, this time the Rapide. 

                                      

A much lighter frame but still wasn't a fan of the colour.

After the last bike I now had a bit more confidence in respraying the frame but first I wanted to do a few runs on it to make sure the frame was ok. So I undertook some transplant surgery. 

Bike bits everywhere!

This consisted of just taking everything off the Winner and onto the Rapide. 

It didn't stay like this for long. 

A few miles on the new frame and I decided it was good enough to put a bit more work into it. And viola!

I stuck with a retro style for the new look.

 The only thing for it now, was some rides.

Enjoying the Warwickshire countryside.

My first long organised ride was the Shakespeare Spring 100, a 100km ride through the glorious countryside, this was great fun but disaster struck about 40km out. My tool roll which was strapped to the saddle came loose and took out five of my rear spokes. I finished the event though, despite a severely buckled wheel!

Ouch!

Obviously I needed a new wheel but whilst looking for one I soon came round to the idea of having a bit of a change around. A friend of mine, much taller than me, was interested in buying a single speed. So I built up the Winner into a single speed for him with some of the bits of my old commuter and another ebay purchase. 

Another bargain. 

This frame was a lighter Reynolds steel, slightly smaller and a bit racer so the obvious thing to do was to build this into my weekend bike and turn the light blue bike into my commuter. A few hours/days of swapping bits over and quite a bit of swearing and I now had a Blue bike and a Red bike. Craig had the green bike. And I now had a set up I was really happy with and did everything I needed it to do. So we come to the end of the evolution. For now. 

Craig rode home the green bike.

The blue bike takes me to work everyday.

And the red bike is my racy little number for the weekend. 

Obviously this story never really ends. I'm sure something will go wrong at some stage which will inspire another purchase and maybe even a whole new bike. But for now I am very happy with my stable.

Creux Cycling - Campionissimo Polo

 

One from the other side of the world, the Campionissimo Polo is made by Melborne based Creux clothing is a beauty. Dedicated to the World Championship winners jersey they weave the colours in beautifully and subtly. Currently with a third off it looks like a cracking deal. Looking forward to seeing some of their other work at Bespoked Bristol when the iL Soigneur guys show off some of their tees.

Look Mum no hands!

I was cycling round East London on a Boris Bike last week and had the opportunity to pop into London's cycling Mecca, Look Mum no Hands! on Old Street. It seems like a lot of events from the launch of Boneshaker issues to Artcrank London are held at LMNH and for good reason. The place is a cafe come bar come bike shop, so you can grab a coffee or a beer and watch a bit of cycling, catch up with friends or buy some new bits for your bike. The idea came about after the founders couldn't find anywhere to watch the Tour de France and decided they should set up their own place dedicated to cycling. I imagine the atmosphere was awesome when Cavendish was sprinting down the Champs-Élysées to win the green jersey last July.

I was there to watch the first time trial of the Paris-Nice, (well played Wiggo!) and meet a friend for lunch. We both had one of their legendary pies which were really good and served with some really interesting salads. The coffee is also from the awesome Square Mile roasters and so obviously very tasty. Can't wait to catch up with them again at Bespoked Bristol, just wish they would open up in Birmingham. If you're in London you should definitely check it out, whether you like cycling, food, coffee or just beer!

Another addition to the wall of bike art

I received this little beauty in the post the other day from Lauren Peppiatt a talented illustrator who is also designer with the very cool cycling apparel company Shutt Velo Rapide. Her love of cycling comes out in a lot of her work which is available to buy at her Etsy store and the Shutt VR site. The Le Tour print is hand printed on a retro Gocco machine and the colours which come out are really nice. The print is also one of a  very limited run of 35, so get in quick before they sell out, at £10 it's a bargain!

As always you can follow her on twitter and facebook, if like me you fancy a bit of a cycling art collection she is definitely one to check out.

Togs + Cogs

Bianchi 12 speed with full Campy groupset - £600

Sometimes you come across a brand which seems to fit with you so well you wonder if the person responsible has read your mind in some way. I've been watching Togs + Clogs for while since they launched last year and recently bought a very nice pair of trousers in their awesome sale. They have a great selection of stylish clothes to keep you looking sharp on your bike and if you haven't got one they can even sell you one of their amazing collection. Featuring some lovely Bianchis and a host of great looking fixies, their vintage bicycle section is chock full of fine specimens with stock updated fairly regularly.

So if you need some new threads or a new bike I recommend checking out Togs + Clogs, and if like me you love vintage cameras and watches they have them too! One final piece they stole from my brain is the great selection of tea they have. So they stock stylish clothes, beautiful bikes, awesome watches, lovely cameras and tasty tea. Literally all of my favourite things!

One final flourish is the hand written thank you on the order delivery note, very nice touch from what seems a great company.

Bikeminded - Just can't get enough

This video is a promo for the Bikeminded campaign which is run by Kensington and Chelsea Borough council. And as you can imagine from such a smart borough they have kept it very stylish, and no hi vis or helmet in sight.

Time for a nice jacket

Sitting here looking at the piles of rain which seem to be falling in Birmingham my thoughts are turning to the idea of getting a decent jacket to handle the British Autumn and Winter. Unfortunately most brands seem to think you have to be in a day glow colour to ride and stay dry but there a few nice ones out there.

These are my five favourite, a few you might need to save up a few pennies first though. They are all short to avoid getting in the way when pumping uphill, waterproof and pretty darn stylish. That way you'll arrive at work warm, dry and still looking debonair.

1. Surface Aquaphobic - from £79.99



2. Burton Fisherman's Jacket - £65

3. Rapha Tweed Softshell - £400

4. Brooks Criterion - £869

5. Asos Multi Pocket Jacket - £60

The one that got away

Couldn't quite catch up with this guy, think he wanted to get to wherever he was going before the rain started again.

Sayed