Wow, 15 years! Where did that go?
What a year it has been so far. From seeing some of the most beautiful bikes I have ever built leaving the workshop, two shows in the past three weeks on opposite sides of the planet, launching an entirely new brand showcasing a line of stunning customisable bikes, an imminent move into a much larger premises and even bigger plans post move, 2025 is destined to be the biggest and busiest yet for me.
First of all, I will give a bit of insight into WKNDR, a new brand and line of bikes I recently launched. Over the last few years, custom build pricing has steadily been increasing and as someone who first and foremost loves riding bikes, I wanted to be able to offer amazing handmade bike to people just like me. I also wanted to put my experience as a rider, designer and fabricator into something much more than just knowledge. With WKNDR(pronounced weekender), I am able to build customisable bikes much more efficiently and economically than I can at Feather Cycles. Using a framework designed using my 15 years experience as a custom builder, WKNDR has allowed me to design and build the bikes which myself, and just about any other avid bike rider will just want to jump on and ride, all the while maintaining the time to build beautiful custom bikes to the requirements and tastes of Feather Cycles customers.
Having more space is going to really improve my ability to spend more time building frames. We will build a bike fit and design studio, a proper office, a show room/lounge area which will be fully open to the public and we will eventually take on a bike mechanic to offer servicing and repairs to all bikes as well as assemble Feather and WKNDR bikes, something I have always done myself but which doesn’t optimise my time. Visits to the paint shop 20-30 times per year will be less frequent with new plans, spending time away from the workshop to attend bike fits will no longer absorb up to 30 days per year, both of these things account to a LOT of time wasted, but both I feel have been essential to the hands on and sometimes obsessive nature of the business. Alongside Feather and WKNDR, we will also showcase and sell Pacenti wheels, Restrap bikepacking gear and Sixty8 Apparel, as well as our own line of softgoods. Finally, we will be offering bike box hire for those wishing to fly with their bikes and will offer a packing demonstration for those new to taking their bikes abroad.
I recently visited Australia for the first time. I was invited as guest builder for Spoken, the Australian handmade bike show. An absolute honour and huge privilege. I took a stunning Feather and the WKNDR ‘OMNEi’, both bikes were received incredibly with the WKNDR being repeatedly tokened as “my favourite bike of the show”. Of course, I was thrilled! I can’t thank Nathan and his team enough for the hospitality and everyone who exhibited or visited the show for their warm welcome. I cant wait for next time!
Two weeks later, I showed at Bespoked in Manchester. I found the previous two Bespoked shows a little bit uninspiring, but I soon realised at the Manchester show just how much of an impact the venue has on a show like this, and I truly felt like it really got its spark back. I loved the entire weekend and I think the guys at Bespoked have something really special going on. As well as tons of cool bikes, one of the highlights for me was the Trans Pyrenees Race movie by Micheal Drummond. It had been about 6 weeks since I had really thrown my leg over the toptube of a bike and the move got me super fired up to ride again. During the movie evening, myself and 6 others each gave a presentation about our unique businesses utilising 20 of our own photos for 21 seconds plus a mystery photo to discovery our whit.
Whilst I was at Bespoked, and I’m aware I also posted about this back in 2020, it became very apparent after at least a dozen people said they had wanted to contact me about a bike failed to do so due to what seems like a big misconception that I have anywhere from a 2-3.5 year lead time. It’s common knowledge that the last few years have been difficult due to parts delays following the pandemic. I have been very affected by this on a handful of occasions, even right now, but things are really beginning to stabilise now. My current lead time is between 9-12 months for Feather depending on the availability of parts and complexity of paint design. Generally, more complex paint schemes will take a little longer following the fabrication of the frame. For WKNDR, you can simply choose your preferred build month for completion two months later.
If you are considering ordering a Feather or a WKNDR, please contact us via the respective websites and Sally will book you in for an initial 30 minute call.