For a man lucky enough to own 6 bikes I can honestly say I don’t need another bike. I have a bike for every terrain, every hill and any speed and I’m not for one minute complaint. The question I’m most often asked is if I actually ride them all enough to justify 6. Well yes, some more so then others but I wouldn’t say a month goes by where all get used.
I’ve been lucky enough to own a fair few bikes now, Bob Jackson jubilee edition, Hetchins magnum bonum, Cinelli Experience, Kinesis cross lite, Giant TCR Advanced ISP, Tokyo fixed S1 and the KHS.
Carbon Sunday best, cross commuter, tank MTB, pride and joy track pursuit, beater classic and in your face pub bike…. What more could I want?
Steel.
Custom steel. It’s one thing I really miss now. Nothing really responds like steel and although there are pros and cons to every materiel steel is one I definitely miss.
So here comes Field Cycles…
I’ve been keing a watchful eye on the work of field cycles for a while now and it was with great pleasure I got to meet 2 of the gents down at the Vulpine games last year. Although a custom steel bike with Enve finishing kit and Sram force is a little far from anything I can afford right now I’d like to think of it as ‘ the next step ‘ per say.
There’s a great deal of frame builders out there at the minute, from what I’ve seen the last three years has seen the rise of many new builders which is great to see people are investing in these stunning pieces of craftsmanship.
There’s something about their process that I really admire, three aspects, design, build and. Paint all done by three different people. It’s like a cake mix, without one the rest will fail! I know these processes are often done by one person but for me I like the creative process being shared. This way you get lots of options and lots of inputs… And the way it’s looking it. Ugh the 3/4 years before I can afford one so I’m in no rush to make decisions!
I was toying with the idea of having an alrounder but with slightly aggressive geometry so I could race a season on it. I had toyed with the idea of having eye lits but decided the cross bike can take the winter abuse. Fillet braised with a stunning paint finish will do the job.