Diving Into The Deep End At Bespoked 2024

By Andrew on June 30, 2024 • ( Leave a comment )

Scrolling through the archive of CyclingEurope.org (no mean feat as there are now getting on for 4,000 posts on here), I discover that I first attended Bespoked: The Handmade Bicycle Show back in 2013 when it was taking place in Bristol. Over a decade later, the show continues to take place but has been on its travels: to London and Germany and in 2024 to the Victoria Baths in Manchester. This morning, along with a cycling friend, I headed over the Pennines (in my friend’s Volvo rather than on our bikes…) to visit the show. Here are a few notes.

First of all the venue. Interesting place. You may remember it from Restoration, a BBC programme that aired in 2003 hosted by Griff Rhys-Jones. A number of crumbling buildings competed for lottery funding and the Victoria Baths won, pocketing £3 million in the process. 21 years later, it could actually do with another £3 million as it is continuing to crumble but presumably not to the extent that it was crumbling back in 2003. What used to be the main swimming pool made for a curious, slightly sloping venue for a bike show (there was more action next door in the flat adjoining room.)

To the bicycles…

Here was my favourite. An £11,000 beauty from Somerset-based Craft Bikes. Bespoke titanium bikes are their thing and the one shown below came complete with electronic gear shifters. Very smooth…

This was interesting (and far more carbon friendly…): a wood bike from Twmpa Cycles. The wood is ash and the frame is made from laminating thick planks together. The blue bike at the back of the picture was hard to immediately identify as a wooden bike but, just as vegans are keen to reveal all, I’m sure its future owner will point out to as many people as possible that it is, in fact, made from wood.

Accessories are all important…

…and here are a few more practical ones.

I’m thinking of replacing Wanda’s front light and this Son may be the one to choose. I already have a Son dynamo on the front wheel so the combination would be good. The bike box for flying? It seemed excessively expensive (over £1,000) for what it does but the company – Buxumbox – have sold hundreds so there must be a market out there. At the more affordable end of the market were the bags by Tailfin. “Engineered for freedom” apparently…

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