Credit: Chipps
For some people, commissioning and speccing a custom-built bike is a fantasy indulgence, for others, it’s a necessity, and for others still, it’s a regular splurge. Judging by the crowds at shows like Bespoked, you’d think that everyone was lining up to get a frame built. And while there are many builders toiling away in sheds around the UK, the reality is that custom frame numbers are in the hundreds per year rather than thousands. In fact, Heritage Crafts – the national charity for traditional heritage crafts – recently downgraded ‘bicycle frame making’ from ‘Viable’ to ‘Endangered’ in the UK along with harp making and letterpress printing.
For this feature, I talked to a few owners of custom bikes to find out their motivations behind going custom and to see if it really is the pinnacle of artisan bicycle design, or just a vanity purchase that’ll quickly saddle you with quirky, rapidly dating ideas and a gopping paint job.