For Gavin Buxton, things have come full circle. An engineer with nearly two decades-worth of experience, he has also been practising as August Wheelworks. His appearance at Bespoked Bristol this weekend as August Bicycles begins a new revolution, heralded by this very stylish commuter.
Before August Bicycles, before August Wheelworks, Gavin represented the United Kingdom in the 1997 World Downhill MTB Championships, racing against the likes of Corrado Herin and Jürgen Beneke. He busted up plenty of wheels so, as a result, learnt how to lace them up himself.
August Wheelworks has been established for just shy of four years, and in that time, Gavin has earned himself a strong reputation for his ability to assemble a rock-solid custom pair of wheels. His engineering mind pushed him to explore more, however, and he found himself drawn to frame building itself.
Last year, at the 2015 Bespoked Bristol show, Gavin unveiled the very first August Wheelworks frame, an exceptionally smooth fillet brazed adventure road bike. The same orange and neutral-toned theme seen on this commuter was established, this time trimmed with orange polka dots.
The ‘Land Rover Limestone’ makes a fine background for the vibrant orange highlights, coating the custom front rack, fender struts and dropout windows. The charcoal Brooks Cambium saddle and hand grips don’t detract from the show either. Gavin aimed for integrated dynamo lighting, resulting in the nifty modification to the Cambium.
The other consideration Gavin had in mind when engineering this frame was a rack system that could be removed easily without leaving any trace of the mounting — so the fork was designed with no bosses, only a bolt at the bridge and axle attachments. The rack is such a complementary accessory that the occasion to remove it would be rare.
London’s topography is relatively horizontal, so a single speed is all that is necessary. It’s a vehicle perfectly tailored to the Londinium streets, but with portage capabilities for a small bag, an XT drivetrain and wide Grand Bois tyres, I’d be optimistic about taking it on a John O’Groats-to-Land’s End ride. Why not?
It’s for sale, too. Check it out at Bespoked Bristol this weekend. And get ready to see more stylish steeds from August Bicycles in the future.