![]() Warren Rossiter / Immediate MediaĪs for which of their bikes I would want to own? Well, I actually own it – the Swift ebike. They offer plenty of superb standard bikes – the Pathfinder is simply a superb gravel bike, but what I really like is the truly bespoke offerings they have produced in the past. ĭarron and Mog – the brains behind Sven – have a simple mantra: that bikes are built for purpose, and chroming, ornate lugs and visual stylings are one thing, but foremost a bike needs to be built to do a job. ![]() However, my favourite builder is Dorset’s own Sven Cycles. I’ve been lucky enough to be a judge at the UK’s Bespoked custom bike show since its inception and had the chance to see some seriously clever and beautiful bike designs from across the globe.ĭario Pegoretti’s svelte sophistication and one-off painting, Ricky Feather’s glorious attention to detail, or brands such as Bastion Cycles with clever multi-material integrations are all impressive. ![]() It’s tough to narrow down such a broad field to just one builder. Continuing with the locally sourced theme, I’ll also dictate that my bags are made from Halley Stevensons waxed canvas because why the heck not? Brenn Cyclotouring Bags, which are made back home in Glasgow, Scotland. While we’re at it, we may as well throw in a full complement of matching C. #cbrennbags#handlebarbag#rackpackingĪ post shared by C. I’m a little envious at the amount of extra pastries that can fit into a handlebar bag of this size. I’ve got a few bags going through at moment for taller riders. Large handlebar bag with snap off map case. Peter Weigle is often considered by many to be the modern day equivalent of these two legendary builders (after all, he is the man who hosts French Fender Day, a celebration of all things mudguard and constructeur ).īut, for me, it’s a toss-up between Rhode Island’s Chapman Cycles and Groß Lüben’s (formerly Berlin) Meerglas as my favourite.īoth are, in my opinion, some of the finest builders out there, but it’s the extensive customisation of the components they fit to their bikes that truly sets them apart. For further reading on the subject, I recommend Jan Heine’s excellent The Golden Age of Handbuilt Bicycles and René Herse: The Bikes, The Builder, The Riders. (This is an extremely brief overview that does a disservice to a fascinating era in bicycle design. Alex Singer and René Herse are the two best-known names from this era. They specialised in randonneuring/brevet bikes that were impeccably designed as a complete system, with beautiful custom-fabricated derailleurs, racks and lighting often being made in-house. Ī constructeur is a loose term used to describe a group of custom bike builders, primarily based in France, that were active from the 1940s until the mid-seventies. I have a real soft spot for contemporary custom bike builders that continue to carry the torch (in every sense of the word) of the classic mid-century constructeurs.
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