Yesterday, Maggie and I went to 'Bespoked', the hand made bicycle show. It was held in Brunel's original Temple Meads Station in Bristol, which was a very suitable venue. Brunels' cast-iron hammer-beam roof was the first of its type, and showed the way for the cathedrals of the railway age like St Pancras and Grand Central stations.
There was a bewildering array of bicycles made of every conceivable material, from bamboo through wood laminate to steel, titanium and carbon fibre. Some you'd be happy to ride, some you wouldn't; either because of the exquisite construction and paintwork or because you just weren't sure how well it would all work ...
The old guard - Roberts, Mercian and Argos - were all there, with some good (and practical looking) machines. But they were surrounded, and to some extent eclipsed, by a new generation of frame-makers such as Robin Mather, Ricky Feather and Tom Donhou. Some very fancy kit from these chaps. The influence of American builders was very apparent in these newer creations, and some well known American frame builders had found it worthwhile to make the trip to Bristol.
A good day out - lots more pictures and information at road.cc
Mark
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