While the United Kingdom has an age-old and rich tradition of custom frame builders, it also has a number of very talented and passionate young builders. Tom Donhou is one, located in Norwich, in the east of England. His work attracted the attention of Alanna, a Berlin rider who required a fitting replacement for her beloved, but aging, town bike.
Alanna supplied numerous style references, but one item that really stood out was a favorite bracelet of hers, a vintage silver Art Deco piece with emerald green inlaid bands. It’s easy to see the influence in the bike Tom created for her, which is just as much a piece of jewellery. The frame is a combination of fillet brazed and bi-lam construction, with internal routing for the brakes.
“The twin seat stays take inspiration from the Art Deco period and also help replace the stiffness lost from the lack of conventional top tube”, Tom writes. The real standout is the custom chain guard and stainless steel shifter for the Alfine 8 hub. It’s been a busy year for Tom, building some very smooth bikes and getting published in the Made in England book and the 2013 The Spoken Calendar.
Tristan Conor Holden took these brilliant photos of the final result, but head to the Donhou Bicycles website to see more details.
