A few years ago, the GT Zaskar was, for me, the absolute pinnacle of bicycle beauty. Then one day I stumbled across photographs of Darrell Llewellyn McCulloch’s frames — all ornate lugs covered with stainless steel lightning flashes, raindrops and hand-cut, heart-shaped bridges. It was the first time my eyes had seen a real custom bike and from thereafter, the Zaskar was relegated to the second shelf.

When he was 16, Darrell was hired as a mechanic for Eric Hendren’s ‘Hoffy Cycles’ in Brisbane and shortly after, had set himself a 10-year goal to start his own marque. It has now been 23 years since Darrell started Llewellyn Custom Bicycles. Those 23 years include 15 seasons of track and road racing and many years as a national Australian team mechanic.

The Cadenzia is available as a road or fixed/SS configuration, constructed from Columbus Spirit and Darrell’s proprietary lug set. While producing some of Australia’s finest custom frames, he discovered a lack of lug designs available for XL and OS sloping top tubes. So he set about creating his own and now offers four sets, as well as a stem lug set, dropouts and various other frame building supplies.

With his experience on the track, it’s no wonder Darrell loves riding fixed gear bikes and this Cadenzia is one of his personal favorites. If you’re coming to the inaugural Australian Custom Bicycle Show on the 1st and 2nd of December, you can meet Darrell and see his work up close. Darrell and Darren Baum will also be speaking at the ‘Meet The Maker’ dinner the night before, hosted by FYXO.

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One of the most innovative bikes seen at this year’s NAHBS was this single speed, single-sided road bike by Oregon’s Rob English. Already known for his prodigious frame designs and creative details, this green machine, which also features hand-painted artwork by Geoff Mcfetridge, surely must have exercised the boundaries of Rob’s engineering skills.

The frame was contracted by Fairwheel Bikes in Tucson for a customer who wanted something extraordinary, with completely one-of-a-kind paintwork, so the pairing of English and Mcfetridge seemed a natural one. Both have worked with Fairwheel Bikes before, but not on the same project. Rob’s engineering ability becomes more evident the closer one looks (there’s more detail photos on the English Cycles website): a custom-machined rear hub enables the belt drive to be placed on the outside of the frame — negating the need for a split in the frame. The fork leg actually clamps onto a one-piece stem and steerer tube, the front Avid disc brake has been modified to allow for mounting on the right and the rear caliper is mounted below the bottom bracket.

The rear end of the frame was completely designed in 3D CAD to check the chainline and, once fabricated and painted with a base coat, delivered to Geoff Mcfetridge. Himself a passionate cyclist, Geoff is a an artist who has collaborated with clients such as Nike, Patagonia, Chocolate Skateboards and Greenpeace. He was also the art director for Spike Jonze’s cinematic interpretation of Where The Wild Things Are and, as requested by Fairwheel’s customer, applied a design with a certain ‘Wild’ influence. Definitely a perfect finish to a striking bike.

Have a look at Rob’s website for his outline of the project. The Fairwheel Bikes website has the complete spec sheet and more background — contact them to help you achieve your dream bike. Special thanks to Tina Buescher for the photography and Trackosaurus Rex for the tip.

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Another framebuilder anxiously anticipating the 2012 North American Handmade Bicycle Show is Chris Bishop, although from the glimpses we’ve seen, he has the situation in hand. In between coordinating the Show bikes, he managed to build this slender single speed for Martin.

Martin’s custom frame is dripping with the type of details Chris Bishop is well known for. That seat tube cluster, however, is one of the freshest I’ve seen. The attraction of a single speed is it’s pared-back simplicity, which this one has in spades, but that rear end looks like it’s been tapped with the wand of a fairy godmother, adding a glamorous touch without being garish. The components are top-shelf: TRP brakes, Chris King hubs matched by the blacked-out headset and a White Industries drivetrain. Without pedals, the scales are tipped at 14 lb, 13 oz — not bad for a bike that will last a lifetime.

Say hello to Chris at the NAHBS on the 3rd and 4th of March, where he’ll have a slew of amazing bikes on display, including John ‘Prolly‘ Watson’s fillet-brazed road bike. There’s more detail photos of Martin’s single speed on the Bishop Bikes flickr stream.

Cycle EXIF supplies a daily dose of commuter bicycles, custom bicycles and classic bicycles.

The last three frames to emerge from the Yorkshire workshop of Ricky Feather have been a departure from his usual repertoire: we’ve seen a striking mixte and an internal-hubbed, disc-braked all-rounder. The third is Hin’s single speed – the latest indicator of a fresh direction for Feather Cycles.

Hin’s is an elegant steed that once again demonstrates Ricky’s ability to produce a modern bike that gives a nod to the proud tradition of the English hand made bicycle. The paint, as close to MINI’s Horizon Blue Metallic as you’d like, conceals numerous features such as a hand-carved bi-lam head tube and a custom rear brake cable boss. The fork crown hasn’t escaped Ricky’s files either, and he added pivots for the Paul Components Racer brakes as well.

Kayti Peschke has, as always, perfectly photographed Ricky’s work. I would personally love to take this for a cruise through the Yorkshire Dales and I’m sure Hin is over the moon with his new Feather Cycle. See more Feather Cycles on the blog and flickr stream.

Cycle EXIF supplies a daily dose of commuter bicycles, custom bicycles and classic bicycles.

Compared to its namesake, the Vassago JabberWocky is about as down-to-earth as one can get. It’s a high quality 4130 steel Utah-designed 29er frame. Vassago has been producing the JabberWocky since 2005, so they’re obviously doing something right. Chris Ronan was attracted to this frame for the same reason I was: it’s a perfect mix between the bikes from the good ol’ days of mountain biking with all of today’s refinements.

Chris was finding cycling a difficult addiction to give up and, after a 15 year hiatus from the racing scene, was astounded by the technological progression bikes have undergone. “My goal with this bike was to build a bike that strongly celebrated the old school of dirt riding but with the core features I would have killed for back in the day,” Chris says. “While suspended bikes are awesome and provide a smooth ride with the ability to go hard over the bumps, my goal was to build a bike made to ride hard and that would make me feel like I was riding my Bridgestone MB2 from years past.” Sounds like the ultimate dirty fun bike. Special thanks to Chris for the fantastic photography.

Cycle EXIF supplies a daily dose of commuter bicycles, custom bicycles and classic bicycles.

While the rest of the blogging world celebrate the accolades showered over Bishop Bikes for their exemplary track-based creations, old-school mountain bikers may rejoice: Chris Bishop still has your best interests at heart. During the late 80s and early 90s, if you couldn’t afford an Intense M1, Tomac 204, GT STS or Giant ATX DH1, you would settle for, as a dream bike, a steel single speed frame fronted by a pair of Marzocchi Z1 forks which would carry you through a cross country, dual slalom or downhill race on Any Given Sunday.

Well, the Bishop Bikes Green Machine is, after all these years, still where it’s at. Avid Arch Supremes, an Azonic Shorty stem and an over-gusseted steel frame is all that’s needed for a world-full of fun for the purist dirt-bicycle enthusiast. Chris has even specified a pair of three-piece BMX cranks to the drive train: a technical possibility that was discussed after many an afternoon session, back in the day. Really, who needs a carbon-fiber frame, or even disc brakes? In fact, those fancy forks could suitably be replaced by a pair of proprietary Bishop Bikes rigid steel forks. Keep it simple, stupid.

Cycle EXIF supplies a daily dose of commuter bicycles, custom bicycles and classic bicycles.

Olli Erkillä cannot leave well enough alone. We’ve barely relaxed after the excitement his Rossin Ghibli caused a few weeks ago, when he decides to drop this upon us. Not content with just realigning an existing frame, his latest creation is a Frankenstein build from recycled tubes from old frames.

In a story to melt even the coldest heart, Olli built this aerodynamic single speed as a gift of love for his girlfriend, or maybe it was recompense for spending so much time in the workshop lately… Regardless, it’s an impressive gift. In his own words: “Already for some time I wanted to make frame without seat tube. I also get inspired about old Cinelli Laser bikes. I found some photos of seat tube-less Lasers where I got some ideas. Frame moldings are quite ‘Laser styled’. The frame itself is made out of recycled tubes from old bike frames. Construction element is 0.5mm sheet metal. The frame is very strong and weights about 3kg, complete bike is around 10kg. The tires are interesting as they were made by Pirelli, I bought them from a Veterama swap meet in Germany. The seller said that Pirelli stopped making bicycle tires in 40′s! I think they fit here very nicely. I completed the paint job and it’s pearl white, with lots of clear coat.

PS: Head over to Olli’s website to see more custom creations, including his amazing forkless cruisers.

Cycle EXIF supplies a daily dose of commuter bicycles, custom bicycles and classic bicycles.

Every frame Tony Pereira builds is a statement in style and form. There’s never a thing out of place, never a need to add any fancy embellishments. He’s happy to let the pure rideability of his bikes do the talking. This 29er he created for Eric H, shot in a studio setting, nevertheless looks ready to utterly devour any available single trail.

While his Gentleman’s Bicycle was an exercise in stylish urban transportation, and his collaboration with Ira Ryan on a Rapha Continental squad bike was testament to his road nous, his mountain bikes paint a picture of his extensive knowledge of dirt riding. A combination of elegance and resilience, details like the seat tube sleeve start revealing themselves upon closer inspection: curved seat stays, the red pinstripe connecting the internal brake cable entry and exit, the golden pear head badge, perfect fillet brazing and a complement of Avid Elixir brakes, Chris King bearings and a Thomson stem and post only serve to ice the cake.

Tony’s credentials are documented on his website, along with a gallery of his early builds, while you can drool over more recent examples of his work on his flickr stream.

Cycle EXIF supplies a daily dose of commuter bicycles, custom bicycles and classic bicycles.

Mark Skulls, a patch wearing member of the Skull Bike Club, is a London-based artist and designer who has owned an eclectic collection of rides over the years. This is his latest creation, as wild, dark and hard as his art. Mark rescued an Allsop Softride Powerwing frame with a coat of matte black rattlecan paint, and rebuilt it with an assortment of new and old school parts.

There’s an old FFWD carbon wheel on the front and an H Plus Son SL42 laced to a Halo road hub on the rear. Mark used a Gusset system to convert the hub to a single speed, and a classic Mavic derailleur to provide the tension; apparently the Halo hub ‘screams like a Chris King on acid’. Drive is provided via Speedplay Drillium pedals and SRAM Rival cranks. The cockpit consists of a LOOK Ergostem and Bontrager Crowbars, while Dia Compe 77 levers activate the Miche callipers. It’s a mish-mashed aesthetic, but that’s the point. Softride frames have always held an air of apprehension about them, and Mark reiterates this by stating that he never knows if his seat is at the right height and that he can’t actually lock it up. Not to worry, it’ll make a great Summer Sunday ride—like a technopunk bat out of hell. A look at Mark’s portfolio website will put the bike in perspective, while the Skull Bike Club blog will keep you up-to-date on the antics of the crew.

Cycle EXIF supplies a daily dose of commuter bicycles, custom bicycles and classic bicycles.

The last time I saw this bike, it had a rattle can black spray job. Thankfully, the Fast Boy Cycle’s Assless Bike is back. After a sustained hiatus, it’s got a fresh white powder coat with a positive red cross. For those that have crept upon this blog late, and the Fast Boy blog, Ezra from Fast Boy Cycle has a form of cancer that has rendered him unable to ride a bicycle. Well, that is, sitting down…

Enter, stage left, the Assless Bike. Being one of New York’s most talented builders, Ezra constructed himself a frame that did not require a seat mast or saddle. In true Fast Boy style, the result was one of pure style. Completely fulfilling the brief, nothing extraneous, just the fax, ma’am, just the fax. Geez, when this bike gets it’s ass back, it’s gonna be the perfect NY bike. White Industries cranks and free wheel, one perfect front disc, Schwalbe Super Moto rubber, Thomson Elite stem and cork grips. On thing’s for sure, the man knows how to put a bike together and make it look the goods.

Ezra, keep going. Teach that cancer to cry.

Cycle EXIF supplies a daily dose of commuter bicycles, custom bicycles and classic bicycles.

My first bike was equipped with a coaster brake, and I’ve never forgotten the sensation of locking it up and getting sideways around the gravel paths in our local park. It’s always been a query of mine as to why there isn’t an updated version of the coaster brake by master machinists like Phil Wood or Chris King. It’s a perfect way of maintaining the clean, uninterrupted lines of a fixed gear without actually having a fixed gear.

The relative fragility of the standard coaster brake lends itself perfectly to this assembly by Bertelli of New York. Perfect for morning rambles through the boroughs to the deli on a weekend morning; maybe not so much for hill bombing. This style of riding, however, is what the Italians are more comfortable with and why Francesco Bertelli has cornered a niche in the NY bicycle trade.

This frame on this Bertelli, called the Domenica, is made by Viking Cycles, a Norwegian workshop who specializes in traditional style lugged steel track frames and ‘classic track aesthetics’, of course. Bertelli places an emphasis on individual builds — compiled with parts from around the world and his trusted suppliers. Combined with his Italian sense of style, each of his bikes come with that pre-loved patina, like a grandfather’s watch or hand-tailored suit from an opportunity shop. So the Gipiemme crankset, Titan stem, hand crafted wooden handlebars (made by designer Adam Brackney), vintage Brooks B15 and vintage white Michelins, come together with an understated grace and warmth.

Domenica has been sold, but get in touch with Francesca and he can tailor a bike to your specification — providing it doesn’t involve gears or riser bars… but does require a superb elegance.

Cycle EXIF supplies a daily dose of commuter bicycles, custom bicycles and classic bicycles.

If I could place an order for any hand built bike in the world it would be for a Fast Boy. Ezra is one of my all time heroes. He has one of the most beautiful outlooks on life, which has been tempered by an experience that no-one should have to go through. Read his blog for more information on that trial. Needless to say he is an individual who, like the steel he works with, has been tested in fire and, like the bikes he produces, are works of Art in the true sense of the word.

This is one of his older builds, from 2009, but still one of my favorites. After spending a precious afternoon of my weekend convincing a disagreeable derailleur to derail correctly, I’m convinced single speed bicycles are advanced technology. Taking that one step further, this Fast Boy utilizes a White Industries DOS Freewheel mechanism, which allows two cogs on a SS freewheel. Hence, ‘dingle-speed’. Not only that, the chain ring has two sets of teeth. It’s a dual dingle-speed. Now, the rear Phil Wood hub is a fixed/free flip-flop hub. So it is, in fact, a double-dual-dingle-speed. Ezra has an given it an even more colloquial title, check it out on his flickr. After that mouthful, it’s much doubly appropriate.

The other feature that makes this bike stand out above others in this genre is that stylish paint. Like a white linen Ermenegildo Zegna suit with a silk tie, Ezra has masked off two stripes to let the raw metal achieve a rich patina with age.

Please, have a read of the Fast Boy blog. Thanks Ezra.

Cycle EXIF supplies a daily dose of commuter bicycles, custom bicycles and classic bicycles.

While I was reading up on the 2010 Single Speed World Championships (how do I take a week off work to get to Rotorua, how do I come up with the necessary money for flights and beer etc.), I came across this interesting SS MTB by Kish Fabrication, located in California. Specially built for the 2008 SSWC, this frame features the enigmatic 650b wheel size.

There’s no question Jim Kish can talk the talk, with around 18 years experience in the frame building business, working in both titanium and steel. He’s also an instructor in California Polytechnic State University’s Engineering Department and the United Bicycle Institute’s frame building class.

With a White Industries drive train, custom-etched ti seat post, Paragon slider dropouts and powder by Spectrum Powder Works, this is one candy-sweet ride. It would almost be a shame to cake it in the mud and grass of Rotorua. But in that element, only then would it truly shine.

Read more about Jim’s credentials on the Kish Fabrication website, and you can browse more of his steel and titanium creations on the Kish flickr stream.

Cycle EXIF supplies a daily dose of commuter bicycles, custom bicycles and classic bicycles.

There are those who object to the removal of gears a bicycle came with in order to create a single speed or a fixed gear, but there are also those who know how to do it right. Andy White is one such builder. If you’ve been following his blog, Fyxomatosis, long enough you’ll be aware of his fine taste in classic bikes and components. You’ll also know he isn’t afraid to mix styles up a little. In the wrong hands this could be a recipe for disaster, but thanks to his aesthetic perspective, each creation is something special.

This is his latest creation, an almost mint Colnago SLX frame adorned with a Shimano Dura Ace 7400 groupset. Normally I would be loathe to bear a bike mixing rice and pasta, but this bike was built strictly to a customer’s requisite. The brief was to put together a bike, which could be a single speed daily rider, solid and dependable enough to last a decade or more on the roads of the style-conscious Melbourne streets.

It’s hard to put a foot wrong with a frame like this, but it’s the details that count. There’s a Phil Wood bottom bracket in the shell, which has been proven over and again to be capable of vast distances. A White Industries freewheel is both elegant, virtually indestructible and will emit a reassuring mechanical purr. Those Dura Ace hubs have been laced to rock solid Mavic Open Pro rims, the decals of which Andy has cunningly replaced with Colnago rim labels from Cyclomondo (who also produced the faux-Columbus / Fyxomatosis decals).

In conclusion: another satisfied Fyxomatosis customer. Have a look at Andy’s website for more examples of his builds, photography and a delicious recipe for carrot cake. You can see more detail shots of his Colnago Bici con Dura Ace on the Fyx flickr.

Cycle EXIF supplies a daily dose of commuter bicycles, custom bicycles and classic bicycles.

Keith Anderson is one of the most talented sprayers out there. I’ve been his flickr contact for a while now and every upload just blows me away. Located in Oregon, you should drop him a line if your standards are nothing less than the highest and you need a frame sprayed or restored to better than original condition.

He’s also a builder, and this is a 2009 show bike inspired by his three sons. It’s actually up for sale, at around US$7,500, I hope it goes to a good home. It took four years to complete, and it shows. The attention to detail is nothing short of spectacular, with hand-shaped fenders hewn from paduak and wenge, complete with paua shell inlay around the fenders and chain guard. To replicate that iconic sound of a Bicycle playing card flapping against the spokes, Keith has integrated a carbon fibre card mounted onto the frame. The paint is a custom mixed Tahitian Blue, which really sets off the Magura disc brakes and the Brooks leather grips.

If you’ve been thinking that the paint on your iconic frame needs a restoration but was unsure who had the skill to truly bring it back to life, have a look at the Keith Anderson flickr stream for all the testament you need. You can contact Keith through his website. Special thanks to photographer Chris Wimpey for perfectly capturing Keith’s work.

Cycle EXIF supplies a daily dose of commuter bicycles, custom bicycles and classic bicycles.