He sat across the room from me as I discussed his new bicycle. He looked delighted as I began to outline the geometries and proportions I was thinking of. He opened his mouth to speak and began gesticulating wildly. I couldn’t understand a word he was saying. I was sizing him up as he sat […]
Old Blog
OUTCAST Around the New Year, Stan Engelbrecht embarked upon a remarkable cycle journey. A specialist in seeking out the paths less travelled, Stan headed North and beyond the border. He wrote the following post and supplied the incredible images. Sit back and enjoy: It was raining in Morocco and snowing in Turkey. I’d left […]
NTSHEBE AND INTSHEBE: THE STORY OF A BEARD My Dad didn’t have a great introduction to Mountain Biking. One sunny afternoon in 1995 he arrived home from work disgruntled. My mum asked me to take him for a ride to help get his mind off his work. Neither of us realised at the time just […]
THE KENNY STORY I recently completed building a custom road frame for a friend of mine: Deon Jordaan. His frame graced my stand at the 2014 Africa Cycle Fair and caused some excitement among local steel afficionados. Deon wrote the following article to give a glimpse into the experience of buying a custom bicycle: WHY […]
EXPLORATIONS IN THE REPUBLIC OF NOWHERE Earlier this year I met with Adrian at a local coffee shop to discuss his custom bike. He had been riding an older steel Specialized touring bike and although very happy with it’s ride and fit, it’s classic nature was making it hard to find up to date spares […]
SMALL WONDER PETAL – A BIKE FOR ESME There are many reasons why people go for a custom bike: sometimes it’s because of their unique and one-of-a-kind nature; sometimes it’s because of fitment issues. Most people can be fitted onto standard bikes even if it means using some unorthodox kit to make it all work […]
Recently I have had a lot of time for reflection and I’ve spent much of it thinking how lucky I am to have my wife to share my life with. When we met, some 11 years ago, I was sharing a long and narrow 3 roomed semi-detached house in Woodstock, Cape Town. There was little […]
Bespoked: The UK Handmade Bicycle Show had been a whirlwind of late nights, early mornings and never ending talking. I was surprised to still have a voice. All I could think about as we packed up was what it would be like to lie flat and sleep. Unfortunately, it would be a little while before […]
As a South African who hasn’t spent much time in the UK I thought I had a good idea of what to expect – after all, I’d been raised on a diet of Beano and Dandy comics, as a child I’d followed the adventures of the Famous Five and The Secret Seven and as a […]
BUILDING THE MONKEY KING In the classic Chinese story, Journey to the West, the Monkey King is an arrogant and mischievious supernatural monkey who declares himself a God. He’s imprisoned by Buddha until, one day he’s given a chance to redeem himself. The Monkey King is tasked with protecting a young monk on his journey […]
