Feather Cycles

I’ve been pretty quiet on here recently, but I had a long chat with a customer this morning who has been itching to see what I’m up to, so it prompted me to share a little bit of what has been going on in the workshop.

I have a few builds going through at the minute, including the very first of the , an awesome all-road bike for a wonderful returning customer, an amazing semi-step-through mixte hybrid belt-drive bike for town and country and what will be a gorgeous rim brake frameset (which is just waiting on a seat tube).

Only 10 slots of the final 50 are yet to be filled, and I’ll be adding more slots to the website soon which will be available for purchase.

These will only be available to buy via the website, and once an order is placed, I will arrange a call with the buyer to talk through ideas. I’m incredibly busy working on builds in the workshop and producing some of the best work of my career and can’t wait to share some of what is coming up.

I’m also super excited for what Jack Johnson has up his sleeve as he moves across into his amazing new work space, but you already know it’s going to be special!

I’m super pleased with the outcome of Gaz’ Columbus XCr frame. Gaz is an old BMX mate of mine from over 20 years ago when we would get regular visits from the Preston crew when I was living in Leeds. It was a real honour to hear from Gaz when he asked if I would build his 40th birthday bike.

This thing is going to get an unbelievable paint job based on Gaz’s other passion, with plenty of raw stainless steel thrown into the mix. Keep your 👀 peeled!

It’s builds like this which really get me excited and allow me to showcase what is beneath the wonderful work of Jack Johnson. It’s often brought up that it’s a shame to cover these joints with paint, but I’ve always stood strong in my belief that mine and Jack’s work are actually complimentary to one another. You might see lots of nice smooth fillets at first glance, but you wouldn’t believe how many are smoothed out with car body filler. Not mine. Mine are the result of many hours of patience and repetition, sometimes bordering on intense boredom, but it’s ALWAYS worth it for the end result.

1&2 - hand made Di2 entry port made from 316 stainless round bar.

3 - cast stainless steel hose entry port.

After a long awaited and much needed break with Mrs Feather, I’m back at the bench and feeling motivated and inspired after witnessing the preservation and appreciation of quality craftsmanship in Japan. Buy a cup of coffee or a cocktail, it’ll be the best you’ve drank; look at a wall, it’s the best brick bond you’ve seen; walk into a restaurant and it’ll be the warmest welcome you’ve ever received. Nothing is rushed, but everything is quality and there’s an effortless feeling of relaxation and pride. We all need more of this.

Very excited to be working on Michael’s all road bike, inspired by his 2016 single speed. This one will be polished stainless rather than the copper plating we went for 10 years ago.

That bike was super unique, unfortunately I didn’t get any great photographs of it, but I do know that Michael still rides and enjoys this bike today.

One thing I love about working with him is just how much he appreciates the craftsmanship which goes into these things, so much so he has me hand sign the frames like they’re pieces of art.

I’ve never really considered my work art, mostly due to the functionality of a bike. It’s a tool, it’s a mode of transport. Yes you can get creative with it as a maker, but it isn’t hung on the wall behind a sheet of glass or to be used as a status symbol, at least not in my eyes as a lifelong cyclist. It’s for you, your bikes mean the world to you, your bikes are a gift that keeps on giving, even more so when they’re made just for you.

Here is the latest WKNDR to leave the Feather Cycles Workshop. WKNDR is Feather Cycles sister brand, specialising in a more standardised approach to things. TIG welded, customisable framesets with a range of build kits to choose from making it easy to build a bike to your budget or required spec.

Doug’s road bike is an absolute timeless beauty.

It’s taken me a while to find the time to go through the photos taken in the studio so you will have already seen this one, but these shots give you a much clearer picture of just how clean this thing is.

From the smooth fillets to the glass like paint finish, this one oozes class and elegance.

First outing for Doug on his new Feather which he collected yesterday. Here’s what he had to say -

“Wow Ricky - what can I say. You’ve built an absolute dream machine here. So planted but absolutely loves the bends - just feels totally alive on the road. Thank you!!!”

There is nothing quite like collection day after that long wait to get your hands on your dream bike!

The latest custom Feather in completion is Doug’s stunning road bike. Using Spirit for the frame build, this will be sure to have a wonderful ride quality which I know first hand all too well. throughout will keep all the moving parts rolling and turning way into the future. The hubs are laced into ENVE 2.3 for a lightweight and comfortable wheelset ready to take on the Pennines which Doug has basically no choice but to ride.

Once again, absolutely nailed the paint, this one taking a strong influence from the classic Speedvagen paint schemes with our own colour combo.

This one is destined to join some of my favourite builds of all time. Look out for the detailed studio shots next week and have a great Easter weekend!