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.

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.

Brooks trouser straps

via Shutt Velo Rapide blog

I've posted about these straps in the past but I've noticed that Brooks have started selling them in a broader range of colours, the stylish guys from Shutt Velo Rapide featured them on their blog in a post from the London Bike show. My favourite is definitely apple green which would go very nicely with my blue and green commuter. At £14.99 they are a bargain if it keeps your trousers getting mangled or covered in oil. 

Apple green strap via brooksengland.com

Proud to Ride Classic

Simoncini 

When doing some research on the restoration of my bike I came across a really interesting company in Lancaster called Proud to Ride Classic. Their ethos is all about renovating and restoring beautifully constructed lightweight steel frame bikes to sell on. At the moment they are still working on the stock they have and will be selling soon. In the meantime you can check out their website and keep and eye on their twitter and facebook activity. Nice to see people recycling these fine bicycles and getting them back on the road where they belong!

Good looking re-cycling

 With a little help from Bike Man Dan the old Raleigh is looking pretty sweet now. There are quite a few new bits and pieces on it now including a new seven speed rear cassette and derailleur, NOS front chainset plus a lovely new Brooks saddle. She rides really nicely and I'm hoping it should be able to take me through the various rides I've got coming up including the ridetoweymouth.com. Plus, it looks good enough now that I could put it on one of those wall shelves once the ride is finished!

Italia

by Barry Khan

Talented photographer and Web designer Barry Khan has put up a few of his pics from a recent trip to Italy on Flickr. We are off to Sicily soon and I can't wait to immerse myself in their wonderful culture and stylish people. Hopefully we'll get to do some riding as well and if we can look as chic as these guys I'll be very happy.

by Barry Khan

                 

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 Ebay gamble

Cycling is in main a sport dominated by men and a lot of these men will tell you that you need to spend lots of money on a bike with a high spec and low weight. Don't listen to these people. Bicycles haven't really changed much in terms of mechanics since the chain driven models were first introduced in 1885. Sure, there are some amazing bikes that I'm sure if you have a few grand to spare are worth every penny and will shave precious seconds off your Time trial time. However, if you're looking for a nice sturdy, reliable, easy to maintain, comfortable ride which won't cost the earth then Ebay may be the place to go.

This little beauty is going for £99 at the moment, a bargain if you ask me.

Now here's where these vintage cycles will divide opinion. They may well need a lot of work but so long as the frame is sound there isn't anything too complicated that can go wrong. There are also a lot of websites out there to help you out if you need it, like the Park Tools blog, Evans will even teach you how to do if for free. When you learn these skills they stay with you for ever and will help in the future if the wheels do fall off.

Pashley Guv'nor

2. Pashley Guv'nor

Pashley  are one of the finest British manufacturers of bicycles, every one is hand built in their factory in Stratford-upon-Avon, and they have lasted the test of time as mainly because they make beautiful bikes. The Guv'nor above is one of the best looking bikes on the market and has three speeds to ensure you can cruise to work in style and not work up too much of a sweat. A definite head turner with it's white tyres and distinctive handlebars this ones sure to keep you looking stylish for a long time.

Kristin Tieche caught this guy looking pretty cool in Downtown San Fransico showing the Guv'nor truly has global appeal. The shot lead me to a very cool, like minded site called Velo Vogue, definitely worth a look through.

via Flickr Kristin Tieche

5 Stylish bikes to get you going

So how about a few stylish bikes to get you going, these are some bikes I like but everyone has their own taste so would be keen to what you guys ride. I'll post about one each day for the next five days and try and find a picture of someone looking stylish on them. First up its the Dutchie Dapper.

1. Dutchie Dapper

The classic bike style, the Dutchie never fails to impress the passer's by. It comes with a long list of features including built in dynamo lights, pannier rack, security lock and chain guard to keep your suit trousers looking sharp. It also comes with free UK delivery and a 10 year guarantee, at £258 for a single speed that's a bargain allowing you to spend a bit more on a new suit.

No dapper gent unfortunately to show you but this lady is rocking a pretty cool look.

via CycleMAYnia Flickr