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 Handmade Cyclist

It seems there is definitely a large number of talented people out there combining their love of cycling with top notch designs and illustrations. With festivals like Artcrank becoming bigger and bigger as well as a number of tumblr sites dedicated to cycling artworks, there clearly is a market out there. 

The Handmade Cyclist, also known as Neil, is one of these talented artists. With a style aimed towards the pro racing, peleton following cyclist, he creates some lovely bold prints. All the posters are giclee printed using archival inks onto fantastic 300gsm gallery-grade paper and will last a lifetime. Seeing as prices start at just £19, it's a pretty good chance to get some lovely graphic print up on your walls. 

I particularly like the geometric designs celebrating some of cycling's biggest classics, like La Doyenne and IL Lombardia. However, if you fancy getting your name put up there alongside some of the greats, several of his works can be personalised. You could even claim to be the 22nd Champion of l'Alpe d'Heuz. 

All the work is available through his Etsy store and could make a nice little Christmas present for the art loving cyclist in your life, especially the witty 'I love you more' print. Definitely better than a pair of socks with some bikes on. 

Blog: thehandmadecyclist.tumblr.com
Twitter: @handmadecyclist

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.

Axalko - the wooden bike

 A quick search of the Internet will throw up a few different people's take on wooden bikes from Bamboo frames in place of steel through to some workshop built creations. There is however one company, Axalko, making some sublime bikes using Ash wood to great effect.

The small firm from the Basque region build incredible hand-built frames using a technique they have developed themselves including four specially designed finger joints holding the frame together. These joints ensure the frame is lightweight, the road bike comes in at 6.5kg when built up, but rigid enough to deal with the forces put through the frame when you push the pedals round.

I had the chance to try one out a few weeks when I met Enrique from Axalko at Bespoked Bristol. This frame was set up for 'city mode' which was very responsive and the acceleration was great. I had a quick ride round the train station over the cobbled streets of Bristol and was amazed at how little vibration was passed through the frame. The bike itself has been tested on both Paris-Roubaix and Bastogne - Liege so it can certainly cope with the pave and I just wish I could of took some time riding it round some twisting country lanes.

Every bike is fitted to the customers exact measurements and the whole process takes 3 months from initial consultation through to delivery. Much like a hand made suit from Saville Row the Axalko is the pinnacle of bike building and the sort of bike you hope to hand down to the next generation. The bike is a truly beautiful piece of craftsmanship and you get lots of admiring looks from people as you ride it around. With prices starting from £3,500 it would be an investment worth if you are thinking of spending a big amount on a bike.

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.

5 of the best Jerseys

I've got my first ever organised road ride coming up in a couple of weeks, the Shakespeare 100km in aid of Macmillan Cancer Care. Rather than worrying about the best technique to ride up the hills or what cadence I need, I've been thinking about which jersey I should wear. My favourite one at the moment is a vintage long sleeve woolen one which I think is going to be too hot for the ride so I thought I would pull together a list of the best jerseys I've found whilst looking around.

1. Shutt Velo Rapide Signature White - £79

I featured this jersey back last year and still think it looks amazing, mainly because it doesn't scream cyclist and the rainbow stripe is a nice stylish touch. Made in the UK from high Merino content Sportwool it's a performance jersey which doesn't compromise on style. And you would know you're supporting the British economy by buying one.

2. Rapha Country Jersey - Great Britain - £105

Rapha have released three new country jerseys and with the Olympics coming up this year this is a stylish way to fly the flag for Team GB.

3. Milltag Dandy Jersey - £70

A light hearted take on the good old days of cycle touring, Milltage have produced this Tweed print jersey complete with mock buttons, handkerchief and bike chain pocket watch. It looks great and made from modern fabrics it helps to keep you warm whilst wicking away moisture. 

4. Vulpine Merino Button Jersey - £80

Recently launched, Vulpine have come up with a very nice casual jersey which harks back to days gone by with button detailing. It features two pockets and a zip pocket for valuables and looks good enough that once you finish the ride you can comfortably walk into a pub and not look like you,ve been slogging around the Cotswolds.

5. Campagnolo Heritage Jersey - £29

Simple jersey from the Italian component manufacturers I really like the polo collar detail on this jersey just a shame it's too big for me. At this price this is a bit of a bargain if you are a large or above.

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.

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.

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!

Cool couple

Saw these guys cycling through Cannon Hill Park on their way to the park, wish I had got a better shot of them from the front as they were both looking pretty stylish. Have to start getting more confident in asking to take peoples picture.

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