During my recent visit to the United Kingdom, I swung by the workshop of Tom Donhou, in London’s Hackney Wick. It’s been a real pleasure profiling Tom’s work on The Spoken over the last few years, so it was particularly awesome to visit him and see inside the space where he creates such amazing bikes. He let me photograph a new project that he’s been working on over the last few months, in-between customer’s orders: the first of his production models, the Donhou Bicycles Signature Steel.
This is a sneak peek, you can expect to see much more spectacular photos of the bikes over the few weeks. Needless to say, my photos don’t do the striking paint fade justice, which Tom applies himself in his on-site color lab. The color is enough to brighten up the dullest of London days. Tom instigated the Signature Steel series to produce a handmade Donhou Bicycle that’s more accessible, with all the quality craftsmanship that has earned Tom his high reputation and awards.
The road grime on the frame in these photos are from a recent shakedown ride, where it performed flawlessly. The geometry is designed for fast and fun all-day riding, built with the traditional reliability British steel bikes are known for. Each frame is built from Reynolds 853 Pro Team tubes, teamed with an ENVE tapered disc fork. They’re disc-specific, a feature which Tom has been refining for customer’s, resulting in all weather/all season performance.
Head to the Donhou Bicycles website, or follow the Facebook page and Instagram feed for more information as it surfaces.
