When Will asked me to design and build him a bike, one of the first things he said he wanted was to have a bike that looked a bit drab and rusty (basically so that it wasn’t an immediate target for someone looking for a free ride). At the time, I was trying to build up the quality and finish of the SMITHY brand, so my initial reaction was one of frustration. In the end, I thought I had failed to achieve what he wanted. As soon as I had patinated the nickel-plated frame, it was immediately my new favourite finish.
Will has since told me that it seems to have worked both ways. When he pulls up at a set of lights, he often notices people doing a double-take.
First, the casual glance with no immediate impact, then the, Hang on a minute did I see that right?.
Anyway, here are Will’s words on the whole process:
“Having worked with Chris on quite a few architectural metalwork projects, including the extraordinary outside seating installation for Spiritland in Kings Cross which Chris designed and built, I had some first-hand knowledge of his creativity and truly sublime skill. So, when he told me that he was going to start making bespoke steel bike frames, I immediately knew that I had to have one.
I had a pretty clear brief of what I wanted; a bulletproof, low maintenance, fast and nimble hybrid bike, that would withstand the elements and also not attract too much attention in Central London. A wolf in sheep’s clothing.
After exchanging images and ideas by email and phone, I met up with Chris when he was in London, and we spent a few hours in his sister’s kitchen in Wanstead, where he had set up a mobile measuring rig, with a suitably sized bike on a stand and a laser level.
Things were getting exciting.
Over the next few weeks, there was an ongoing and very thorough conversation about how this bike was going to look and work. It was a collaboration of ideas, expertly led by Chris.
We eventually decided that the bike was going to be set up like an urban hybrid bike, but with a hint of something close to a BMX. For low-maintenance, it was going to have a Shimano Alfine 11 hub, driven by a Gates carbon belt. Hydraulic disk brakes were also included in the design, along with a Renthal riser handlebar - to suit its BMX aspirations.
Things were getting very exciting.
It wasn’t long before images of tubes and parts, in various stages of assembly, would arrive in my inbox and, it became quickly clear that this bike frame was going to be a thing of beauty, a sight to behold. As the build progressed, further design dilemmas presented themselves; How was this frame to be finished? Did sufficiently beautiful mudguards exist in this world that could comfortably sit over the tubeless 27.5 inch tyres? What saddle could befit this bike?
For the frame finish, Chris suggested a nickel plate with a black patina, which, like all his previous suggestions, was a perfect fit; subtle but sleek. He also sourced some outrageously cool mudguards, made from real wood veneer faced ply along with stainless steel ironmongery. We chose a Brooks C17 saddle, a stylish and modern take on their more traditional versions, for comfort and weather resistance.
Sometime later, photos of an assembled bike landed in my inbox, and we set a date to meet in London, for me to pick it up. In the time between, I constantly poured over the photos, trying to get closer to the magnificent object in it; studying every detail, trying to imagine what it was going to be like in the flesh, well…steel.
I really wasn’t ready for how I was going to feel about this bike. I’m not someone who gets attached to cars, watches or objects in general.
But this is different.
This is special.
The pleasure I get from riding it is intense; I often catch my self grinning from ear to ear as I silently glide through the streets of London on my made-to-measure transport. The pleasure I get from looking after this bike even the ritual of filling the tubeless tyres with a syringe of latex solution to then witness the sorcery when the tyre self-seals after a puncture, also has a visceral quality.
I love this bike. Thank you, Chris.”
Will told me later that the three best things about his year were the Spiritland Seating, his bike, and his bike.
Thank you, Will, for giving me the opportunity.