feather cycles

HYPEBEAST

2012-02-08T21:15:00.003Z

i am super happy with this one, chris from hypebeast came up to york in autumn to produce this video with me in the workshop and it came out really nice. i even come across rather well which is not my forte on audio interviews haha. there is even a couple of bmx clips in there!!

hope you all enjoy it.

thanks for taking the time to come up for the day chris!

HBTV: Modern Day Artisans - Ricky Feather from HBTV on Vimeo.

Bespoked 2012 and latest feather cycles news

2012-02-05T14:00:00.003Z

first of all a very belated happy new year!

sorry about the lack of updates lately, thing's have been super busy. I have a bunch of projects on the go, including customers bikes, bikes for the bristol show, new t-shirts, this time hand printed by my buds at thisisprintshop and a few other fun things that I am excited about. I have also been a bit slack with getting studio shots lately so kayti and I will get back onto that soon, it been a busy 2012 so far for both of us.

I am now giving daily updates straight from the workshop on instagram so if you want up to date going ons as they happen follow @feathercycles.

there are 2 small t-shirts left on the store, the cash from these 2 last shirts will be going to lyndsay to help her fund raising for her childrens charity trip to climb kilimanjaro

the next couple of months show no sign of slowing down with bespoked bristol quickly approaching.

Also, Sally-Anne and Simon sent over a couple of pics of their columbus life road bikes they collected just before christmas.

james' alfine 11 all round disc bike

2011-12-14T18:42:00.011Z

here is james' custom bike. it is the first time i have built a frame around a gear hub and disc brakes. it turned out looking super traditional but with the modern features of an 11 speed gear hub and discs. james approached me wanting a bike that he could ride in various situations, on the road, down country lanes as well as rides through the woods with his kids. he wanted a super clean look so i made sure to hide as much cable and fittings as possible. I am super happy with the way the frame turned out, especially the curvy lines of the rear end and all the cable routing. other fun aspects of this build was hand carving the disc mount and making the jig to fit it too.

what we ended up with is in my opinion one of the nicest bike i have produced to date. clean and traditional with a modern twist, thats the best thing about doing what i do, putting your own twist on things.

photos: kayti peschke

the hand made stem was nickel plated with a brushed finish

curvy!

script text to keep in theme with the minimal and traditional look

front brake and gear cable entrance

front brake cable exit and hand carved disc mount

curved seat stay bridge

gear cable exit and hand made stainless dropout face

curved stay brace

bb fillet

gear cable routing

hin's single speed

2011-12-10T16:42:00.005Z

hin just dropped by this afternoon to pick up his new single speed. it's always amazing to have a customer come to pick up a whole bike and then go for a quick ride before they catch the train home.

from the start, hin wanted something simple with nice detail but without screaming about it, so we went for some hand carved sleeving on the bi-lam headtube but with a single colour paint to keep it understated. the cable stop for the rear brake is also hand made.

i did a little work on the fork crown too, as well as mounting the pivots on there for the paul racer brakes which i think looks great and still leaves enough room to run mudguards.

the aim of the cable routing through the stem was to keep the cable parallel to the head tube from the profile, as well as not having to have an unsightly cable stop mounted under the stem. these little features really make me tick. simple, functional and aesthetically pleasing.

hin did a great job on carefully choosing his build kit. very simple, all silver and great quality.

the added bonus of coming to collect your feather cycles bicycle over having it delivered is the warm welcome and cup of yorkshire tea. can't beat that for service.

photos: kayti peschke

Mei's Mixte Wedding Present

2011-12-03T16:36:00.004Z

i have made bikes for females in the past but this frame is my first 'real' ladies bike. it was an absolute pleasure to build, so much fun. i was honored to be asked to make it and it was a complete secret for the past few months. today is mei and leo's wedding day and the bike turned up in massachusetts first thing this morning!

polished stainless and a custom mixed seafoam green with a pearl pink for the detailing make this frame an extremely fitting wedding gift, i just got a photo through of mei holding her new frame and to say she looks happy would be an understatement!

once again, jon and tom dialed the paint and masking!

kayti and i wish you all the best! have an awesome day guys!!!

photos: kayti peschke

hearts!

fleur de lys lug

more fleur de lys, more hearts

a lyric from mei and leo's song

nick's track frame

2011-10-22T19:01:00.005+01:00

nick dropped by today to pick up his new columbus spirit track frame, nick and i were both super happy with the outcome. it was my first time building a frame with an integrated headtube and definitely won't be the last. it is amazing how an integrated headtube can instantly modernize a frame. satin black with a super bright pearl green graphic made for a punchy but classy finish.

it was definitely a fun one to put together, it must have taken us an hour to get the bb tight with the phil logo showing through the triangle detail. i actually had to make a tool from a bit of tube as the logo just kept turning, we were seconds away from giving up and we got it nailed. super stoked!!!

autumn sale!!!

2011-10-15T17:18:00.003+01:00

autumn has suddenly crept up on us, it made me realise its about time we start thinking about wrapping up. so i want to get rid of the small amount of tees that are left over and make some room for some slightly warmer feather attire! all the tees that are left in stock are at the bargain price of £12 including postage.

grab one here!

dadit's sepeda

2011-10-09T17:19:00.004+01:00

here we have dadit's track frame. this one should be with dadit in jakarta any day now, if not already. built from reynolds 631, with a bar and stem combo built using nitto b123's. i have never been too keen on black and white bikes but this one definitely turned out looking sweet. i was even sent the regular chris king headset rather than the black on black which i think was definitely meant to be!

it is a pleasure to have sent one of my bikes to the far east!! hopefully the first of many.

photos by kayti peschke.

craig's track frame

2011-10-05T22:26:00.005+01:00

i have been raving on twitter recently about my new painter's jon and tom, hopefully craig's track frame shows you what i am getting at. finding a good painter, who has the same high standards and passion that you have as builder is not an easy task, it has taken me well over 2 years to finally find someone i can rely on to get the job done right! i could not be happier with the way things are progressing in the finishing department and i think the hard work, dedication, time, set backs, patience and the odd disappointment have really paid off! to put the icing on the cake every last bit of finishing is now done right here in york!

enough of that, here is craig's track frame, built using columbus spirit for lugs with a regular sized down tube for the top tube (craig is a tall dude)! paired with a life oversized rear end and lowered wishbone for a stiff rear end. mix that with some ridiculously nice chrome by my new platers and flawless paint and masking and you have the latest frame to leave the workshop. It also just occurred to me just how english this bike looks with the old raleigh colours! AWESOME!

Also a quick reminder that you can still buy feather cycles t-shirts here.

photos: kayti peschke

beautiful chrome and masking

more perfect masking

hand carved in yorkshire

one that i forgot about....

2011-08-23T16:47:00.003+01:00

here is tom's fixed gear, based on brm's colour scheme of the 1960's. built from a reynolds 631 front end, a brushed finish reynolds 953 stainless rear end with stainless lugs and fork crown. it is definitely different, but that is very much the beauty of buying a custom bike, there literally is something for everyone. all in all i definitely think that this bike reflects the vision tom had from the moment he left his deposit.

photos: tokyo fixed gear.

the wooden mudguard represents the wooden steering wheel from the brm

raw stainless to represent the exhausts and pipe work on the brm

this was basically the theme in terms of paint and raw stainless

previous bikes update

2011-08-23T16:09:00.005+01:00

it has been super busy in the workshop recently and I have a queue of frames at the painters just waiting their turn. i popped up there this morning to see how things were and the masking off of chrome and stainless its undoubtably some of the best i have ever seen so naturally i am super excited about sharing some new work with you all.

in the mean time i have a few nice pics of some previous builds to share with you.

first of all, shout out to max for taking the time to get james' bike in the studio.

also, geoff was kind enough to share some pics of his bike on location from his cycling holiday in the south of france.

james' fixed gear

2011-07-18T20:07:00.006+01:00

here is james' fixed gear. reynolds 631, hand carved bi-lam head tube, a custom hand carved seat stay bridge and some lovely paint detail by hydro graphics right here in york. we managed to get the frame shot in the studio but luckily tokyo fixed gear got some shots of the complete build which turned out really classy!

photos: kayti peschke and tokyo fixed gear

my new track bike

2011-07-08T20:23:00.011+01:00

good things come to those who wait...

this frame has been a long time in the making. it has taken me nearly 2 years to find these lugs. my soft spot for the carlton 'capella' lugs first came long before that when my friend ady came home with an old carlton grass track racer. i now even have a spare set of these lugs and know where i can get plenty more if i ever need them, typical. i used 531 tubes for the classic feel and to compliment the 45+ year old lugs and decked it out with classic looking parts including a bunch of beautiful new dura-ace bits.

i have said it before and i will say it again, there is no better feeling than riding a bike that you built with your own hands, especially when you have waited so long to finally have it just the way you want!

photos: kayti peschke

i fillet brazed the whole fork crown to give it an old look

i capped the stays 'hufnagel' style as jordan was a big inspiration for me to start building bikes!

webstore update

2011-07-04T16:49:00.003+01:00

we are now taking international orders from our online shop!

webstore

2011-07-03T16:33:00.007+01:00

we are pleased to announce that our webstore is now open to the uk. international orders will be available in the next few days when we have sorted out shipping costs. all uk prices include p+p and will be shipped first class the next working day after your order is placed. keep your eyes peeled as there will be new things added soon. including limited signed and numbered bicycle related prints by local artists.

purple print

aqua print

Pete's custom track frame

2011-07-02T07:49:00.003+01:00

pete is an engineer/ jig maker at rolls royce, he is a hands on person, so he wanted a hand incorporated into the design some how. bi-laminate joins was the perfect way of achieving this. plus it is always nice to do something a little different and spend some time chopping away at some metal. i will also be making a stem with a hand incorporated into it so keep your eyes peeled over the next few weeks.

photos: kayti peschke

we used paul track ends but i forgot to photograph the adjusters

owen's track bike

2011-06-24T13:01:00.004+01:00

the latest bike to be completed is owen's columbus spirit track bike, owen wanted something that classy but modern and aggressive but still wanted the traditional look of lugs. you can see this bike in the flesh at the york cycle show this weekend.

photos: kayti peschke

owen is a big fan of jean michelle basquiat

geoff's classic road bike

2011-06-16T13:06:00.004+01:00

a few of you will have managed to see this one at bespoked bristol, a rare but nice opportunity for us, the frame builders to show our work to many people who would only really get to see our bikes in photographs.

geoff and i had planned for the bike to be finished in time for the show and that he would come on the sunday and collect it from me in person. there is no better feeling than seeing someone's face light up at how happy they are when they see their dream bike turned into a reality. it's just super nice to know that you ara giving people the chance to ride something special in a cycling world that is dominated by 'the man' and mass production in the far east.

photos: kayti peschke

bespoked bristol

2011-06-14T10:46:00.006+01:00

this past weekend hosted the very first UK handmade bicycle show. it was my first show and was a very warm welcome. there was nothing but good positive vibes going round. we got to hang out with friends and make a whole bunch of new friends in the process. the show went so well that there are already dates set for next years show!

thanks to phil and tessa on behalf of everyone, without their hard work and determination the show would have been nowhere near what it was!!!

also, i would like to thank the judges who voted me for the 'brooks: best track frame' award.

here are a few photos kayti took around my stand, i will be putting a lot more on my flickr at some point.

selection of stems

tom donhou and myself celebrating our awards over champagne

having a chat with the legendary brian rourke

my certificate for the 'brooks: best track frame' award

mr clarke and myself

the award winning track bike

bespoked bristol

2011-05-23T11:38:00.002+01:00

we are heading to bristol for the first ever UK hand built bike show, we will have bikes and frames on show and also some soft goods and merch for sale. we are really excited about this, it is just what this country needs to show custom bikes is alive and well!

Hopefully see you there!

vegas

2011-04-16T16:55:00.006+01:00

last week kayti and i eloped and tied the knot in las vegas, we had an awesome time! we took a two day roadtrip in a mustang to a few places dotted about nevada and arizona and stopped at a few diners along the way. shout out to pat and co. at the little a'le'inn for giving us a taste of the local humor!

newly weds

the motor

just one of the never ending roads

awesome little cafe near area 51

empty road by area 51

lake mead

valley of fire

grand canyon

galaxy diner in flagstaff, make sure you go here if you visit the grand canyon!!

brendan's single speed

2011-04-04T21:02:00.003+01:00

the latest frame out of the door is brendan's reynolds 853 bi-laminate single speed frame. using aircraft tubes to create the headtube sleeves and a richard sachs bottom bracket this one turned out really nice.

to anyone planning on calling me over the next week or so to discuss a frame, feather cycles is closed until thursday 14th april. you can either drop me an email or leave a voicemail and i will get back to you upon my return from las vegas.

photos: kayti peschke

martin's 40th update...

2011-03-16T22:33:00.007Z

martin just got finished up decking out his bike with as much dura-ace as he could get his mitts on. here's the finished article, it turned out a treat!

photo's by kayti peschke.

tokyo fixed shop visit

2011-03-13T11:38:00.013Z

i will be in tokyo fixed in soho on the afternoon of wednesday 23rd march from around 1pm and the morning of 24th until around 12pm. if you are in the london area and want to discuss buying a custom frame and get sized up this is a good opportunity to meet in person without the long trek up north. email tokyo fixed if you want to make an appointment.

simon's road machine

2011-03-07T16:46:00.008Z

simon's road bike turned out really nice! it is built from columbus life tubes and is super light especially considering its a steel frame with a 61cm seat tube. i couldn't be happier with the finished article, i built the frame around 3T carbon forks, FSA carbon handlebar/stem combo, a sram 'red' group and royce hubs built to DT Swiss PR415's rims. this will be one sweet racing bike that simon will be heading out to the alps on this summer.

thanks to nigel and his team for building the bike.

photography by kayti peschke.

also, don't forget to join feather cycles on facebook!

hand carved seat cluster

internal cable entry

life stays are lush

back of the hand carved seat tube

curly

vice-versa

2011-03-03T18:58:00.003Z

didn't manage to get this in the studio but here's a couple of shots we got in the house. more shots on my flickr.

head tube detail

anchor

martin's 40th birthday prezzie!

2011-02-13T19:31:00.009Z

here's martin's columbus life track frame. this one was a real treat to work on, it's my first with any real amount of hand carved lug work, i had so much fun making it!! it's also the first made with a complete columbus tubeset, and probably the lightest in its size range that i have made to date, just look at that beefy back end!!! the paint job turned out spot on and martin was over the moon. it is a real treat to see people so happy with something you made for them. i'm looking forward to seeing it built up in full dura-ace track!!

photos by kayti peschke

hand carved head lugs and fork crown

tubi italiano

hand carved seat lug

chunky rear

hand carved 40

seat tube graphics

charlie's single speed

2011-02-13T19:01:00.005Z

charlie will be using his 853 single speed for everyday commuting. he wanted something traditional but using up to date materials for a stiff and fast bike. I think the complete build turned out looking like a real treat and charlie was chuffed to bits with the end result. look out for him whizzing past you on his daily london commute!!

i love the new fork bend radius!

bb fillet

wrapped up

muuuustache!

rear cable exit

more bb fillet!

FLICKR

2011-01-27T20:46:00.003Z

i have a few frames at the painters right now, but in the mean time i have been making more of an effort to get more shots of day to day going-ons from the workshop on my flickr. here's the seat cluster on Simon's road frame that i just got finished.

samuel's track frame

2010-11-14T11:23:00.006Z

after seeing a few images dotted around on flickr of sleeved/ bi-laminate headtubes this is something i have been dying to do on a frame. for me, this is probably my favorite method of join i have used so far, definitely something i'll be looking to do more of! as much as i enjoyed building this, i can't say it wasn't scary chopping up the head tube of a fully built front end ready to shape it up and silver braze in a regular sized head tube. check out my flickr later to see the step by step madness and why it was a bit scary.

i am actually now thinking of selling off my new frame to be able to have a bike built like this one.

photo's by kayti peschke.

hand carved head tube sleeves

hand cut seat tube sleeve

hand cut bridge

mayuko's 650c frame

2010-11-14T10:51:00.009Z

this frame was built using prugnat s4 or bocama competition 83 lugs, i cant really see much of a difference between the two. from what i can figure out they would have been made in the late '70s to early '80s. either way, i came across them at haxby cycles, my local bike shop and slowly but surely persuaded nigel to sell them to me. i was stoked when the time came to use these lugs and that they were going to be chrome plated, it gives this frame a really classic british look.

photo's by the mrs.

the vintage lugs

i wasn't to keen on the seat lug from this set so i made a sleeve to match the lugs

the option of running rear gears later in life

richard's fixed frame

2010-11-09T16:18:00.013Z

this is the latest frame out of the workshop. based on the 1970's gulf porsche racing cars it's by far the most extravagant paint job of any feather frame so far and it turned out sweet! i'm really digging the nickel plating on the lugs compared to the usual chrome plating. neill at atlantic boulevard really pulled some tricks out for this one and i couldn't have been happier with the outcome! richard received his frame yesterday and is thrilled to see his rough sketch come to life.

Photo's by kayti peschke.

hand carved stem lug

hand carved bridge

tom's fillet brazed lo-pro

2010-10-18T21:10:00.004+01:00

here we have tom's reynolds 853 fillet brazed lo-pro. i'm really happy with everything about this frame. the main colour is extremely rare and was originally used on a few lancia's along with a yellow pinstripe hence the yellow letters and it turned out stunning.

classic fixed build...

2010-10-03T12:24:00.004+01:00

this is the latest bike out of the feather workshop, a real classic looking steel frame with a nice amount of chrome topped off with the gold lettering and the green bar tape. i'm really happy with how this one has turned out so thanks to tokyo fixed for coming up with the nice build!

this is the first time i have used neill at atlantic boulevard for the finishing, but expect to see a lot more of neill's work on feather frames in the coming months!

photos courtesy of tokyo fixed.

sarah's 650c fixed gear frame

2010-09-04T18:46:00.003+01:00

here is a few shots of sarah's fleur de lys lugged 650c fixed frame. i think that this rolls royce champagne colour really compliments these lugs and the pewter badge.

thanks again to kayti for the photo's!

david's fixed frame

2010-09-04T18:27:00.003+01:00

i built this frame for david a while ago now. it was sent to it new home in paris and he has just got all the bits together to get her built. he was kind enough to shoot a bunch of photos and upload them to his flickr for myself and tfg to use.

here is what david had to say;

I wanted to shoot you guys an email and let you know that I have finished building up my Feather frame. I think the build turned out very classy, and it rides like dream. This bike is everything I ever wanted in a fixed-gear bike.

for some reason i love this shot...

Rob's Fixed gear

2010-07-30T21:45:00.005+01:00

the latest bike out of the shop is rob's 61cm fixed gear bike. nice and simple look, slightly thinned lugs, a semi wrap teardrop seat stay cap for a touch of class and to top it off a custom fillet brazed quill stem.

photos by kayti.

sam's 853 track frame

2010-07-07T16:09:00.007+01:00

this frame, built for sam, has been in the pipeline for quite some time now and rightly so, he got exactly what he was after. a mix of hand cut lugs and fillet brazing make up the construction, combined with hand cut track ends and seat stay bridge make for one unique custom frame. everything was perfect for him all the way down to the colour and one off graphics picked out in a lighter silver. all in all, a simple, light as hell, but mean looking frame.

photos by kayti

hand cut lugs

hand cut bridge

LSF/ Feather Cycles 2010/ Reynolds 853

hand cut track ends

sam all over!

rob's 853 lo-pro track bike

2010-06-22T10:53:00.007+01:00

now this bike turned out awesome. rob came over from amsterdam this weekend to collect it and couldn't have been happier. reynolds 853 with a 725 rear and super light weight columbus zona aero down tube. it's super light and super fast. we were both super happy that we went for the triple triangle, that was a last minute decision as when i got to the seat stays it was just screaming for it.

fast!

tight

aeroooo

slammed!

chris' track frame

2010-06-22T10:30:00.003+01:00

here is chris' track frameset that includes a custom stem and hand cut track ends. he went for a satin finish which really goes quite nice with the chrome.

hand cut track ends, these would have usually been an extra but i was too keen on using them

hand built custom stem with built in top cap

TFG x NIKE x FEATHER x DSC

2010-06-11T22:56:00.004+01:00

here's a frame i built last week with short notice and a tight deadline, it turned out really sweet and it's a honor to be involved in such an awesome project for a good cause. see more photos here...

wendy's rando update

2010-06-11T17:36:00.006+01:00

here is the complete build, i am seriously happy with the outcome of this bike. it's just the complete package, it has everything and is just sooo classy! nice paint, subtle chrome, vintage campagnolo components, mixed with some seriously nice looking gear from velo-orange. once again, thanks to tokyo fixed for the photos.

also don't forget about the frames that are in store at tokyo fixed if you are wanting a new frame without a wait....

blue spray painted frame

burgendy powder coated frame

orange powder coated frame

za za's single speed

2010-06-07T11:46:00.004+01:00

here are some shots of za za's custom fixed gear build courtesy of tokyo fixed.

Wendy's Rando

2010-05-31T10:12:00.005+01:00

This was actually the first of my last few builds but it just turned out so awesome that i thought i would save it for the last of my recent few posts. it's my first road bike, the first with any canti bosses and my first geared bike with all the braze-ons you will need and internal cable routing, it also has a custom fillet brazed quill stem that i also built. every last bit of this bike turned out sweet, the chrome is spot on and mark really hit the spot with the paint giving it a real classy metallic finish. give me road bikes to build any day, this was really a pleasure and a fun bike to build and i couldn't be happier with the outcome!

keep your eyes peeled on my flickr for more recent builds which i didn't manage to get good photos of...

right i'm off to make a fillet brazed stem for another recent bike, have a good bank holiday...

full profile

custom chrome plated fillet brazed stem

tear drop stay caps and internal cable routing

thought a matching colour top cap would be a nice touch

26 inch

2010-05-29T10:39:00.008+01:00

the second installment is josh kupsch' 26 inch. this bike turned out awesome! pacenti artisan lugs, paragon machine works rear dropouts with derailleur hanger and bottle opener, internal cable routing, rear brake bosses tucked out of the way underneath the stays, it also has a 1" to 1 1\8" converter i made for a wider choice in clamp on stems, it's basically everything josh wanted. perfect for his trip to europe this summer for a mix of polo and long distance rides.

spring time!

2010-05-28T15:30:00.007+01:00

with summer almost upon us things have heated up in the workshop of late. over the next few days i will be updating with the latest bikes to leave the shop and be ridden away by happy cyclists. the first installment is Danny Clancy's fixed gear.

huge thanks to mark for the sweet paint job and kayti for the studio shots too!!!

the stripes replicate a kinfolk frame that danny had spotted and liked

the new alternate headbadge brought in through customer demand, many options are available with this choice, you will see over the coming weeks.

danny with his fresh new whip! photo courtesy of tokyo fixed.

freestyle time

2010-05-02T14:16:00.007+01:00

this is the first fixed freestyle frame out of the workshop, custom built for jammy, its made of a mish mash of materials from reynolds, columbus, dedacciai, silva, paragon machine works and custom feather hand cut fork dropouts cut perfectly to fit around the beefy spacers of a g-sport front hub.

glass bead blasted and a powdercoat matte laquer by mark make for the wonderful finish on this frame.

massive thanks again to kayti for taking the photos and there will be more shots to come on my flickr later!

good to hang out yesterday jammy, see ya soon!

reinforced cnc machined headtube braze-ons...

a length of 725 headtube works nicely as a beefy wishbone!

a happy customer...

rando

2010-03-08T10:14:00.004Z

i have been busy working on a custom rando frameset for a customer through tokyo fixed gear.its coming along a real treat and just needs the bridges and canti bosses brazing on now. it will be off to have some chrome plating in the next few days when i finish the forks and stem. there will also be a little treat on the headtube! full set on flickr.

full scale working drawing

the headtube/ downtube join is the most important on the frame, get this wrong and the whole frame is out.

rear brake cable entrance

rear brake cable exit

i thought a stainless gear cable guide wouldn't be a bad idea

more stem time

2010-02-19T15:48:00.003Z

i made this custom replica stem for a customer this week. the chrome one is a pace stem/steerer combo. the fillet brazed one is a feather custom fillet brazed replica. The aluminium cnc fork crown actually clamps to the bottom of the steerer.

just thought it was also a good opportunity to show off tig welded vs fillet brazed. i know which i prefer and you dont get that out of taiwan!

quill

2010-02-13T22:03:00.003Z

quick pic of my quill stem, its off to the painters on monday for a nice coat of silver.

bens bike check

2010-02-13T21:54:00.006Z

max at fixed gear leeds did a bit of a bike check with ben treanor who is riding a feather frame. thanks for that max! ben is on second.

stems

2010-02-04T21:56:00.002Z

built this stem last week for tom at fixed gear leeds. i have another one to finish up tomorrow, this time a quill stem. i will be taking orders for custom fillet brazed stems so email me for a quote and for options! ill post the quill stem tomorrow if i manage to get hold of some 22.2 chromoly to finish it off!

happy new year

2010-01-02T15:54:00.005Z

happy new year! hope everyone had a good break over christmas. i know i did. ate too much, did too little haha. had fun out with the dogs in the snow, all was good.

here is my bike as it's currently set up!

and a few more shots of the latest blue bike that is down at tokyo fixed gear.....

got lots of things in the pipeline for this year, different builds and styles of bicycle, different construction methods, all brazed though of course and maybe even a trip to the european handmade bicycle exhibition i will see how things go and if not then next year for sure!! i am looking forward to an exciting next few months in the workshop!

TFG

2009-12-17T20:13:00.007Z

off to tokyo fixed gear in the morning with the latest build as a show model. its got a slick wet paint finish, with the lettering painted in in the metallic silver base. this frame turned out sooo nice and has to be seen in person to justify the paint colour. there will also be some frames for sale in there.... bob in and have a look if your in the area.

also, kayti's bike finally got finished and ben came through today to pick the forks up to complete his british racing green feather frame. cant wait to see it built!

shops

2009-12-10T21:17:00.008Z

thanks to nigel at haxby cycles in york for taking in one of my frames. its good to know that you have the support of local bike shops and cyclists. if you are in the area call in to see frames in there as i will be switching them up so there is a new one in there now and then.

i am looking forward to visiting max down at t okyo fixed gear in london who as you all probably know has just opened his shop in soho. i will be taking a frame or 2 down for him to put in the shop, hopefully he will be taking orders for me from the shop. there is also another little project that we may be working on at some point which i am really looking forward to!

down at the bottom is the finished set of hand carved track ends ready for my next build! can't wait! theres gonna be some nice original stuff going on at the workshop over the festive season, keep an eye on my twitter and flickr to see more frequent updates!

nigel at haxby cycles with the frame right above the counter!

still wet.

wet and dry for a glass like finish, lettering picked out in paint!

finished set of track ends. hand carved means a perfect fit on your frame no matter what size!

look carefully and you can see the braze-on stainless face.

repairs

2009-12-10T20:20:00.005Z

i'm now taking on steel frame repairs, this one is an early 1930's claud butler which had seatstays that were more than a bit worse for wear. i put new allez road ends and new seat stays on there for a very satisfied customer. another reason to buy steel, lasts forever and is easily repaired!!

hand carved goodness

2009-11-27T14:57:00.003Z

hand carved track ends and braze on stainless faces! just about anything is possible as long as it is practical! its also a fun job to do on my part, seeing it just as a peice of 5mm plate all the way through to a finished end and eventually on a frame build. cant wait to get the first ones on a build. front ends with stainless faces also coming soon.

twitter

2009-11-27T14:37:00.003Z

follow my day to day happenings in the workshop on twitter.

naranja

2009-11-13T18:46:00.007Z

the newest frame back from the painters! reynolds 631, again with 725 stays, semi wrap seatstays, no brake holes and looking nice and bright to keep up the summer spirit in these cold winter months! you also wont get lost in a crowd! more detail shots over on my flickr. i love this frame and will be jealous of whoever gets their mits on in! email me if you want it!

54cm c-c seat tube

winter is closing in

2009-11-11T20:15:00.007Z

first up a massive thanks to ned for secretly making up a screen and printing up a few feather cycles t's. email me if you would be interested in buying a shirt and we may be able to work on getting some printed up. all hand printed of course and i will do them at the best price i can on the best quality shirts i can get my hands on.

here is a couple of shots of my latest frame which is gonna get a sweet ass paint job and i'm hoping to take it down to tokyo fixed gear pretty soon!

it's starting to get pretty cold up north so the calor gas heater has made a few appearances, the nights are getting earlier and the warm jackets and thermal socks are on the scene.

t'ssssss

close-up

for all you bond fans out there!

again i've gone for the hufnagel style stay caps, i'm absolutely loving this concept. it takes a while longer to get them right but the finished item is well worth it!!

old school calor gas heater

long nights, short days

3rd time lucky!

2009-10-31T16:36:00.003Z

finally found a painter and general sound fella that i can rely on, m ark at hutchcoat did an amazing job on the new frames. he's pretty much up for doing anything paint wise which is sweet for me and for anyone wanting a frame making with a fancy paint job. he should also have a new site up pretty soon with some up to date work on show!

the frame sets are now for sale! the new frames are made with a reynolds 631 front triangle with reynolds 725 stays, they are a considerable amount lighter than my previous frames and have a happy medium on the angles. all frames come with a seat binder bolt, with headtube reamed and faced and bottom bracket tap ran through the shell one more time after being painted. i can also supply and fit the bottom bracket and headset of your choice for just the price of the parts with no added charge for labour. email me if your interested!

detail shots over on my flickr.

55cm c-c. claret with gold decals!

53cm c-c. hint of mint with black decals!

inspiration

2009-10-22T18:13:00.005+01:00

here is a few bits and bobs i have been working on, obviously hufnagel inspired. who wouldn't, as a frame builder, be into his work....

pre-paint

fillet braze

on the bike

almost there with kayti's build

candy purp

painted fillets

hufnagel style stay caps, i just better do them justice. this cap started off as an off-cut of reynolds 725 chainstay, split and shaped.

fresh

2009-10-12T20:36:00.003+01:00

just a little custom something that is going to be available to order very very soon! sorry about the bad quality iphone photo, more soon!

should have this set painted by the end of the week, these are nice and stiff, nuff of the flexi aluminium bars.

autumn sunset at the workshop.

cast pewter head badges.

binder/stays

2009-10-10T12:17:00.005+01:00

i have got another 2 frame sets going to the painters on monday here are a few images of the latest one being built....

also if you are interested the green frame from the previous post is still available. £250 or £350 if you want a set of forks making to buy it as a frame set.

BREAKS OF 10

2009-09-28T19:06:00.008+01:00

i have a little interview over at breaksof10 with a bit of an insight into feather cycles and what its all about.

i've been working like a mad man to get a few frames ready and up for sale! here is a few snaps we took yesterday, mid clean up, of one i just finished today.

there's also an opportunity to get your hands on a frame i built jig free. it's exactly the same geometry as the frame i built for myself, 55cm with 73 degree head tube and 74 degree seat tube. the paint is a bit bubbly under the bottom bracket as i tried a new painter out and he refused to re-paint it when i told him i wasnt happy with it. its also got a small dint in the top tube right at the side of the headlug that also happened at the painters. i didn't even want to show this frame but there is no point it sitting in my workshop when someone could be riding it. its frame only but i would make some forks if anyone wants to buy it as a frameset! email me if your interested.

the moment i have been eagerly awaiting!

2009-09-14T17:55:00.004+01:00

so, finally i have a couple of frames fully painted with head badges and decals. me and kayti spent half of sunday in the studio making sure we had some perfect shots for everyone to have a good look at my frames. i am so chuffed with how they have turned out. i hope you like them and can take the time to have a look through my flickr and see all the detail shots!

progression

2009-09-11T21:05:00.007+01:00

today has been pretty sweet! first off my headbadge sample showed up which i am more than happy with, i should get my first batch early next week! Then i picked 2 frames up from the painters. i have posted a couple of teaser photos and will have studio shots up by tuesday or wednesday. also i was just given a surprise from kayti which happens to be the feather cycles bottle opener keyrings, i will let you know how you can get hold of one of these soon.

grafters hands and the headbadge, pow!

candy purple

purple and gold looks sick, i feel a deal comin' on joe!

stealth it up with some purple glitter!

decals!

purple bottle opener keyrings

ready for paint

2009-09-02T20:48:00.002+01:00

at the painters as we speak!

building snaps

2009-09-02T20:33:00.008+01:00

a few photos that kayti took while i was working on her frame last week in between working on her new side project, which i must admit i am thoroughly enjoying! well, until i start getting fat!

flickr

2009-08-23T20:18:00.004+01:00

follow the progress of each frame being built on my flickr

Gettin jiggy wit' it

2009-08-20T18:03:00.005+01:00

so i have been gagging to get my hands on a frame building jig and to my joy one popped up on ebay the other night! today i took the grueling trip over the wet and grey pennines and m62 and this is the result. I bought the jig from adam at flandria bikes near preston, he definitely has his priorities right and had just boiled the kettle ready for our arrival. the jig is basically brand new as it was custom built at british aerospace along with its twin and this one was put into storage and never used.

me with the jig in its new home.

a bit of backyard riding after a day at the workshop.

Let's get crackin'

2009-08-06T19:26:00.014+01:00

welcome to my blog. so first off i want to say a few shout outs. first to kevin my girlfriends dad for letting me work from his garage. sam for designing my logo and to liam for taking the following photos during a day that he spent over here in york a few weeks back. my biggest thanks goes to kayti, nothing i'm doing would have been possible without her help!

also today was exciting as i put in my first order for my head tube badges, got the blog running, made this first ever post and the macaframa film showed up in the post this morning.

the workshop

seat cluster

mini the mascot

untouched raw tubing

hacksaw just the way i like it

brazing on the fork ends

brazing the blades to the crown