A name can carry serious weight. Unless, of course, your name is Ricky Feather, ex-pro BMXer, turned custom frame builder, who creates bicycles that give the impression of being able to float up mountains or, more exactly, being capable of flight. This recent road bike is a good example, built for fellow Yorkshireman and designer, Richard Child.
To call Richard a designer is a bit of an understatement: he’s a problem solver, interior and furniture designer, and project manager. It’s easy to see why the clean lines and minimalistic branding of Feather Cycles appealed to him, not to mention the fact that Ricky is also located in the same United Kingdom county of Yorkshire.
Yorkshire is often referred to as ‘God’s Own County’, but God must’ve enjoyed the odd strenuous pedal around the countryside, because there’s plenty of good riding to be had. Richard’s Feather is quite angelic, a mix of Columbus tubes designed specifically for all-day riding comfort with snappy and responsive undertones.
Each Feather is paid extra-special attention to produce an heirloom ride: a fillet-brazed frame whose joints appear seamlessly attached. For Richard’s frame, Ricky constructed an ornamental seat tube cluster that envelopes the Thomson mast like an anemone grabbing a finger, the result of some serious filing time. It’s a small detail, which will always be a pleasure to behold.
A carbon Dedacciai Black Fin fork was custom painted in the same heavenly hues as the frame, while the transmission consists of Shimano’s electronic Ultegra Di2 6870 series, combined with a SRAM Red crankset and chainrings. It’s all powering a pair of Rolf Prima Elan wheels which, all in all, is not a half-bad vehicle to tear up some Yorkshire B roads.
Massive thanks to Andrew Butler for the fine photography.
