English Cycles | Custom Bicycles

Posted by Rob on Apr 18, 2025

Henry’s all-road bike

Henry was looking for a classic-riding road bike that would allow for up to 38mm tires. He had a mechanically shifting Campagnolo Chorus groupset on hand, and we aimed for a build specification that would keep the bike light without going over budget. The frame uses slightly smaller diameter tubes to give the ride quality Henry desired. The cables and hoses route internally to keep things tidy. Beautiful...

Posted by Rob on Apr 5, 2025

Jo’s gravel bike

Jo asked me to build her a gravel bike with clearance for big tires, fenders and a front generator hub. After reviewing her sizing, we decided to go with 650B wheels, and reduced the crank length to 160mm. The frame has lots of room for the 45mm tires and fenders, so could run bigger without the fenders. There is a UDH dropout to allow for any current derailleur, and bosses under the toptube for a full...

Posted by Rob on Mar 23, 2025

Steve’s road bike

Steve is a fellow ex-pat who asked me to build him a road bike, with a nod to his native Yorkshire in the paint scheme. He opted for an integrated seatmast, with internal wedge modified-Thomson mini-seatpost for saddle adjustment, and full internal hose routing using Enve’s In-Route system. The build uses a separate bar and stem to allow for adjusting handlebar angle and the ability to swap the stem...

Posted by Rob on Mar 7, 2025

Jeffrey’s 650B FGC

I have had the pleasure of working on a few builds with Jeffrey. With an upcoming trip to Italy to ride the Strade Bianche sportif, he asked if I could build him a gravel bike that would be easy to travel with. Which is what the FGC (Folding Gravel Concept) design is for! Jeffrey has a preference for 650B wheels, which makes the packing even easier into the airline-checkable case. Shown with 42mm tires...

Posted by Rob on Feb 23, 2025

Bo’s gravel bikepacking rig

Bo asked for a gravel bike with big tire clearance, fully kitted out with bags for bikepacking adventures! Whilst setup with 45mm tires, there is clearance for 50s. The Enve In-Route Gravel fork up front hides the brake hose, and features triple pack mounts in case additional cargo space is needed. This is paired to a Chris King Aeroset headset and Enve AR bar/stem. Additional Enve parts with the G23 rims...

Posted by Rob on Feb 13, 2025

Rich’s road bike

Rich asked me to build him a light, fast road bike that would climb great. With his position set, I could design geometry to give the required handling characteristics, and then choose the tubing to offer the right level of stiffness to give good ride feel. Whilst 30mm tires are fitted, there is clearance for up to a 35mm. The carbon headtube insert saves a few grams and gives a nice aesthetic accent....

Posted by Rob on Feb 9, 2025

Tim’s gravel bike

Tim is a fellow Oregonian, so was able to come to visit to plan his build. We took the opportunity to review his fit and go for a ride. Always nice when I get to meet clients in person! For the build, Tim asked me to design a gravel bike that would double as a fender bike for the winter. He opted for an integrated seatmast with external cap, and a custom stem to match. The frame has a UDH dropout for...

Posted by Rob on Jan 20, 2025

Alex’s all-road bike

Alex came to visit for a fitting and to plan out his build. Once we got the fit sorted out I could design a bike that was going to match his needs. And then we could deep dive into the parts spec! The frame and Whisky fork will clear 38mm gravel tires, or the bike can be setup for all-weather road with the 34mm tires and Portland Design Works fenders as shown. We opted to not fully integrate the brake...