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!

Papergirl Birmingham Events

Last year I wrote about the fantastic Papergirl project which began in Berlin. Well, after a lot of hard work and coordination by all involved Papergirl Birmingham will launch tomorrow April 24th with an event at Mailbox in Birmingham. And when an event promises free tea and cake and a screening of the film 'Roadworthy', how can you say no? Just to top it off you can ride right into the event!

Unfortunately I will miss the distribution day on Saturday but if you are around the Birmingham area you should definitely get involved.

The details are on the website and there is a facebook event for both tomorrow and Saturday.

Bespoked Bristol 2012

Due to the success of last year's event Bespoked Bristol is back and it's grown so much they've had to move to a bigger venue in the centre of Bristol. Almost 100 exhibitors will be showing off their handy work in Brunel's Old Station over the weekend of 23rd to 2th March. People showing range from makers of beautiful handcrafted frames like Brother Cycles and Donhou Bicycles to stylish clothing providers Rapha, Velobici and Shutt Velo Rapide; as well as a host of other components makers you might need to finish off your custom ride.

They also have cycle coffee lovers Look Mum no Hands! coming down from that London to run a pop up cafe in the venue. A definite blessing after having to run out in the rain last year.

Tickets are £7.50 on the door or till the end of February they are running a special offer of 2 for £10.

Hope to see you down there.

boneshaker magazine

I returned home to my first edition of Boneshaker magazine sitting on the door mat. which was an unexpected delight. Boneshaker is:

a celebration of cycling and the people who do it. Full of articles, personal stories and anecdotes about people and projects doing great things with bicycles around the globe.

It is our hope that the magazine will both inspire and entertain, raise awareness and bring a smile

to your face.

Appealing to both bike-heads and those who may not yet have experienced the true joy and freedom that can be found from our two-wheeled friends.

And for me it delivers just that, inspiring for those who want to spread the love for the bicycle and gently encouraging for those looking to be persuaded into cycling to work. I particularly liked the sentiment behind the piece by Doug Gordon entitled 'We don't need more cyclists. We need more people who ride bikes.' I couldn't agree more.

The magazine is full of like minded comment on cycling and how it can enrich your life, that and some great illustrations combined with fantastic design. You can buy a copy online here or if you're lucky enough to live anywhere near one of these great shops.